The basics
ABA, explained simply
ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. Underneath the long name is one simple idea: watch what helps your child, write it down, and do more of what works.
The one idea underneath it all
When something good happens right after a behavior, that behavior happens more often. That is called reinforcement, and it is the whole foundation.
Your child hands you an empty cup. You fill it right away. Next time, they hand you the cup instead of screaming. You just taught a new way to ask, and nobody had to teach you to do it.
ABA takes that idea and uses it on purpose, carefully, and while measuring whether it is actually working.
How a big skill gets learned
"Wash your hands" is not one skill. It is about eight. Turn on the tap. Wet your hands. Pick up the soap. And so on.
We teach one step at a time. When a step works three or four times in a row, we move to the next one. If a step gets stuck, we do not repeat it louder. We split it in two.
Then comes the part people forget. A skill that only works with one person, in one room, is not a skill. That is called generalization: practicing in the kitchen, at grandma's sink, with dad, until it works everywhere.
What a session actually looks like
We arrive and play
The first few minutes are not a test. Your child needs to like the person walking in, or nothing else works.
We practice, in small pieces
A few tries at a skill, mixed in with things your child is already good at, so it does not feel like a wall.
We count
How many tries. How many worked. How long something lasted. Written down as it happens, not from memory.
We show you
Before we leave, you hear what went well and what one thing to try before we come back.
The part people argue about
There are autistic adults who had ABA as children and say it harmed them. That is worth listening to, not brushing off.
What they almost always describe is the same thing: therapy aimed at making a child look "normal" rather than helping them live better. Forced hours of eye contact. Training away hand-flapping, which for many autistic people is how they calm down.
Where we stand is simple:
- We never work on a goal whose only purpose is making your child seem non-autistic.
- Flapping and other ways of self-regulating stay, unless they cause injury.
- "No" counts. If your child signals they are done, we stop and we write it down.
- You can see every goal, and you can strike any of them.
Want to see it in your own home?
We will come out, meet your child, and tell you honestly what we think.
HIPAA-compliant Telehealth available