Why Goals Stall: The Skills No One’s Looking For

Have you ever worked so hard to support an autistic individual—only to feel stuck, like progress isn’t happening no matter how many strategies you try?

Maybe you’re working on communication, independence, or self-regulation goals. You know the person can do the skill… but they don’t do it consistently. You’ve modeled, prompted, practiced, reinforced—and still, something isn’t clicking.

What if it’s not the goal that’s the problem…What if it’s what comes before the goal that’s being missed?

The Missing Piece: Soft Skills

In this week’s video, Susan Golubock (autistic retired OT) and I dive deep into a topic that’s often overlooked in traditional therapy and education: the foundational soft skills that need to be in place before hard skills can stick.

We're talking about things like:

• Self-awareness

• Emotional understanding

• Body awareness

• Flexibility

• Sensory processing

• Social connectedness

  
  

These are the invisible threads that hold learning together—and when they’re missing, even the most well-intentioned goals can feel out of reach.

🔍 Why Traditional Assessments Aren’t Enough

Most assessments are designed to measure what a person can or can’t do—but not why. They rarely give insight into what’s getting in the way. As Susan says in the video:

“They don’t have a self-awareness… they don’t have an emotional connection to what they did—they just did it.”

This disconnect can lead to goals that feel misaligned, adults who misinterpret behavior, and autistic individuals who feel misunderstood.

🧰 A New Way to Observe

That’s why we created a soft skills observation assessment—to help parents, therapists, and educators uncover the subtle skills that influence how someone learns, communicates, and connects.

You’ll learn how to spot:

• Triggers and barriers

• Potential strengths

• Areas of growth that are often skipped over

  
  

And best of all—it’s not just for professionals. Autistic adults can use it for self-reflection too.

🎥 Watch the Conversation + Download the Tool

In this week’s video, we break down the soft skill triangle, explain how these skills impact goal success, and share real-life examples of how noticing the right things can change your whole approach. If you are autistic, you can use this tool as a self-reflection of skills that are your strengths or if you have a barrier.

📥 Download the free observation tool