Every child with autism is unique, so their therapy should be too.
We talked with Affinity Autism Services about what parents should look for when they're deciding on therapy.
Timothie Unhick and Aubrey Kidd say ABA shouldn't feel like you're dropping your child off and hoping for the best. Parents should always feel like they are a part of the team and should be taught strategies they can use at home.
At Affinity, they spend a lot of time making sure families understand not just what they're doing, but why they're doing it, because parents are their child's greatest teachers.
Families should ask how goals are chosen and how progress is measured.
Good ABA providers should be making decisions based on data and adjusting treatment when something isn't working.
Affinity spends a lot of time making sure goals are meaningful for that specific child and family, not just checking boxes.
Parents should always feel comfortable asking questions.
ABA has a language all its own, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed when people start talking about reinforcement schedules, prompting hierarchies, behavior functions, and all these technical terms.
A good provider should be able to explain those concepts in plain English so you always understand what's happening and why.
One thing Affinity tries to do is take the mystery out of ABA. They never want parents to feel like they need a degree in behavior analysis to understand their child's treatment.
If you leave a meeting more confused than when you walked in, the provider's probably missed the mark.
You can learn more at affinityautism.com or by calling 801-506-6695.
