If you are a parent of a child with autism, you are likely familiar with these three letters: A, B, and A. Those three letters stand for applied behavior analysis (ABA), the most effective treatment available for children and adolescents with autism. First things first: ABA is an evidence-based approach backed by decades of research It is, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the recommended form of treatment for individuals with autism. A clinician trained in applied behavior analysis works with the person receiving the treatment and their caregivers to determine a set of goals that, if successfully reached, will improve the quality of life for the individual impacted by autism.

ABA therapy provides benefits to children across a full range of outcomes: improving their ability to communicate their wants and needs; expanding their play skills; building new social skills; learning skills that increase their ability to be successful at school; and teaching them vocational skills. The sole focus of ABA therapy is to help individuals to eventually live as independent a life as possible. At AnswersNow, we work with parents whose children deal with all sorts of issues, from children who aren’t yet speaking to children whose behaviors prevent them from going out in public due to being fearful of what kind overstimulating experiences they might encounter.

So, the evidence points to the fact that ABA therapy is effective. But is it cost-effective? And what kinds of options do parents have when seeking out ABA support for their children? In this article, we’ll break down applied behavior analysis into five categories, the last one being the latest development in ABA therapy for caregivers and their children. We’ll cover, in order, the following categories.

Types of ABA Therapy

1. Clinic-Based ABA Therapy
2. In-Home ABA Therapy
3. School-Based ABA Therapy
4. Online ABA Therapy
5. Personalized, App-Based Therapy

Clinic-Based ABA Therapy

Going to a clinic, a stand-alone office run by a behavioral provider or an organization, is one of the more well-known ways for children to receive autism treatment. However, whether or not this an option for you and your family depends on if you have providers working in your area. Therefore, it’s not just finding a qualified provider that parents have to consider but also cost and travel time to the clinic. This can be a great option for families who happen to live in an area with experienced providers, but it’s a frustrating reality that not all communities have access to high-quality professionals.

In-Home ABA Therapy

If convenient autism treatment is your goal, then in-home ABA therapy might be the way to go. Again, this depends on whether you have autism organizations in your area that have the resources to send out providers to your home. Additionally, this tends to be a costly option. While you don’t need to travel to appointments all the time, there are other trade-offs that you must consider. Insurance co-pays, clinical staff turnover, scheduling challenges, and time commitment are some of the issues related to in-home services.

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School-Based ABA Therapy

Receiving ABA services for school-aged children is an important issue to consider. While there are many special education programs in public schools, they are generally not staffed with people specifically trained in ABA. The truth is, most children on the spectrum will receive almost all of, if not all, their education in a public school. If you desire a specialized environment for your child, or your child requires more intensive services, then a private school geared toward autism might be the right choice. While many of these autism-focused schools are staffed by experts in ABA, they are often quite costly. There are also very few of them in the United States. If you are fortunate enough to a) have one nearby and b) have a public school system that agrees that’s the best placement for your child, then you’re ahead of the curve.

We’ve now reviewed ABA-therapy options that involve direct service at various physical locations. Ultimately, you will need to decide which of these options--if any--is right for your family. Now we will shift focus and take a look at the latest types of ABA therapy that have emerged with the advent of new technology.

Tele-ABA Therapy

Historically, ABA therapy has been provided as an in-person service with either a clinician coming into the patient’s home to deliver services or the patient going to an ABA therapy center to meet with a clinician. However, at the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic a shift in the practice occurred and many families started to attend ABA virtually. Eighteen months later, online ABA therapy is here to stay.

AnswersNow is a leader in tele-ABA therapy and has designed our very own platform that mimics the in-person ABA experience through a digital service. Through activities just like the ones your clinician would perform in real life, AnswersNow is able to help your child work towards their individual goals set by his or her clinician in their personalized treatment plan.

Online ABA Parent Training

In addition to your child getting direct ABA therapy from a tele-ABA company like AnswersNow, you as a parent can also get training in ABA through an online program. AnswersNow builds in parent training to the personalized treatment plan your clinician writes. Included in your parent training will be a chat feature that connects you right to your clinician. You can use this chat to reach out whenever you have questions or receive quick answers from a BCBA when you may need a refresher on how to help your child in the moment. Parent training is an extremely important part of helping your child reach success with ABA therapy.

This is what’s possible with the latest form of ABA therapy. Could this be the kind of reliable autism-parenting support that you’ve been looking for?  Visit getanswersnow.com today to find out. Your personal autism therapist is only a message away.