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What can I expect from an ABA home program?Weekly sessions with a BCBA. You will be provided with weekly consultation with a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). The BCBA will assess your child's skills, listen to what your goals are for your child, write programs and goals, and train home tutors to implement the programs. The weekly session is generally two hours which includes working with your child, analyzing data, and making program changes. You are asked to pick up your child 10-15 before the end of the two hours to allow for time for a short debrief. Home tutoring. You are primarily responsible for choosing home tutors, but often your BCBA will help you find someone if you need it. Once a tutor is chosen, ABC will provide training to that tutor so s/he knows how to implement the programs. That tutor will come to your home for an agreed-upon time each week and work with your child. The tutor will track data, write notes, communicate with you, and receive on-going training from the BCBA. You are responsible to pay that tutor at least once a month (a reminder is sent on the ABC bill each month). Changes to schedules from the tutor or the family are done between them. ABC only needs to know about long-lasting changes such as adding hours or changes in tutors. Tutor training. Training will be provided frequently for home tutors. Occasionally, a large-group "tutor training" will be offered by ABC. In addition, individual training for each tutor will be required until s/he is familiar with and has proven effective in administering the programs. Families are responsible for paying for the training. Finding a tutor. Finding and keeping reliable tutors is the most challenging part of a home program. The work is often supplemental income or part-time work for a college student whose schedule changes every few months, and because the work can sometimes be very energy-consuming, it can be hard to find and keep the right person. Finding a tutor can be done through local colleges (posting flyers), craigslist.com, local churches, family friends, and through ABC's recommendations. Previous experience with ABA and autism is, of course, preferred, but the most important skills to have are an energetic spirit, love of children, honesty, reliability, and willingness to learn something new. Keeping a good tutor can be facilitated by keeping a consistent schedule, showing your appreciation through comments and small gifts, and timely pay. When you have a good tutor, hold on to him/her!
Materials. When you set up a home program, it's important you
provide a work area for your tutors and child. This can be a separate
room in the house or in the child's bedroom. The room should have a door
that closes so there can be limited distractions from the family's activities.
There should be a child-size table (or whatever size the child is), a
closet or other closing cabinet for program materials, and reinforcing
toys and treats that are reserved for work time. Other materials that
are frequently needed and used are a small DVD player, video camera for
taping tutors, bean bags and big pillows, a big bouncy ball, and new reinforcing
toys every so often. The goal is to make the room a super wonderful place
to be with all the best stuff so the child wants to go there. However,
the room or materials should not be able to be used throughout the day
unless work is being done. This is to keep the reinforcing items reinforcing!
If s/he can play with the toys whenever, s/he will satiate on them and
they will not be as useful when the tutors are there to work. School observations. Your BCBA can be involved in your child's educational setting through class observations, feedback to school staff, IEP meeting attendance, reading and interpreting assessments, and IEP goal recommendations. Because the program director has been on the parent side, on the teacher side, and also on the outside therapist side, she has a unique perspective and insight into what can and cannot be offered to your child and how your child can get what s/he needs. Team communication. E-mail is the best and most efficient way to communicate with your child's team. Your BCBA will be in regular contact with your home tutors, and you can e-mail your team with any comments or questions. Scheduling changes that are far in advance can be done via e-mail, but day-by-day changes (such as a sick child) should be done by e-mail and a phone call. Monthly or bi-monthly team meetings will be provided with your home team. Because this can be an expensive meeting (paying for the BCBA's time as well as the tutor's time), this can be arranged to happen during an existing BCBA session, during a different day, or on a less-frequent basis if determined it is not needed by the BCBA. What can I expect from a social group? Under construction.
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