If you’re reading this, you might be at a crossroad. Maybe you’ve just received a diagnosis, or perhaps you’ve been navigating the autism journey for a while and are wondering if a more structured approach could help you and your child reach their full potential.
Deciding on a therapy for your child can be a deeply personal choice with many emotions throughout the journey. At Mindcolor, we see Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) not just as a clinical intervention, but as a treatment package designed to empower families. Many ABA organizations or therapies offer similar services and what differentiates them is the treatment model, treatment packages available, and parent involvement.
Here is a look at how to determine if ABA therapy aligns with your child’s needs and your family’s goals.
1. Does your child struggle with "big" moments?
We all have tough days, but for many children with autism, daily transitions like putting on their shoes, leaving the park, or sitting down for dinner can lead to significant distress. ABA is highly effective at identifying the "why" (i.e., function) behind these behaviors. ABA focuses a dedicated amount of time on teaching new skills in order to replace the behaviors that may be barriers to learning. When we teach skills to replace behaviors based on the ‘why’ the behavior occurs, we see longer-lasting changes.
For example, if a child consistently throws items when asked to complete a task for school in order to not have to complete the task, a replacement behavior could be to ask to complete the task at another time (e.g., “break”).
2. Are you looking for skills that don’t get lost from one setting to the next?
Parent Training (also referred to as Family Treatment Guidance) helps ensure families are involved in their child’s therapy and to reinforce their new skills in other environments. This is one of the hallmark qualities of ABA: generalization. It’s great when your child learns to ask for their favorite drink, snack, or toy at an ABA center, but if they can’t do it at home or at school, it won’t be as monumental for their life. If you’re looking for real-world wins that happen outside of the clinic, ABA can help with this by involving the families in their child’s current goals and teaching procedures to teach for generalization to occur!
ABA is most powerful when it’s a partnership between the child’s family and the ABA team. We believe that learning doesn’t stop when the session ends which is why Family Treatment Guidance is a required component of Mindcolor’s treatment package.
3. Do you value the opportunity for your child to play?
ABA is meant to teach foundational and life-changing skills through the child’s motivation and skills they already have. By doing this, we tend to follow the child’s lead to see what motivates them and what they enjoy doing; spoiler: it usually involves some sort of play! Modern, compassionate ABA (like what we practice at Mindcolor) is play-based to make learning fun, enjoyable, and for more teaching moments to occur!
Do what’s best for you and your family in the long-run.
There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to autism support. ABA is right for many families who want a science-backed, individualized plan that prioritizes their child’s independence and happiness. Prescribed hours range but could go up to 35 or 40 hours a week and involve a parent component to ensure you’re involved along the way.
Whether it’s about navigating social situations at school, learning to communicate effectively at home and other environments, or tolerating activities throughout the day, ABA is about turning those everyday challenges into opportunities for growth.
Ready to see if Mindcolor is the right fit for your journey? Fill out our Get Started form through our website! We would love to serve you and your child while we work together through this journey.
Author: Valerie Zimmerman, MS, BCBA, Vice President of Clinical, Quality and Outcomes at Mindcolor Autism