At Kyo, we believe involving parents and caregivers in the treatment process is integral to a child’s success. The level of caregiver involvement will vary based on the child’s skill level, and the location of therapy sessions. While parents don’t need to participate in their child’s therapy sessions from start to finish, it is expected that they will regularly observe strategies used by the therapy team and follow up with these same strategies after therapy sessions end.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is an intensive treatment model based on the science of behavior and learning. ABA therapy is useful in teaching new skills and in decreasing challenging behaviors. ABA therapy has been extensively researched and is widely accepted as the best treatment for people diagnosed with autism. It is considered an evidence-based best practice treatment by the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association.
ABA therapy is generally provided by a team of trained clinicians, including a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) and several behavior therapists. The BCBA generally oversees your child’s program, completes the assessment of your child, creates a skill acquisition and/or behavior intervention plan, and works with your insurance provider to get authorization for your child’s program. Some health plans also provide funding for a mid-level program supervisor; they implement the plan created by the BCBA and provide additional guidance to the behavior therapists. Behavior therapists (also called behavior technicians) work directly with your child to implement their treatment plan during therapy sessions.
ABA therapy is often provided in a child’s natural environments including their home, school or other community locations where they regularly spend time and require support. Sometimes ABA is provided in therapy centers. The BCBA who assesses your child will make a recommendation for the location of therapy services based on their observations of your child and information that you provide to them during the evaluation process.
Each child’s therapy program is guided by their unique interests and goals. Generally speaking, ABA therapy sessions involve a behavior therapist working directly with your child to teach new skills. Therapy sessions are often naturalistic and play-based, with the therapist using a fun, quick pace of instruction. While some skills may be taught using highly structured learning tasks, many skills can be learned through play. The behavior therapist may bring additional materials to sessions such as visual schedules, token boards and novel games in order to work on your child’s goals. During some sessions a program supervisor or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will provide feedback and modeling to the behavior therapist to ensure the programs are being implemented correctly.
ABA therapy focuses on developing skills that are determined to be important for the child and their family. Programs generally target two main areas: behavior regulation and skill acquisition. All of the goals in your child’s program will be based on an assessment of their current skills and designed specifically for them.
Choosing a therapy and a provider for your child is a significant decision. We believe all families should research the options available to them before deciding on what services will be most beneficial for their child. There is a seemingly endless amount of information available on the internet about ABA therapy, its various methodologies, and its efficacy. When looking for information, it’s important to consider the source. While there is a large body of scientific research on ABA, there are also some websites providing misinformation and/or a very narrow view of ABA therapy.
Some resources we recommend are: