How to Choose an Agency to Provide Your Child’s ABA Services:

Once a child has received a diagnosis that he/she would benefit from an ABA teaching methodology, a parent is faced with the very pressing task of making numerous, family changing decisions by setting an educational plan into place. The plan will affect the whole family -- not just the child receiving ABA --therefore a "good fit " is most important.

The therapeutic services and educational teaching hours will be recommended by professionals and your Department of Health Service Coordinator based on the data from the child’s assessments. Choosing a provider agency can be an overwhelming process since recommendations and information can come from a variety of well meaning sources such as family, friends and even medical professionals.

So how do you choose a provider agency? Most importantly, what do you ask so that you can determine which agency will best match your child and design a "custom fit" program to utilize your child’s strengths to remediate his/her challenging areas of development. The following is a suggested list of questions that should help you elicit the appropriate responses that will help you determine what is best for you, your child and your family.

· What are the professional credentials of the agency owners, their team leaders, their ABA staff?

· Ask about their professional experiences with typical children, the special needs population and children with autism.

· What is their professional training – past, present and ongoing?

· What are their hiring practices and methods of supervision?

· How current is the agency and their consultants in the field of Autism -- not just in educational methodology but medical research as well?

· Does the agency have families of past clients willing to provide testimonials attesting to the positive results produced by their ABA teams?

This list is not a pass/fail test but simply a tool to help you, as a parent, to find out about the professionals that you will have as your partners in paving the way for your child's developmental future.

When evaluating ABA programs parents should ascertain whether the following program guidelines are in place:

Individual Programming:

• Does the child’s educational program reflect areas of remediation directly linked to the child’s evaluation?
• Does the ABA program plan reflect strategies that utilize the child’s strengths to remediate present weaknesses?
• Are primary and secondary reinforcements utilized and is the reinforcement survey updated frequently?
• Are all areas of development reflected in the ABA program book? (i.e., speech,,language,,play,,sensory,,fine and gross motor development.)
• Is the data collection from the child’s ABA program utilized to determine new targets, new programs and/or program adaptations.?
• Does the ABA program book represent a “living document” continually evolving around the child’s developmental needs?
• Does the ABA program plan address behavioral strategies that reflect both staff and parent concerns regarding the child?
• Do ABA sessions reflect opportunities for the child to develop appropriate behaviors in natural community settings? (i.e,. shopping trips, playground ,beach activities.)
• Is the latest research, not only on Autism but childhood development and educational strategies, reflected in the child’s treatment plan?
• Are Team Meetings a frequent component of the child’s educational treatment plan and does it include the family, all team members and therapists?
• Do family training sessions include strategies and activities for the parents to implement that would provide opportunities for the child practice mastered skills?
• Do family training sessions include parent education to instruct family regarding typical/atypical childhood development and how to foster appropriate skill development?

Generalization:

• Does the child’s educational program include opportunities to demonstrate mastered skills with a variety of people and in numerous settings?
• Do ABA sessions occur in community settings?
• Do the ABA programs incorporate a “shaping” process whereby instructional strategies include multiple instructions /materials /situations so that the child learns to respond in various settings?
• Does the program include method/opportunities to desensitize the child to specific challenging life situations?(i.e., haircuts, dentist and doctor visits.)
• Are reinforcement strategies progressively intermittent and approaching the resemblance of a naturally occurring schedule?
• Is the family provided with suggestions for the child to be included in activities in the community?

Supervision:

• Does the ABA program receive supervision and how does this positively affect each individual child’s program?
• Does a supervisor conduct an observation of a teaching session annually?
• Is the ABA program book reviewed routinely by an agency supervisor?

Parents frequently ask the following questions:

How many hours of ABA will my child receive?
The number of sessions are determined at the child’s IFSP meeting.

Who will do the ABA sessions?
The team consists of a team leader and several special education teachers. The team leader is responsible for creating an ABA curriculum book which includes the IFSP goals, imitative tasks and developmental goals. All ABA team members utilize the ABA book during teaching sessions to record data regarding the child’s task performance. Data collected determines new task selection.

Where will the ABA sessions take place?
ABA sessions typically take place in the child’s home in a room with a door so that it is free of visual and auditory distractions. Children need to be seated at a table with an appropriately sized chair. If children are unable to stay seated, alternate suggestions will be provided to parents.

What kind of toys and supplies are needed?
The team leader and parent will review the child’s current toy box and items will be divided into program materials and those items that will be used for reinforcement. Parents are provided with a book, toy resource guide and sites where inexpensive toys can be obtained. Parents are to provide large-sized covered bins or roll-away carts to house program items so that materials are not only properly stored but obtained efficiently during program implementation. The team leader and parent will review on a continual basis reinforcements used during programming. Materials and reinforcers are only to be used during ABA sessions unless the team leader has specified differently.

What can we do as a family to make ABA sessions successful?
1. Participate/observe during sessions as directed by the team leader.
2. Follow guidelines outlined in family training sessions in order to implement strategies successfully into home use.
3. Do not allow the child to play with program materials outside of ABA sessions. Alternate play activities will be designed by the team leader for family use.
4. Do not use “agreed upon” reinforcers outside of ABA sessions. This insures the potency of these motivating items as rewards for target behaviors.
5. Prior to a teacher’s or therapist’s arrival, utilize the picture calendar instituted by the team leader to announce their presence. Try not to allow the child to be engaged in an activity that would be difficult to discontinue on the teacher’s arrival (i.e., watching television).
6. Ask questions at the beginning and end of the session or during the child’s breaks.
7. Understand that some activities will be challenging to your child and they will express their discomfort. This is part of the learning process and it will decrease over time as your child’s competencies increase. Your team leader will provide information on how to avoid reinforcing negative behaviors.

Do related service therapists do ABA?
No. Speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy and other service providers have specific IFSP goals. They are part of the team and typically attend team meetings, provide therapeutic suggestions, aid in developing strategies and, when appropriate, utilize language directives typically used in ABA sessions.

Remember: There are no “stupid” questions. If you don’t understand something or need more information, ask your team leader!