What Is ABA Therapy?

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy is focused on teaching children the skills they need on a day to day basis. Based on the science of learning and behavior, ABA applies our understanding of how behavior works to real-life situations so that we can increase behaviors that are helpful while decreasing behaviors that are harmful, or affect learning. Behavior analysis helps us to understand:

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How behavior works — What causes what? How does this child react when they see a familiar face or their favorite toy? What makes them do that? Why do they respond this way? When we understand how behavior works, we can use it to help our clients change their behaviors by changing their environment.

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How behavior is affected by the environment — How does your child’s behavior differ at home vs. school vs. the grocery store? What happens when they're with certain people or in certain situations? When we know how different environments impact changes in behavior, we are able to implement environmental manipulations as well as specialized behavior plans to target barriers and increase success.  

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How learning takes place — Through the manipulation of reinforcement contingencies (how we can access things we want) and regular use of positive reinforcement, we increase your child’s ability to complete independent tasks, demonstrate new skills, and function more independently, etc. Through the implementation of a specialized program and the principles of ABA, we will work to identify how your child learns best, what skill set he/she currently possesses, and what skills will be most meaningful for us to focus on first.

 

 

Will my child have to sit at a table all day?
 

Not at all! When we think of ABA, we think of Discrete Trial Training (DTT). But did you know that we

also use a second method called Natural Environment Teaching (NET)?

 

DTT is a format of ABA therapy that typically occurs in an individualized space, where behavior technicians lead floor play and table work.

 

NET is a format of ABA therapy that typically occurs in, you guessed it, the natural environment. When teaching “in the NET”, the world becomes a large exciting play space where kiddos lead the way and behavior technicians work alongside them on appropriate play, name recognition, sharing, motor skills and more.

 

The home provides an environment that lends itself to NET throughout your child’s day to day activities. While sitting at a table may be a developmentally appropriate goal (especially if we're aiming for reintegration into the school), there are many other teaching opportunities that occur naturally throughout our day. At xyzABA, we use a combination of DTT and NET to create a holistic approach to teaching socially significant skills across various environments and situations.

 

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How can I provide my child support though ABA?

Families and guardians are an essential part of any ABA therapy program. Here at xyzABA, we believe that family support is an integral part of what we do. We provide sessions between parents/guardians/caregivers and their dedicated BCBA on a regular basis. During these meetings, we engage in continued discussions and/or trainings  including tips on how  to generalize what’s being taught during our 1:1 sessions to your everyday life.

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How long will it take to get started if I send all my information today?

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It depends on your insurance and our staffing availability, but you can expect to start anywhere between 2-6 weeks from the first time we connect.

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What if you don't take our insurance? Is there any other way to receive services from your company?

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Absolutely!  If we are not in network with your insurance carrier, and you would like to proceed with utilization of your

out-of-network benefits after completing a private pay agreement.

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How many behavior technicians will be working with my child?

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We are conscientious about making sure that your child has the best possible technicians who can deliver the interventions and protocols needed for their specific treatment. Each child typically has 1-3 primary behavior technicians, but will

also be able to interact with other technicians from time to time.  This allows us to ensure consistency while also providing opportunities for generalization and learning.

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Is there anyway for me to track the progress of my child's development?

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At xyzABA, we take the care of our clients seriously, which is why we use Rethink, a HIPAA-compliant portal including a full Electronic Health Record (EHR) & document management software to ensure data is always safe, secure and easily-accessible. Parents are able to access various areas of their child’s service/treatment records via their own Rethink account.

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Behavior technicians spend the last 15 minutes of their daily session debriefing the parent on the session and generating/submitting session notes for review. Data and ongoing progress will also be discussed during regularly scheduled parent meetings.
 

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How long will you be working with my child?

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The amount of time that a person receives ABA therapy across their lifetime depends on many factors, and every person is different. We will continue to provide support as long as there is a clinical need and we are making socially significant progress. The number of hours a person receives direct intervention (1:1 ABA services) weekly is also dependent on their individual needs. In a comprehensive ABA program, a person receives 25-40 hours of ABA therapy per week. With a comprehensive program, goals are targeted across domains (communication, social, play, behavior reduction, etc). With a focused ABA program, a person receives 10-25 hours of ABA therapy per week. A focused program is recommended when there are a limited number of behavioral targets. The number of hours that the BCBA will directly supervise the case depends on clinical need, but is typically 10-20% of the therapy hours each week. 

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