What it looks like:

So what does ABA therapy look like?

Clinic-based early intervention therapy will start off looking like a whole lot of play and fun. That's because we want the child to want to be here. This process is called "pairing." A line technician will spend most of the first few sessions making sure that the child likes him or her and that the child wants to be around him or her.

Gradually, we will implement a schedule of small amounts of work in "table sessions" inspersed with outdoor play, inside motor play, social skills, toy play, leisure skills, snack, lunch, bathroom trips, etc. Though, "table sessions" are the most obvious setting for learning to occur, learning opportunities ("trials") will be imbedded into each part of the child's day and will focus on the goals and objectives dictated by the treatment plan. It is on these goals and objectives that data will be collected.

Each client will be assigned one behavior technician, who will be in charge of presenting trials, facilitating activities such as toy play, engagement in leisure skills, motor play and daily living skills, and collecting data. The supervising BCBA will make sure that these trials and the teaching procedures are being implemented correctly as well as providing valuable guidance to each behavior technician. The BCBA will also be responsible for introducing new skills once previous "targets" have been mastered.

Each behavior technician will have a tablet on which he or she will collect data on skills performed, the amount of help (prompting) required to complete the skill and any challenging behaviors that may occur.

This data will be available to the parent/guardian at all times via a web-based portal.