Six Steps to Choosing an ABA Provider for Your Child

Written by Jamie Granatino, M.S., BCBA

Hearing from a doctor that your child has a diagnosis such as Autism Spectrum Disorder can be frightening and overwhelming.  Many parents go home with a name for their child’s condition but no road map to navigate this new territory.  The best action any parent can take is to educate themselves about the challenges their child may face, and to assemble a strong team to support their child and their family as they take this journey together.  For many children with developmental disabilities and challenging behaviors, an ABA provider can be an important part of their treatment team.  Here are six steps to help you choose the right behavior analyst for your child.

1. Research the provider’s credentials and experience.  There are over three decades of research supporting applied behavior analysis as the most successful and effective early intervention for children with developmental disabilities.  However, there are many people who claim to be behavior therapists but do not have the requisite training and credentials.  Make sure that the therapist is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).  If they are a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), make sure that your child’s needs are well within the scope of their experience, and that they are receiving supervision from a BCBA.  You can check to ensure that this professional is maintaining their professional certification through continuing education and has proper credentialing here.  Check their website or google them to learn more about their training and experience.
2. Interview prospective providers.  Spend some time talking with the behavior analyst about their background, experience, and training.  Just because someone has a BCBA does not mean they have worked with children like yours; some behavior analysts work with completely different populations, such as employees of corporations, pets, or adults with mental health diagnoses.  Find out how they got started in the field, where they got their degree and field experience, and what their teaching techniques and philosophies include.  Will your child be working directly with this person, or with someone under their supervision?  Find out background information on all of the staff who will be helping your child, as well as the training, support, and supervision structure in place for line therapists.
3. Compare your child’s needs with their services.  Your child may benefit from a variety of services including behavior reduction programs, feeding programs, toilet training, IEP support, school consultation, parent/caregiver training, and skill acquisition programs in a variety of areas including communication, self-care, preacademic and academic skills, and social skills.  Can this provider address all of your child’s and family’s needs?  What assessment and ongoing evaluation methods do they use?  Do they use a team approach in which they work with other professionals and educators to help their clients?  Do they have sufficient availability to meet your child’s needs?
4. Get a firsthand look.  If possible, spend some time in the prospective provider’s workplace observing them working with other children.  Are their methods consistent with what they communicated in the interview?  How are they charting their clients’ progress, and is progress being demonstrated?  What measures are they taking to ensure that clients will be able to generalize skills in different environments with different caregivers and stimuli?  Are they able to clearly explain the purpose and techniques that they are using?
5.  Ask for references.  Don’t just rely on posted testimonials on a website.  Talk with other providers who are familiar with this behavior analyst’s work to see their professional impressions.  Ask parents of their current clients about the progress they have seen and any concerns they have had about the therapy.  Note similarities and differences between your child and these clients and use that to help you predict how your child might benefit from this provider’s services.  Ask for examples in which a child’s progress had been stalled and this behavior analyst showed excellent problem solving skills to help them succeed.  Find out how they involve a child’s family in treatment.
6. Get your child’s feedback.  Ask if you can have an introductory session or assessment in which you can see how your child responds to this provider.  If your child seeks their attention, how do they respond?  When they place a demand and your child refuses, how do they follow through?  Does your child warm up to them?  Even if your child does not immediately, this could be an effective provider if they use the proper techniques to increase your child’s motivation.  Look to see how they are paying attention to your child, learning about your child’s preferences, and using their motivation to encourage responding.  Children respond in different ways to various personalities and approaches; how skilled is this behavior analyst in reading your child’s cues to shape their approach?

Your child’s progress and success depends on the skill and dedication of a support team, comprised not only of the family that loves them, but the professionals you will bring together to help your child.  A behavior analyst can be an invaluable asset to this team when chosen with care.  By following these steps you can find one more piece of the puzzle for your child’s success!