ABA Therapy Choices in North Carolina
If you have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you are likely searching for options when it comes to support and treatment plans. Today, there are many more outlets and resources for this than there were even 20 years ago, which is certainly music to any parent’s ears.
One of the leading treatment options is known as applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy. It’s a science- and evidence-based approach to learning and behavioral that helps children on the autism spectrum build the social, communication and daily life skills with which they typically struggle.
Using positive reinforcement and repetition, ABA therapists help children on a one-to-one basis learn these skills and build them up over time. The great part about ABA therapy is that it’s personalized to each individual patient, and family members, caregivers and others who interact with the child regularly are integrated into it.
In North Carolina, parents have two main choices when it comes to a setting for their child’s ABA therapy.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the advantages that each setting provides, including why many people choose home-based ABA therapy in Charlotte.
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Home-Based ABA Therapy
In-home ABA therapy in Winston-Salem is extremely popular among parents. A main reason for this is the fact that the ABA therapist comes to you, rather than the other way around.
Convenience, therefore, is a major benefit of home-based ABA therapy in Raleigh and other parts of North Carolina. Not having to take time out of your day to travel to a clinic — and then possibly sit at the clinic while sessions are being held — is a major plus for many people.
It’s not just the reduced disruptions that are beneficial, though. By having the ABA therapy administered in your home, you are eliminating potential extra stress and anxiety on your children.
Many children on the autism spectrum struggle with transitions and new environments. When the ABA therapy is administered in your home, there’s no need for a transition.
To that point, in-home ABA therapy is done in the environment in which your child is likely most familiar and comfortable. As a result, it can be more successful, since the therapist doesn’t have to contend with potential added stress and anxiety that the child may be experiencing in a clinical setting.
What’s more, home-based ABA therapy is very practical, as the therapist can use objects and rooms in your house that your child will interact with every day. For instance, if they are teaching your child how to brush their teeth or prepare a snack, they can use the child’s own toothbrush and walk them into their own kitchen to do so.
It’s also much easier to integrate parents, caregivers and other family members into the therapy sessions when they are administered in a home-based setting.
Clinic-Based ABA Therapy
At the same time, there are some advantages of clinic-based ABA therapy, and some parents actually prefer it.
One major advantage is the fact that clinic-based ABA therapy can act as a bridge between home and formal schooling. The goal for most parents is to have their child attend formal schooling, and a clinical setting can help children get comfortable with what that will look like.
At the clinic, there will be many more resources available, too. Instead of just the single ABA therapist coming to your home, there will be multiple ABA therapists, supervisors and other experts who are there to lend a helping hand if needed.
Clinical settings also provide the opportunity for interaction with peers. As your child is learning new skills, they can also learn how to interact and play with other children, which is a skill that’s very hard to replicate directly in a home-based environment.
Some children with autism will also thrive in the structured environment that a clinical setting provides. Since it is away from their home, it’s also away from many of the possible distractions that home provides.
This includes toys and other people with whom they’re familiar — all of which could actually serve to detract from the goal at hand.
Blue Gems ABA Serves Children on the Autism Spectrum Throughout North Carolina
Whether you prefer a home-based or clinic-based environment for your child’s ABA therapy, Blue Gems ABA has you covered. We have a team of experienced BCBAs who can administer ABA therapy in both home and clinical settings.
All of our treatment plans are catered specifically to each individual child, based on their individual strengths and challenges. In this way, we can help them live the most fulfilling and happy life possible.
To learn more, please contact us today.