Can You Get ABA Therapy without an Autism Diagnosis?

Applied behavior analysis, or ABA therapy, is one of the leading treatments for individuals with autism. The treatment, based in scientific research, helps individuals build the social and communication skills that they often have challenges with.

Today, ABA therapy is used most prominently in treatments for people who have autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. But, some people question whether you have to have an autism diagnosis in order to get ABA therapy.

Below, we’ll discuss why ABA therapy has many applications outside of just treatment for those with autism.

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What is ABA Therapy?

To understand how ABA therapy can be effective for treating conditions other than just autism, it’s important to understand what it does and how it works.

ABA therapy is based in scientific principles. The aim is to reinforce behaviors that are desired while disincentivizing behaviors that are not. This is done through a simple reward system any time that a desired behavior is exhibited, and the absence of that reward when it is not — or when another behavior is exhibited.

ABA therapists use different kinds of cues to signify to their patients that it’s time to exhibit a certain behavior. For instance, they might show a child with autism a picture of a hairbrush, with the desired outcome being the child picks up their hairbrush and brushes their hair.

If the child does this successfully, they will be presented with a small reward. This could be anything from an item they love, such as a doll, or it could be extra praise.

Over time, this reinforcement of desired behaviors begin to stick, as children with autism learn how to better communicate and how to feel more comfortable in social situations.

A major advantage of ABA therapy is that it can be fully customized to each individual patient, which is important, considering every individual with autism is different. In addition, it integrates parents, caregivers and other family members so that the principles learned during ABA therapy sessions can be carried over when sessions are over.

What Else Can ABA Therapy Treat?

While ABA therapy is most commonly associated with autism treatment, it can also be used for individuals who have other conditions. Those who have a learning disability, anxiety disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), problems with substance abuse and other developmental disabilities could also benefit from ABA therapy.

The reasoning behind this is quite simple. In all of the scenarios outlined above, the person who is suffering from the condition needs to either learn a new behavior or adjust a current behavior, among other things. And since ABA therapy is so effective at teaching and reinforcing desired behaviors, it’s great for these conditions as well.

In much the same way that ABA therapy is used for children with autism, it can also be used to treat people with these other conditions — and many more, too.

The therapy will be adjusted to cater to the individual and their specific condition and needs. This is important, because people with anxiety disorders, for instance, might not have the same basic communication challenges as children with autism.

Learn more about what ABA can treat

As such, a treatment plan can be created that uses the principles of ABA therapy to produce desired results. This might be, in this case, getting someone comfortable with attending a large social gathering, public speaking or just meeting new friends.

By breaking down the barriers that they face — in this case, fear and anxiety — therapists can use the core of ABA therapy to help change their behaviors.

Does Insurance Cover ABA Therapy without an Autism Diagnosis?

This is where it gets a little tricky. While many insurance companies — and even some states — provide coverage for ABA therapy, most require that patients have an official ASD diagnosis. Thankfully, Blue Gems offers a cutting edge Autism Diagnosis service, to ensure that your child can receive the treatment they need and deserve.

This may mean that, even if you or your child could benefit greatly from ABA therapy, it may not be covered by your health insurance if they aren’t diagnosed with ASD. This isn’t an across-the-board rule, though, so make sure to check with your insurance company and even state health department to see what requirements you must meet in order to qualify for coverage.

Even if you can’t get insurance coverage for ABA therapy, the good news is that if you or your child doesn’t have ASD, they might not require as many hours of treatment every week. This could help to significantly lower the overall cost of the effective treatment.

Trust Blue Gems ABA

Today, there are many different providers of ABA therapy, but they’re unfortunately not all the same. That’s why if you’re searching for an ABA provider, it’s important to find one that you can trust.

At Blue Gems ABA, we have only board certified and licensed ABA therapists who administer this life-changing treatment. We also have clinical psychologists who help in autism evaluations to determine if your child should be diagnosed with ASD.

For more information, please contact us today.