ABA therapy is an evidence-based treatment that is recognized in the medical community as the “gold standard” when working with children affected by autism. During the ABA therapy process, BCBAs work to identify goals that are important to families in developing a personalized treatment plan. Many ABA programs seek to replace problem behaviors with socially acceptable replacement behaviors, develop functional communication skills, and teach age-appropriate social skills. Goals are broken into small teaching steps, where skills are taught gradually and build upon each other. ABA therapists use such ABA techniques as positive reinforcement, prompting and shaping during the teaching sessions. During the ABA therapy process child performance data is continually collected to evaluate progress and communicate to families.

The length of time a child requires ABA therapy depends on the needs of the child. A child with significant behavioral needs and limited functional communications skills may require a high number of weekly hours for an extended amount of time (2 to 3 years on average). Other children with less intensive needs may master their treatment goals within 6 to 12 months. Overall, the length of treatment is individually determined by the number of goals identified by the family, needs of the child, and availability for treatment.

YES! The great majority of the ABA services provided by Butterfly Effects occur in the home. Providing treatment in the home allows the family to observe sessions, provide feedback to our staff, and participate in sessions. Home-based are designed to transfer skills from the teaching sessions to the child’s home routines.