ABA Autism Therapy FAQs

Children who are missing developmental milestones could be showing early signs of autism. These are just a few of the signs you might see in a young child:

• Social characteristics like little to no eye contact or resisting physical touch.
• Language use challenges, such as not babbling or gurgling by seven months or not putting sentences together after two years.
• Behavioral signs, such as being obsessed with objects.
• Sensory issues, such as extreme difficulty with loud or sudden noises.

Knowing the early signs of autism is key to early intervention. You can read more about early signs of autism in children on our blog.

Early signs of autism can appear by six months. Most autistic children will show clear signs by the age of two or three years. You can read more about early intervention for autism on our blog.

A confirmation of autism can be frightening and overwhelming; it’s only natural to be nervous and apprehensive after an autism diagnosis. However, it’s important to remember that there is nothing different after diagnosis; you or your loved one has not changed.

An autism diagnosis allows you to understand your child or loved one’s needs and how to meet them. It offers the opportunity to learn more about autism, its impact, and how to access professional support and benefits.

Autism is a spectrum disorder and looks different for every person. If autism is suspected, a primary care physician will refer the patient to a specialist for an evaluation.   A team of healthcare specialists will perform a comprehensive assessment. This team could include:

• Psychologists
• Neurologists
• Developmental pediatricians
• Pediatric neurologists
• Speech therapists
• Other qualified healthcare professionals

Lighthouse Autism Center now offers autism evaluations at every Lighthouse location. If your child is missing developmental milestones, or you are seeing signs of autism in your child, it’s critical to seek an autism evaluation. Research shows that the earlier children are diagnosed, the better their outcomes. Early intervention is critical for children with autism and an autism diagnosis is the first step to early intervention.

Contact your primary care physician if you think you or a loved one might have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Children should undergo routine autism screenings at their pediatrician and be observed for development changes at well-child visits beginning at nine months of age. The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) also calls for routine screenings at 18 and 24 months. Based on the results of these screenings, children will be referred for additional testing if needed.

Lighthouse Autism Center now offers autism evaluations at every Lighthouse location for children up to six years of age. If your child is missing developmental milestones, or you are seeing signs of autism in your child, contact Lighthouse Autism Center to begin the autism evaluation process.

If you are an adult seeking an autism diagnosis, the diagnostic assessment process can be more challenging. Many high-functioning autistic adults have learned to mask their symptoms, however, healthcare practitioners can still perform an evaluation for autism. Additionally, there are self-evaluation tests online that adults may find helpful in determining if they may have autism. However, it is recommended contact your primary care physician for next steps on a formal evaluation.

Every autistic individual is different, and there is a wide variety of therapies to meet each individual’s unique needs and autism symptoms. Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder often receive ABA therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. ABA therapy, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is the only treatment for autism endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General and helps children improve social, speech, living, school-readiness, and other skills while decreasing behaviors that could harm them. Those who receive ABA therapy at an early age have been shown to lead more independent lives in the future.

Services and support for autism vary from state to state, and it’s best to check what is available in your home state. At Lighthouse Autism Center, we offer autism diagnosis services, ABA therapy, speech therapy, school readiness, parent support, social skill groups, and more. You can find out more about Lighthouse’s autism services on our website.

The cost of an evaluation for an autism diagnosis will vary from provider-to-provider and depend on if you opt to private pay or submit the evaluation through your insurance. Private pay options can range from $200-$800 depending on the provider and type of assessment used in the evaluation for autism. If using insurance, it  will depend on an individual’s insurance plan which will include different amounts for  co-payment, co-insurance, and deductibles. Contact your insurance provider for clarity on what they will cover, in-network diagnosis centers, and other detailed information on ASD diagnosis.

If you are interested in pursuing an autism evaluation through Lighthouse Autism Center, our dedicated Insurance Team will work with you to understand what your insurance will cover, and options to make sure the evaluation is as cost effective as possible for patients.

At Lighthouse, there will be one-to-two appointments for each child depending on the clinician’s recommendation based on a review of your child’s medical records and history.  The appointments can take place virtually or in-person depending on clinical recommendation and parent preference. During the appointment, the clinician will ask questions about the child’s developmental history, current skills, and parental concerns.  The appointment is conducted following thorough medical records review, which includes intake paperwork completed by the parent as well as physician referrals and records.

Additionally, prior to this appointment, one to three online assessments are typically administered via email for the parent to complete. The examiner has the parent set the camera up so they can observe the child playing, and based on the learner’s language level, the examiner talks with the child at this time.

If recommended for further testing, Lighthouse will schedule  an in-person appointment to further evaluate the child.

How long an autism diagnosis takes is dependent on the individual and can vary according to age. An evaluation in children can take between two and six hours of evaluation and observation if there are clear autism indicators. However, this process can take several weeks to a few months for older children and adults.

While ABA therapy can benefit many different individuals with a variety of diagnoses, for insurance to pay for ABA therapy services, most insurance plans do require that an individual has an autism diagnosis rather than just showing signs of autism.

Every autistic individual is different, and there is a wide variety of therapies to meet each individual’s unique needs and autism symptoms. Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder often receive ABA therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. ABA therapy, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is the only treatment for autism endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General and helps children improve social, speech, living, school-readiness, and other skills while decreasing behaviors that could harm them. Those who receive ABA therapy at an early age have been shown to lead more independent lives in the future.

Services and support for autism vary from state to state, and it’s best to check what is available in your home state. At Lighthouse Autism Center, we offer autism diagnosis services, ABA therapy, speech therapy, school readiness, parent support, social skill groups, and more. You can find out more about Lighthouse’s autism services on our website.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a type of therapy that focuses on principles and learning techniques that help increase or decrease certain behaviors in people with autism. It is a scientifically validated approach that examines certain behaviors in autistic individuals, what drives these behaviors, and how to teach a new or more functional way of doing them. Read more about the Lighthouse approach to ABA to discover what sets us apart.

An ABA therapy center is a facility where children with autism can receive Applied Behavior Analysis therapy in a central location with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians. A therapy center offers all the therapy material needed for programming and a custom curated, and safe environment to support the child’s progress through the use of ABA therapy.

Center-based ABA therapy is when the therapy sessions take place inside an autism treatment center (as opposed to in another setting such as the home or community). Center-based therapy offers more consistency and more learning opportunities, as well as opportunities to prompt different learning opportunities. This environment ultimately leads to better outcomes for autistic children.

At Lighthouse Autism Center, the hours for ABA therapy are tailored to each child’s unique needs based on clinical recommendations. We offer flexible scheduling options to best support your child’s development However, most therapists recommend between 10 to 30 hours of ABA therapy a week. On average, children will receive ABA therapy for three to five years. For more details, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team!

A full-time program allows for a more thorough approach to therapy for the child. By enrolling them in a full-time program, they receive the maximum amount of therapy they can. This is often recommended for young children with a focus on early intervention. Children enrolled in a full-time program at a young age are significantly more likely to lead a more independent life.

While every child is different, most children will begin to see improvements beginning their first week of therapy. It’s important to remember that ABA therapy involves breaking large goals into very small, measurable, and attainable goals for your child. These small goals will build on each other until they culminate in the achievement of a larger goal.

Once a family turns in the appropriate enrollment documents and there is an available position at your chosen center, an assessment is scheduled with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), a highly trained clinician with a master’s degree in ABA therapy. The BCBA performs a detailed assessment with the child, develops a customized treatment plan, and provides the family with clinical recommendations. Following the recommendations, families have the opportunity to decide to enroll their child at Lighthouse Autism Center.

Increasingly, we are hearing the phrases “good ABA” and “bad ABA” — these stem from people in the autism community voicing their negative experiences with “bad ABA.” Understanding the difference is vital for both parents and practitioners since it’s crucial to avoid “bad ABA” practices that can be detrimental to a child’s well-being and development.

Negative experiences can arise when therapy is overly rigid, focused solely on compliance, introduces punishment for “bad” behavior instead of rewards for improved behavior, treats children like research experiments, ignores sensory needs, or uses a threatening reinforcement process. Additionally, “bad ABA” focuses almost entirely on reducing behaviors considered problematic, whereas “good ABA” introduces new skills, behaviors, and healthy coping mechanisms.

It’s crucial that caregivers educate themselves on what “good ABA” looks like and what they should look for in an ABA therapy program to ensure their autistic loved one is accessing high-quality therapy.

So, what does good ABA look like? There are several factors you should look for in a high-quality ABA therapy program:

• The child’s agency is prioritized: Your child is the most important person in the ABA therapy process. A successful ABA therapy program will take your child’s agency and autonomy into account, ensuring their choices, preferences, and interests are respected and integrated into the treatment plan.
• Family involvement: The parents and/or caregivers in a child’s life should be heavily involved in setting that child’s goal and carrying what a child learns at a center into the home. This is critical to the generalization of skills and ensuring that a child is set up for long-term success.
• Multidisciplinary team: A team of clinicians who are experts in their fields, all collaborating on goal development and therapy for your child.
• Natural Environment Teaching (NET): This is a teaching theory in which the learner acquires skills through their natural environment and based on their interests. Think of a child learning how to count fruits and vegetables in a pretend play space vs. sitting at a table with flash cards. The child is much more likely to be motivated and enjoy what they are learning in a natural play-based environment instead of running trials at a table space.

ABA therapy is a therapy typically covered by most insurance plans. To learn more about ABA therapy and insurance requirements, contact Lighthouse Autism Center’s Insurance Team. The Insurance Team can answer questions like “What insurance companies cover ABA therapy?” “What kind of paperwork is required to submit to insurance?” “What is my out-of-pocket cost?” and more.

We accept nearly all major insurance types, though there may be some variation from center to center. Our insurance team will assist you with navigating your insurance coverage and questions.

Every learner is different and requires different support, settings, and therapy or educational plans. A school setting is well-equipped to help children acquire academic skills. However, when a child has difficulties in a traditional school setting, or has other skills or behaviors they need to refine or gain in order to support their academic learning, an ABA center is best positioned to support that child’s success. Center-based ABA therapy is the foundation needed for many autistic children to give them the skills to learn so they can transition back to a school setting where they can focus on academic skills.

Children with autism may be in a variety of settings ranging from a general education classroom to a special education classroom or even home-schooled. Regardless of what a parent or caregiver may decide is best for their child’s educational success, Lighthouse provides support to help children with autism be successful in a school environment. Through a school readiness program, Lighthouse gives each child the skills to learn and be successful in the classroom. We will also work with a child’s education team to facilitate a child’s successful transition back to school which includes:

• Working with educators to create a comfortable and predictable routine.
• Instruction on how to use visual aids, checklists, and reminders.
• Using the child’s strengths, interests, and motivations to help acquire new skills.
• Using positive reinforcement.
• Setting clear boundaries and expectations using verbal or visual aids and deal with challenging behaviors appropriately and calmly.

A team approach to an autistic child in childcare is necessary, with teachers, caregivers, parents, and healthcare professionals communicating and sharing ideas and experiences.

Here are some of the things you can do to support an autistic child in childcare:

• Provide autism-friendly toys and equipment.
• Create a calm environment for autistic toddlers with (this may include limiting loud noises, bright flashing lights, and sudden changes in environment or routine)
• Create a consistent routine for autistic toddlers.
• Provide structured play.

Lighthouse utilizes a HIPAA-compliant, medical-based translation service. If your child and/or family require translation services, your appointments must be scheduled in person, not virtually.

Speech therapy is a crucial intervention that assists autistic children (and children with other diagnoses) in improving their communication skills. It is the assessment and treatment of communication challenges by speech-language pathologists. It helps autistic children with verbal communication and expression in conjunction with a larger holistic autistic treatment plan.

Many insurance companies cover speech therapy, but coverage varies from plan to plan. Whether speech therapy is covered will depend on the specific insurance plan and company policies. Your insurance provider determines the extent of coverage, so be sure to contact them for details.

Speech therapy can begin as soon as a child is diagnosed with autism. It is a crucial aspect of early intervention, which takes advantage of the adaptability of a child’s brain, which is still developing. The sooner your child starts speech therapy, the better. However, autistic individuals of all ages can benefit from speech therapy.

Speech therapy addresses the verbal and nonverbal communication challenges associated with ASD and focuses on enhancing an autistic individual’s abilities to express themselves, use the appropriate language for different social situations, and better understand social cues.