APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS-
CHOOSING ABA THERAPISTS FOR YOUR CHILD

Applied Behavior Analysis is usually the most effective and rigorously tested intervention for the majority of children on the autism spectrum - unfortunately it is also very expensive and requires a high degree of skill and experience from the therapist to achieve the best results for your child.

An ABA therapist without the necessary expertise could cost you a lot and achieve little, or even worse, could set back your child's development in some areas. So it pays to make sure you are getting what you pay for!

Check their credentials

Any decent ABA therapist will be able to provide a detailed resume with their university training and work experience since then. They should also be able to supply references from several families they have worked for over a decent period of time.

Ask plenty of questions

Have they worked with children of the same age as your child? What form did those programs take? What sort of programs will they anticipate setting up for your child? Have they had experience in running these programs before? Remember that therapists will gradually learn how to run many types of programs over the years, so make sure this isn't the first time they've done this program unsupervised by a senior therapist. You will be handing over a sizeable amount of money for their services so you can interview them in detail!

ABA therapists will first do an assessment of your child and then form a written plan. They should willingly spend time discussing this with you and answering your questions.

How will the therapists involve you?

Ask them how they will teach and involve you to apply ABA principles with your child as well. Successful early intervention implies that you as parents learn ABA principles so that your interactions with your child are consistent with the therapist's work. This also means that you can continue these interventions after the therapists have finished.

Do the therapists get along well with your child?

Sometimes a therapist can be excellent at their job but the personalities may simply not gel together. Give your child time to get used to this new stranger, but make sure that your child feels comfortable with their personality and communication style.

Click here to download a comprehensive checklist of questions for your ABA therapist from ABA Resources. Their website has a range of free ABA resources available.

Click here to read detailed answers to the most common questions about ABA.
Click here to read about choosing an ABA provider.
Click here to read an example of ABA used to develop listening skills.

Click here for the full range of Asperger's and Autism fact sheets at www.autism-help.org
This autism fact sheet is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.