ABA Therapy & ABA Training for Parents
Discover our bespoke, tailored services designed to empower your child to thrive.
Every service we offer provides education, tools, and support to enhance your own, your child’s, and your family’s quality of life.
ABA Therapy
We provide ABA therapy sessions in the home, school, and community. The therapy is delivered primarily by Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) and overseen by Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts.
We will select and engage a specific RBT to work with your child for the duration of their therapy. As well as allowing time for trust to develop, this approach creates a reassuring sense of constancy and routine.
Key Therapy Aims
To encourage language development
To teach social, self-help, academic, daily-living, and life skills
To promote functional skills and healthy communication
To decrease problem behaviors affecting your child’s life and interactions
ABA Therapy Training for Parents
It’s important to understand that ABA techniques are most powerful when practiced regularly, consistently, and in the long term. Therefore, we strongly encourage parents to take an active role in their child’s therapy.
Our parent education classes are offered free of charge and support a general understanding of behavior analytic skills and practices. We focus on simple, actionable techniques that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life.
Key Training Aims
To equip you with the tools to build stronger communications with your child
To enable you to empower social and academic success
To improve your reactions to problem behaviors
To prevent problem behaviors before they occur
Social Skills Groups
Social skills are a vital building block for friendships, fulfillment, and success, but many children with ASD find interactions challenging and can become isolated. At DABS, we offer social skills groups led by highly experienced Group Therapists and Analysts.
Key Aims
Children are encouraged to develop a wide range of techniques to set them up for success. We aim to:
Improve conversational skills
Build friendships
Improve problem-solving skills
Develop more complex abilities, including perspective-taking, theory of mind, and emotion recognition
Tools & Assessments
We perform a wide variety of assessments to understand your child’s unique needs and create a truly bespoke therapy plan. As part of this process, behaviors are analyzed, and goals created to reduce maladaptive behaviors – all while nurturing the positives.
Functional Assessment Interviews
Functional Behavior Assessments
Essential For Living (EFL)
Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP)
Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS)
Assessment for Functional Living Skills (AFLS)
Preference Assessments
Functional Assessment Screening Tool (FAST)
Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS)
Our Bespoke Approach to ABA Therapy
Step 1
Assessment & Planning
Once your child is admitted to the ABA Therapy Program, we will conduct any assessments necessary to understand their needs. We will then design a behavior support plan to identify goals, and an individualized treatment plan for your child.
Step 2
Therapy & Training
After your family has met with our RBT and behavior analysts, we will begin one-on-one sessions in your home, the DABS center, in school, or in the community. Caregivers will also receive daily parent education classes from the RBT or case analyst.
Step 3
Progress Tracking
Your RBT will collect daily data to track your child’s progress. Our analysts will then review the data and modify the behavior plan as goals are met. RBTs receive monthly training to ensure professional development and continued education.
Step 4
Evaluation
Your child will be evaluated every six months to determine if a continuation of services is necessary. If needed, our team will identify areas for improvement, and will design an updated behavior support plan to set your child up for success.
ABA Therapy FAQs
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ABA therapy is an effective treatment for children and young people with special needs. In a nutshell, an ABA therapist nurtures the development of healthy behaviors by reacting positively to them. In time, the child will associate these behaviors with positive outcomes and adopt them more frequently.
For children receiving ABA therapy, quality of life improves as new skills are learned and negative behaviors become less common. If the therapy is sustained for several months or longer, long-term change is possible, empowering a child to reach their full potential.
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ABA therapy is mainly used to improve the life and prospects of children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). However, the therapy can also benefit children with other neurodevelopmental disorders, including common conditions such as ADHD.
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Therapists and psychologists have studied the benefits of ABA in thousands of children and across many decades, and it has proven to be effective. The therapy should be tailored to address specific behaviors and needs, and this bespoke approach is key to our work at DABS.
Priorities vary by child, and we begin by assessing which skills or behaviors are most significant – personally, socially, academically, and within your family structure. Common improvements include verbal communication, social skills, independent daily living skills, and self-care.
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Early intervention has proven to be most effective. The earlier your child receives ABA therapy, the more significant their progress is likely to be.
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The length of the ABA sessions will vary according to your child's needs. Some children may receive 2 hours ABA therapy per day, while others may receive up to 6 hours per day. The hours are based on how much support your child needs and the availability.
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We pride ourselves on pairing children with dedicated therapists for the duration of their therapy. In most cases, the direct service provider is a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), who has received direct training and supervision from a behavior analyst to master the skills necessary to provide the highest standard of therapy.
Supervising the RBT and providing training to the family members will be a Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst or Licensed Health Care Professional, such as a Psychologist, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Social Worker.
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One-on-one therapy is important since it allows the RBT and Behavior Analyst to hone-in on the child’s specific needs. At DABS, one-to-one sessions form the backbone of our ABA therapy, but we also offer Social Skills groups for children that will benefit from peer-to-peer communication and social play.
