Considering ABA therapy for your child on the autism spectrum? READ THIS FIRST.
It is important to have a good understanding of ABA therapy before you decide to go forward. If you’ve started, better late than never to gain some knowledge to help your child succeed in ABA therapy.
Here are 10 things you need to consider before starting ABA therapy.
Not all ABA providers are created equal. Research all the providers available to you. Read reviews online, including employee reviews. If they don’t treat their employees well, they may not treat patients well either. BCBAs (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) within one organization are also not created equal.
Learn about ABA ethics. ABA providers are expected to follow ethical codes. If you learn about these codes, you can recognize when things are not going as they should.
Learn about the roles of BCBA vs. Technician. BCBAs (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) and technicians, which may or may not be RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) certified have distinct and separate roles. It’s important to know the right person to talk to depending on the situation.
ABA scope of practice. ABA providers have a scope of practice that they should follow. This means they cannot provide services such as psychological therapy, teach academics, provide diagnoses, and anything else that does not fall within the scope of behavior analysis. They should also seek mentorship and consultation when they run into issues that they are not trained in.
Learn about ABA procedures. When you know about the most common ABA procedures, you can decide which ones are acceptable to you.
Know your child’s rights and your rights. All medical and behavioral health patients have certain rights. These rights include informed consent, the right to a second opinion, access to your medical records, and effectively trained providers.
Your ABA provider should collaborate with your child’s other providers. It is imperative for your child’s progress for all providers to collaborate.
Your ABA provider should review the treatment plan and procedures with you. Informed consent is an important patient right. Your ABA provider should discuss and review with you all the goals and procedures being used with your child.
Be aware of potential red flags. Some red flags for ABA centers/agencies include improper treatment of employees, recommending a certain amount of hours before assessing your child, and being disorganized in communication during the intake process.
There is a wide variety of experience levels, knowledge levels, and techniques used amongst BCBAs. For example, if you have one BCBA that does your initial assessment and another one that is assigned to your case, do not assume that they will approach things the same way. Whenever you have a change in staffing, ask the new BCBA questions to make sure they are on the same page with you regarding what procedures are acceptable, how much communication you expect, etc.
Do you need support with making decisions about your child’s therapy and/or healthcare? Above Board Autism Advocacy can help. Services include education on behavioral healthcare topics, assistance with care coordination between providers, helping you prepare questions for your providers, education on patient rights, and more. Contact us for a free consultation.
