Parents should always ask themselves if they trust the therapist as a critical partner in their child’s continued development.
Choosing an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist is a significant decision faced by countless parents. Much like deciding on a daycare, doctor, or school, this decision can have long-lasting implications for your child. Parents should always ask themselves if they trust the therapist as a critical partner in their child’s continued development. Here are five important things parents should expect from their ABA provider.
Clear Communication
Communication is vital for all relationships to work, especially when children are involved. Your child’s ABA therapist should communicate with you at least once weekly, preferably more often. This correspondence can include announcements, hygiene needs, program updates, and requesting that you sign insurance paperwork. Including parents and caregivers in a child’s therapy sessions gives them the tools to maintain the child’s new skills, promote generalization in a natural setting, and techniques for managing behavioral issues.
Assessments
Your Board-Certified Behavior Analyst will assess your child to determine what goals will benefit them. You will answer questions about your child’s abilities and what areas are difficult for them. Based on the assessment, reviewed reports, and input from parents, the analyst will develop a treatment plan. These assessments should be reviewed with you and used to guide the direction of your child’s ABA therapy program.
One-to-One Therapy
ABA therapy should be intensive to be effective, which means most of the time should be dedicated to your child’s development daily. One-to-one staffing means the technician works with your child and only your child. This means there should be enough technicians for every child, and each kid gets the required attention. If a provider can ensure your child receives consistent care from a solid team and support network, the therapy will be more effective and the experience more positive.
Opportunity to Provide Feedback
Your child’s ABA therapist should allow you to provide feedback and input your thoughts and feelings regarding your child’s sessions. It is important that your feedback is respected and responded to. Meetings, email, phone conversations, or texting are some of the ways you can provide feedback.
Parent Training
Your child’s ABA therapist will meet with the family regularly to review goals and progress and train parents and caregivers on ABA techniques to support the progress made during sessions. Depending on their availability, it is common for parents to spend several hours each week in training.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (301) 577-4333. Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.