What Should I Expect During My First ABA Consultation?

If your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), they can likely benefit from applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy). Regarded as the leading treatment option for children with autism, ABA therapy helps patients build communication, social interaction and daily life skills, while also modifying certain negative behaviors.

ABA therapy is based on scientific evidence about behavior, and what works in terms of helping children on the autism spectrum learn and generalize new skills. It is also highly analytical, with data being constantly collected during sessions and analyzed afterwards to assess a child’s progress toward goals.

Another reason why ABA therapy is so prized is the fact that it’s personalized to each individual patient.

To be effective, the therapy team needs to spend time with patients and their parents to develop an effective and personalized plan.

In this article, we’ll discuss what you should expect during your first ABA consultation.

Table Of Contents

The Initial Assessment

The first ABA therapy consultation will include an initial assessment, which is a critical part of the process. It lays the foundation for your child’s ABA therapy, since it will help the team personalize the plan to them.

The assessment is typically conducted by a BCBA, or Board Certified Behavior Analyst, who is often the head of your child’s therapy team. During this process, the BCBA will be looking to gather information about your child, including their developmental history as well as the strengths they have and challenges they face.

This information is vital to helping the therapy team come up with a plan that will meet your child’s unique needs and address their main concerns — both from a skill and behavior standpoint.

Much of this initial information will be gathered through discussion with the parents, caregivers and any others who know the child well and spend a lot of time with them.

At some point, the BCBA will also observe your child as they play or do activities with you, and they may even interact directly with the child as a form of first introduction to them.

What Data is Gathered During the First ABA Consultation?

A lot of data can be gathered during the first ABA consultation, and that data will serve as the baseline for your child’s ABA therapy treatment plan going forward.

As mentioned, the structured interviews with the child’s parents are a main part of the process. Depending on your child’s unique situation, the BCBA may also talk with your child directly in an interview-like fashion.

Other methods of gathering data include direct observation of your child, where the BCBA will be watching but not participating as your child plays with toys, reads books or does other activities.

A final method includes collecting data by directly interacting with your child. The BCBA may play with them directly to see how they respond to certain ABA therapy techniques and/or to observe first-hand what their needs might be.

All of this provides a wealth of initial data that the BCBA can then use to formulate your child’s treatment plan.

 What is the Goal of the First ABA Consultation?

There are two main goals of the first ABA consultation.

The first is this initial data gathering, which serves as the structure for your child’s treatment plan. While the plan can and will be adjusted regularly based on data that’s collected during formal ABA therapy sessions, it’s important to have this baseline of data to set up the initial structure.

The second goal of the initial ABA consultation is to build rapport between you and the therapy team, as well as between your child and the therapy team. ABA therapy is most effective when there is a solid level of trust established between the parents and the therapy team, and when the child trusts and feels comfortable with their therapists.

While these relationships will be built and strengthened over time, the first ABA consultation serves as the entry point to that. It’s the first opportunity that all parties involved have to meet with each other, start gaining trust, explain the process and express any specific needs, concerns or questions.

Blue Gems ABA Builds Trust in All Patient Relationships

The first ABA therapy consultation is a crucial step in building a long-lasting and successful treatment journey for children with autism. A lot of data will be gathered during the formal interviews, observation and direct interactions that will serve as the baseline of your child’s treatment plan.

At Blue Gems ABA, we work hard to build a trusting relationship with all of our patients and their family members. This helps ensure an environment where learning is encouraged and children feel comfortable, which enables them to build skills and modify behaviors so they can live as independently as possible.

To learn more, please contact us today.