Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is an evidence-based, common therapy for those (especially children) with Autism. It provides a highly structured environment, recognized by organizations like the American Psychological Association and the US Surgeon General as one of the best practices for increasing healthy and significant behaviors while decreasing harmful behaviors for those with Autism.
How Many Hours of ABA Therapy Is Needed?
The number of hours that an individual child needs will vary significantly based on things like the severity of their symptoms, their age, and the goals that a clinical team and family have. There is no single number of hours that will apply to everyone.
In general, ABA therapy is broken down into two different categories of intensity:
- Comprehensive ABA therapy, also known as high intensity programs
- Focused ABA therapy, also known as low intensity programs
High-Intensity Programs (Comprehensive ABA)
High-intensity programs are intended for children who need significant support across multiple areas, like behavior management, communication, and social skills.
The primary goal behind high intensity programs is to make substantial changes in early developmental stages for a child with Autism and improve their overall skills.
Number of Hours: Typically 25 to 40+ hours per week.
Focus
The focus of a high intensity program is to address all of the core characteristics associated with Autism, usually starting at a very young age as part of an early intensive behavioral intervention plan.
It is likely that a clinician will recommend this level of intensity in order to provide the maximum benefit for a child with Autism.
Example: A 3-year-old who has no foundational skills but needs to reduce harmful behaviors and build socialization and communication.
Low-Intensity Programs (Focused ABA)
Low intensity programs are designed to focus on a smaller set of skills or behaviors, maybe one or two. For example, a low intensity program might help reduce a specific challenging behavior or improve communication.
This is juxtaposed by the higher intensity programs, which focus on reducing all the challenging behaviors or improving several skill sets, not just one.
Number of Hours: Typically 10 to 20 hours per week.
Focus
The focus of a low intensity program is to help someone who already has foundational skills by addressing a targeted concern. This can also be used to address a specific concern for a family with limited time or resources.
Example: A 14-year-old who already has some foundational skills but is looking to improve socialization skills.
Core Principles and Goals of Caper ABA Therapy
ABA therapy is designed to help increase positive behaviors, things that are helpful and socially significant for children with Autism. At the same time, ABA therapy helps to decrease harmful behaviors, things that might interfere with learning, or things that might cause self-harm.
The goals of ABA therapy are often highly individualized. In general, there are many key skills that are targeted with ABA therapy, including:
- Communication skills, including things like verbal language skills, gestures, or using picture cards like PECS for children who are nonverbal and autistic
- Social skills like understanding social cues and body language, making eye contact with others, and learning to share, take turns, or make friends
- Daily living skills like taking care of personal hygiene, getting dressed, brushing teeth, and otherwise living a more independent life
ABA therapy also helps deal with things like attention, focus, developing better memory, and skills that might apply to an academic situation. These can extend to occupational therapy that helps children hold pencils or crayons as they prepare to learn how to read and write while entering school. These can also extend to speech therapy to help children better communicate.
Another goal is to reduce challenging behaviors like aggression, tantrums, or self-injury.
When we meet with families, we provide comprehensive assessments at the start of each interaction, and those assessments help us determine how many hours of ABA therapy are needed, and what the goals of those sessions should be.
If you are ready to get help for your child with Autism, call our team today to start your evaluation and determine how many hours they need.
FAQ
How Many Hours of ABA Therapy Is Needed?
The number of hours needed for ABA therapy is based on each individual. When you reach out to our team, we can help you determine whether a high intensity or low intensity program is best suited to the needs of your child. As your child progresses through their program, our qualified therapists will continue to gather data to assess how effective the program is and make changes accordingly.
What is the Difference Between a High Intensity Program and a Low Intensity Program?
High-intensity programs focus on core characteristics, usually started at a young age, and designed to provide maximum benefit for those who need to build skill sets across multiple areas. Low intensity programs are designed to focus on a particular skill set or overcoming a particular challenging behavior.
How Many Hours of ABA Therapy is Needed for a High Intensity Program?
A high intensity program offers significant support, usually on a full-time basis between 25 or 40 hours per week. The hours can exceed 40 if absolutely necessary.
How Many Hours of ABA Therapy is Needed for a Low Intensity Program?
A low intensity program is typically between 10 and 20 hours per week, helping to focus on one specific area rather than multiple areas at once. However, sometimes clients might start with a high intensity program and then transition to a low intensity program as they get older.
Who Decides on a High or Low Intensity Program?
At Caper ABA Therapy, our Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will conduct an assessment to determine the best program for each child. Typically speaking children who are much younger and currently in their early developmental years will benefit the most from a higher intensity program while older children and teens will benefit the most from lower intensity programs but all of this is done on a case by case basis.
What Factors Determine the Number of Hours My Child Needs?
There are several factors that determine the number of hours each child needs. Perhaps the most important is age as younger children typically benefit the most from higher intensity programs. However, the individual goals will also impact the number of hours that are recommended.
We will also evaluate significant behavioral challenges or skill deficits and how much time caregivers and families can participate in the training; the more a caregiver or family member can participate in intervention, the fewer number of total hours we typically recommend as children are getting similar structure at home.
Does the Program Change At All?
It is up to the BCBA to develop a specific recommendation for how many hours your child needs. This is often a requirement for getting insurance authorization. However, the plan gets reviewed regularly to make adjustments to the number of hours your child needs as they make progress toward their goals.