ABA Autism Therapy FAQs

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

At Lighthouse Autism Center, children typically attend a center for ABA autism therapy for 1–2 years before transitioning back to school.

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.

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.

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:

1. 1. 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.
   2. 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.
   3. Multidisciplinary team: A team of clinicians who are experts in their fields, all collaborating on goal development and therapy for your child.
   4. 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.