ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is a relatively new field with many different types of companies. Often BCBAs, or Board Certified Behavior Analysts, within each company have relatively different skill sets and competencies. Finding a provider that fits you and your child’s needs is of paramount importance because without this, achieving goals can be difficult. This brief list of talking points and questions to ask when searching for a provider may help! For you and your child, an individual or team of individuals that best fits your child’s needs can be extremely helpful.
Questions to Ask When Searching for an ABA Provider
What experience does the individual have in supervising my child’s program type?
BCBAs must accrue a minimum of 1500 hours of supervision within the field before they sit for their exam. This number has changed and will probably continue to change as the program gains more insight. Asking about the ages of clients they have worked with, the skills they have taught and the maladaptive behaviors they have programmed for may help you to gauge this experience level.
How frequently will the supervisor be coming to my home?
The BCBA must supervise an RBT, or Registered Behavior Technician, for at least 5% of their hours monthly. Broken down, this means that if your child receives 100 hours of therapy, the BCBA must be supervising this program for at least 5 hours out of every 100 hours.
Ideally, the BCBA should be supervising 2-3 times monthly, breaking up those 5 hours over the course of the month. This allows your child and the RBT to be seen in a variety of moods and activities. These supervisions will aid in the professional development of the RBT working with your child and yield programming adjustments. It is the BCBA who determines if goals have been completed and provides new goals to be worked toward.
Will you be providing parent training and if so, how does it work?
Parent training provides the child a caregiver who can continue their ABA program outside of session times. All learned behaviors take time, patience, and continual work. When the parent and the teacher work together, the child benefits the most.
Most insurers also require parent training as part of their willingness to provide coverage for ABA therapy. This means BCBAs should be discussing parent training with you and should be open to scheduling sessions to better the overall program through parent or caregiver involvement.
What is your communication policy?
Most ABA companies are overwhelmed with calls, and BCBAs typically supervise multiple cases. Even with this in mind, a family should be able to get a hold of someone working on their child's program within 2-3 days. If you are finding this is not possible, this may be a warning sign that the BCBA or the company itself is too full.
Patience is always appreciated but you may need to address your concerns with them and discuss your expectations. Usually communication can help alleviate any concerns you may be having.
When Can I Expect My Child's Goals to Be Completed?
ABA therapy is flexible and provides many program styles for your child's care. It will take some time for the BCBA and RBT to develop a program thats perfect for your child's needs, as every child is quite different. Some children find certain goals, like counting, to be easier to accomplish than maybe verbal communications. Others may find brushing their teeth much easier than sitting still, and so on. Program efficiency will improve as the RBT and child spend more time together. Timeframe expectations can range, so communication about expectations is always helpful.
Finding the quality ABA services for your family can be daunting and difficult. These questions will help you find the perfect provider and understand which ABA company you choose is best for your child's needs. Find other solutions to your child's needs at our resources page!
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