In my last several blogs I’ve written to you about the transition into the school year and the helpfulness of visuals. It is my hope that in writing to you I’ve been able to guide your family into the school year with new insights. As a mama, I know how anxiety ridden the start of the new school year can be. Above all else I want you to know that your child deserves to thrive.
With that in mind I’ve been asked to write a letter to parents who are starting their journey with ABA therapy. With over 18 years in the industry and almost a decade as a mama I’m hoping to write this letter in a way that supports you. Starting anything new for your child can be scary. For me, when I feel lost and alone, education brings me peace. I may not be able to address everything you need to know, but, darlings, I hope to give you a guide to follow at the start of your journey should you choose ABA for your child.
Dear Parents,
If you’re reading this letter, you are in fact at the crossroads of starting a new therapy for your child. In considering beginning therapy, you have already taken a thousand steps to get here and landed in a place to be proud of – the place of realizing that your child needs help and in turn that you as a family need help. As a parent I’ve walked this path with you with therapies for my own children. I do not want to discount the weight of this journey because it is an incredibly difficult one. I believe every parent wants their child to thrive, and when your child begins to struggle in our social world, that struggle is carried by you first and foremost. You want your child to succeed, you want your family life to be peaceful, you might even crave normal while asking yourself, “What is normal?” All the while feeling guilty for even thinking about it. You have mentally carried this to the point of believing that you can’t do this alone. That right there is bravery.
In looking up the type of help you need, if your child is autistic, you will quickly find Applied Behavior Analysis is the only evidence-based therapy for your child. Then (if you’re anything like me) you’ll scroll into the depths of the web and find triumphant stories, hope, and an entire movement against ABA. Given this information I’m guessing you will grapple with wanting evidence-based care and not wanting the horror stories of ABA done wrong. You might talk to your pediatrician, you’ll definitely talk to other parents, and in the end if you choose ABA you will tentatively begin calling providers. All of this belongs. You are a parent and making a choice to start ABA brings trepidation. And, the choice to start ABA brings hope.
Okay, my darlings, we’re where I’ve needed us to start and end. We started with your bravery, walked through fears, and ended with your bravery to choose help for your child. You are incredible. You are doing the hard thing. Before setting expectations for ABA, my loves, pat yourself on the back, rub your heart, and acknowledge everything it took to bring you here. As we look to the beginning of your search for an ABA provider, there are some key points I really want you to know. For the sake of ease, I’m going to list them:
- Providers should never begin ABA without a diagnosis of autism and an authorization from your insurance carrier (without these you are at financial risk).
- Quality assessments to create individualized interventions take time! And insurance processing takes time. Expect 6-8 weeks after your intake meetings to start services; anything quicker is cutting corners for financial gain.
- No, not every child under 5 years of age needs 40 hours a week of ABA. Providers who require this want profit above outcome.
- Yes, your BCBA should be in charge of recommending the hours of treatment and you as a family should agree with these hours before treatment begins.
- All client programs NEED ascent withdraw as the first program taught. This program in short teaches your child to say, “No,” which is the most valuable skill we can teach children with special needs.
- Forced-compliance is never, not ever okay. If your ABA provider is making your child complete tasks while they are distressed, this is not ABA. All children deserve time to calm down, even if they do need to complete the task in the end.
- As parents you should be shown your child’s assessment and goals. You should also receive monthly training on the goals and know what your child is learning.
- Behavior reduction done well takes time. We don’t have a magic wand but we do have a pretty cool science that in the end will help your child decrease the behaviors they struggle with and increase adaptive language.
- Clinic-based treatment only will limit their success; as a child learns goals and gets older, home-based and community sessions are needed.
- The goal of all providers should always be to graduate your child from ABA. Graduation does not mean their autism is gone, it means that ABA has helped them to live in a meaningful and independent way.
It is my hope that with this letter I am giving you a tool to take with you as you interview ABA providers. That is in fact what we should all be able to do as parents – ask questions, get answers, and feel confident in the services we are selecting for our children. If IABA ever becomes the place you choose to receive ABA services, we will uphold the standards of care I’ve listed. And, should you go somewhere else (as many of you will), stay informed and active. Know it’s your right to ask questions and see results.
Xoxo,
Jessie Cooper
