How Do Parents Find the Right ABA Therapy Provider for Their Child?

Choosing the ABA therapy provider for your child can be as critical as choosing a doctor for yourself. In order for your child to progress and receive the quality of service that you pay for, you want to make sure that you select a provider that is going to get your child moving forward in a timely manner. Often, months can go by with little to no gains when the child is in the "wrong" therapy. How is a parent supposed to make this decision when there are so many providers claiming to offer similar services? It seems to be a daunting task and can be quite frustrating. Many providers tout themselves as the best and yet parent's struggle to find a provider that makes meaningful gains for their child. What should you look for when choosing a provider? What are the indicators that the provider you have chosen for your child is going to get them the results that they so desperately deserve?

While finding the wrong center after weeks or months of time and money spent may be disappointing, now that you know what works, use that knowledge to find the best quality center in your neighborhood.

Verify Credentials and Accreditation First

We recommend that the initial program developers and supervisors be Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) with the bulk of the implementation and data collection being completed by Registered Behavior Technician(s) (RBTs).

We can match up BCBAs and RBTs' license numbers and verify their credentials with the state licensing boards if you request the names for these purposes.

With the Behavior Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) accreditation, we have proven that our practice is of the highest quality and that we conduct services in an ethical manner. This accreditation is a designation that organizations can pursue, and BHCOE looks at many aspects of an organization, including training, data collection and utilization by providers.

In addition to the above listed filters, we also check on if an insurance company participates in any networks. Just because a company participates in a network does not mean they will have the same pricing. Pricing can vary depending on the company.

Examine Staff Qualifications and Turnover Rates

Providers that run quality departments well generally have a turnover of less than 30%. With the labor climate being as difficult as it is I asked the provider the other day how they were retaining their employees. I got stonewalled. I take that as an answer that I do not want to pursue that topic.

Training and Continuing Education: Program effective providers make training and continuing education a priority for all staff. This may include training protocols for newly hired employees, as well as assessing the competencies of employees. Effective providers ensure that there is weekly supervision between Supervising BCBAs and RBTs, not just the occasional meeting.

While overall experience is important, experience with your child's specific needs is even more important. For example, providers with much experience with early intervention may not have as much experience or training in dealing with the special challenges of adolescent behavioral difficulties. Look for the best match of experience to your child's needs.

Assess Program Structure and Individualization

Contrary to popular opinion, you can get a training program off the shelf and implement it within days or weeks of purchase. However, you will not get mediocre results from such a program, because a quality provider will have given some thought to how your organization might best be served by a customized program. Developing a treatment plan, on the other hand, requires several hours of thoughtful assessment and some interactive sessions over several meetings, not a 30-minute intake or a couple of hour long consultations.

Student and program objectives translate into goals. Well planned programs update goals on a monthly basis as students achieve their objectives and the goals become too low. Well designed programs reflect goals such as: "Within the next month, Robbie will use conversation skills to ask for help in 10 of 15 situations across school programs." First, goals should reflect clearly stated, individualized objectives. Inadequate goals might read: "students will show improvement in social skills." Poorly developed programs reflect insufficient program planning and do not have clearly stated objectives. Well designed programs reflect objectives such as: "Within the next week, Robbie will initiate conversation with peers in 8 of 10 instances of structured play with peers."

Second, monthly reviews of individualized goals with students and their families and revision of objectives occurs in order to determine students' progress toward meeting their objectives.

Evaluate Family Involvement and Communication

Most effective ABA with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders does not occur in clinics and treatment rooms. Rather, most effective ABA therapy in Boston includes teaching parents to apply strategies that a therapist can teach in brief lessons in the natural settings in which parents and child live and play — i.e. their home and community. As a result, the way that we organize Parent Training is critical to the parent's and child's success. This means that training sessions need to be organized and run in very particular ways.

You and your family will receive regular updates on your child's learning in the sessions (eg new skills, working towards goals) as well as any incidents that occur (eg throwing a tantrum, hitting another child etc). Some providers even provide real time updates through Apps or online tools. Regardless of how updates are provided, the most important thing is that you receive quality information. So the key questions to ask are: Does the program you are considering communicate well with families? Does the provider fully explain what happened in the sessions?

Review Financial Policies and Insurance Processes

The insurance company often gets in the way of getting you the treatment and services you need. But that's no longer the case with Quality providers in our network who have trained staff to handle all the conversations with insurance, and find out coverage, benefits and patient cost before any services are provided.

Each provider may have different rules and restrictions regarding make-ups for missed sessions, charging for missed sessions, and cancellation rules. Please inquire about these ahead of time. Also, please note these rules prior to contract, so we can discuss how any scheduling conflicts such as holidays and vacations will be handled.

Even if our fees are not within your budget when you have insurance, we can explore the possibility of a payment plan or sliding scale fee with you. Many providers offer these options but do not publicly advertise them.

Trust Your Instincts During Site Visits

We prefer tours take place when Center(s) For Growth is "in action" so you can see how children are involved in play-based activities, challenges and fun throughout the Center(s). You will see children who are looked forward to by our staff, challenged, entertained and appear content, engaged and challenged. Treatment providers maintain patient confidentiality. Therefore, our providers speak positively and respectfully of the children and families we serve even if only speaking briefly with another provider between sessions.

The physical space around the child should be safe, clean and organised to support learning including having relevant materials and resources available as needed. The specific child space (therapy room) should be the appropriate size to accommodate the specific therapy activities/materials and not cluttered or excessive.

Those who provide quality programs for schools can also introduce you to current families, and having a conversation with a few is a good starting point. Pay particular attention to any negative comments they might make regarding breakdowns in communication, as well as any recent changes of staff.

You want a provider who is willing and able to answer your questions and give you clear and honest information about your child's treatment and its associated outcomes. You want to do some research to find a therapist and approach that will be a good match for your family and bring you and your family success and satisfaction.