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When to Stop ABA Therapy

Identifying when applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, can be useful for children is often a relatively simple task. When a child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or other developmental disabilities, ABA therapy is often turned to as a tried-and-true treatment.

ABA therapy is based on scientific principles1, and continued research has shown just how effective it can be at helping children with autism build the communication and social skills that they need to succeed in life.

Understanding the appropriate time to stop ABA therapy, or when to adjust it and/or wind it down, can be more difficult. That’s because each child is unique, and the best time to stop ABA therapy will vary from child to child.

Below, we discuss how ABA therapy works and some of the factors to consider before stopping ABA therapy.

Table Of Contents

When is the Best Time to Begin ABA Therapy?

Research has shown that the earlier children with autism begin interventions, the more successful these interventions are. That’s why it’s important to not have your child evaluated for autism at an early age if you suspect they may have it, so that an effective and tailored ABA therapy program can be crafted for them.

Generally speaking, ABA therapy is most effective if it begins when the child is between 2 and 6 years old. How often the treatment is administered, and what the actual treatment plan looks like, will differ from one child to the next.

What Does ABA Therapy Involve?

At Blue Gems ABA, our trained, certified and fully licensed ABA therapists will create a custom and personalized treatment program for your child. This will start with a full analysis of what their current needs are, so that the therapist can create goals and strategies to address those needs.

Using different cues, the ABA therapist will teach your child how to communicate effectively and how to feel more comfortable in social situations. Examples include having your child identify when it’s time to eat or brush their teeth by showing them pictures of food or a toothbrush.

There are many other strategies the therapist will have at their disposal to teach your child whatever skills they need to learn.

Learn more about what is ABA Therapy

How Long Does ABA Therapy Last?

Since every child with autism is unique, so, too, is the ABA therapy program that’s created for them. Generally speaking, ABA therapy is prescribed for multiple hours per week over a few years.

The reasoning for this is that ABA therapy requires repetition and reinforcement over time2. After receiving positive reinforcement for displaying desired behaviors, reactions and expressing themselves, the children who receive ABA therapy are able to translate those skills to real-life situations outside of therapy sessions.

While ABA therapy is quite intensive, it doesn’t require you to be committed to it forever.

When Should ABA Therapy Stop?

There is no one-size-fits-all way to determine the best time to stop ABA therapy, just as there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to the treatment plan itself. You and your child’s ABA therapist will need to make that determination for your child based upon how they are responding to the treatment and what their evolving needs are.

One of the biggest advantages of ABA therapy is that it’s flexible. ABA therapists will be constantly evaluating your child’s progress toward their initial goals, and if goals are met, they can be added onto and/or adjusted over time.

Eventually, though, it may come time to stop ABA therapy altogether. Some examples include …

  • If your child has completed at least three years of ABA therapy that’s intensive and then another three years with a more focused approach
  • If all primary objectives have been fulfilled or reached, and if all revised/additional/expanded objectives have also been fulfilled or reached
  • If the child is considered to have “master” the skills that ABA therapy can teach them
  • If progress toward new goals has slowed down considerably, or stopped altogether, over an extended period of time (at least a month)
  • If multiple strategies aren’t working to help the child build skills or mitigate issues they’re experiencing
  • If the child isn’t exhibiting the typical autism symptoms
  • If the child is ready to transition to other therapies that are more appropriate for their current developmental level

This is by no means a comprehensive list of when it might be best to stop ABA therapy. It’s also by no means a list of the only factors that you should weigh when considering if it’s time to stop the therapy or transition to something new.

Constant evaluation by a BCBA, and open communication with parents or guardians of the patient, is crucial in determining the best course of action for your child.

Blue Gems ABA Caters Treatment Plans to Your Individual Child

At Blue Gems ABA, we are dedicated to doing everything we can to help your child learn the communication and social skills they need to succeed in life. We do this by completing comprehensive assessments and administering personalized ABA therapy for all our patients.

By integrating other family members into the process, we help ensure that the skills that are taught during sessions carry over after the sessions end. We also help you determine when the best time might be to adjust your child’s ABA therapy plan and/or wind it down altogether.

For more information or to learn more, please contact us today.

References

  1. https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/insight/psychology/scientific-concepts-applied-behavior-analysis/
  2. https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/questions-and-answers-about-aba