How do I get services started for my child?
The first step would be to reach out to your insurance provider and determine if ABA therapy will be covered. If so, your insurance company will be able to guide you through the required steps to obtain a referral for a behavior assessment and/or ongoing ABA therapy. If you are interested in private pay options, please contact us for further details.
How many hours a week of ABA therapy will my child benefit from?
Every child is different and there is considerable variability in terms of how many hours per week of therapy will maximally benefit an individual learner. Additionally, many variables also impact the amount of direct therapy time a child requires to make progress, such as how well the child retains information from session to session, the number of skills being targeted, how consistently behavioral interventions are being employed outside of ABA sessions, etc. A board certified behavior analyst will make a recommendation about how many hours per week a given child would benefit from after conducting a behavioral assessment and observation of the child.
What does ABA therapy look like in the home?
ABA therapy can look different across different children, as each child has a unique set of behavioral needs. Often, younger learners have a heavy emphasis on teaching appropriate play and language skills, whereas some older children work extensively with enhancing the quality of interactions with peers. A board certified behavior analyst can talk with you further about how ABA therapy will look for your child after conducting an initial behavior assessment.
How long will it take?
Unfortunately, this is not possible to say. Applied behavior analysis is a methodology that seeks to increase pro-social behaviors and reduce challenging behaviors by making environmental manipulations. It is a data-driven field and the progress of a given child will be closely monitored and program modifications will be made as appropriate based on the data to maximize the success of the client. That said, it is not possible to predict how quickly a given child will reach a point where he or she no longer benefits from ABA therapy. This is a highly individualized decision and can be discussed with a board certified behavior analyst as programming progresses.