Summary: This article reviews ABA therapy evaluations, their purpose, and what to expect so that parents have a better understanding of the therapeutic process.
With Caper ABA Services, you can learn about the importance and goals of an ABA therapy evaluation.
Starting treatment for autism can be a significant hurdle for many parents to overcome, finding the right type of therapy and making sure that it’s a good match, picking in-home or in-center services, and understanding all the acronyms, as well as the purpose of the therapy evaluation.
The Purpose of an ABA Therapy Evaluation
Starting a new treatment program for children with autism means finding the right type of care and designing a specialized plan that incorporates different skill-building activities and benchmarks.
In order to facilitate this, board-certified behavior analysts will work with parents, caregivers, and children to determine where a child’s skill levels are, what their current behaviors are, and what needs they might have moving forward.
A board-certified behavior analyst will talk to parents and caregivers about developmental milestones, medical history, and priorities, and then they will observe children in a structured setting like an ABA therapy center or at home to see how they manage transitions, how they play with other children, and how they communicate.
Using a variety of tools to benchmark current skill level against developmental milestones that are expected at certain ages, team members can identify current skill level and the reason for certain challenging behaviors.
How Long Does an ABA Therapy Evaluation Take
Typically, an evaluation takes between two and four hours on the day of, and this includes time to speak with parents and caregivers and observe a child. After that, however, it can take a few weeks for a board-certified behavior analyst to complete their full analysis. This analysis will include things like measurable goals or a recommendation for how many hours per week a child might need,
Once the ABA therapy evaluation is complete, the board-certified behavior analyst sends the full report to an insurance provider so that insurance can authorize coverage for the medically necessary services.
Understanding Our ABA Therapy Evaluation
When parents reach out to our center, our team will provide an ABA therapy evaluation as an assessment of individual skills, behaviors, and needs for each child. This is a process conducted by our board-certified behavior analysts and is typically based on direct observations and materials gathered from parent or caregiver interviews.
The purpose behind this evaluation is to better understand where a child’s skill sets are across multiple areas, like communication, social skills, self-help, and foundational learning. Unlike a diagnosis, this type of evaluation focuses more on how children can be best supported in order to meet their goals.
After the evaluation, parents can expect the first several sessions to focus on ABA therapy pairing and getting individual treatment plans off to a great start.
Contact Caper ABA Services to schedule an ABA therapy evaluation for your child, or to learn more about our services.
FAQ
What is the Primary Goal of an ABA Therapy Evaluation?
The primary goal is to determine where a child’s skills are at present, and what, if any, challenges they struggle with. By identifying strengths and challenges, a treatment plan can be crafted to improve different areas.
Who Performs an ABA Therapy Evaluation?
Our evaluations are performed by a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). After the observation and interviews, they create a detailed plan for interventions, which is submitted to insurance companies for review.
What Skills Get Assessed During an ABA Evaluation?
The ABA evaluation looks at things like self-help skills, including dressing and eating, social skills, language skills, and behaviors that are interfering with those skills.
What is a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?
A functional behavior assessment is one part of an ABA therapy evaluation. This part of the evaluation is focused on unhelpful behaviors a child might demonstrate, looking at why they are behaving in such a way, and what happens both before and after such behaviors occur.
How Long is an ABA Therapy Evaluation?
The evaluation can take several hours, as it includes gathering information, observing a child directly, talking to parents and caregivers, and analyzing data. Sometimes this might be done in 1 afternoon, after which the BCBA completes the rest of their report, or it might be spread across multiple appointments.
Do I Have to Bring Anything to an ABA Evaluation?
As a parent, you can choose to bring things that might help provide insight and background on your child, like school IEPs or diagnostic reports, as well as notes you have on developmental milestones or behaviors. When in doubt, reach out to our team, and we can help you determine what else you might want to bring.
Do I Have to Attend the Evaluation as a Parent?
Yes, parents provide crucial information through the interview process and surveys that relate to how a child behaves at home, what skills they have in the home, and what their individual histories have been. If your child receives any type of part-time or full-time care from another professional, it might be advisable to bring them to the evaluation as well so that they can be interviewed too.
What Happens After the ABA Therapy Evaluation?
Once the evaluation is complete, you and your child will be free to go. That will conclude the parental involvement aspects of the evaluation. From that point onward, it’s entirely on our BCBA’s to compile the results into a formal report that includes the suggested number of therapy hours each week for your child and the recommended treatment plan. This information will be relayed to you as the parent and sent to your insurance provider, where applicable, so that they have what they need to approve the costs.
Does an ABA Therapy Evaluation Only Happen Once?
No, typically formal reevaluations are a biannual event. The reason behind this is to make sure that regular reports on children’s progress can be incorporated into their treatment plan, with changes to the treatment plan where necessary.
Sources
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/questions-ask-aba-therapist