How to Prepare Your Home for In-Home ABA Therapy
When your child receives an autism diagnosis, you immediately have many questions about your next steps. You want your child to become confident, develop better social skills, and ultimately have the tools to live independently one day. Soon upon taking to the internet to research how to do that, you come across in-home ABA therapy.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA therapy) is the most studied and proven method to help children with autism. In-home ABA therapy can help your child learn the skills they need to live a fulfilling life to their fullest potential. It can also help reduce problematic and self-harming behaviors.
And the best part about in-home autism therapy? You don’t have to leave the comfort, safety, and familiarity of your home for your child to get the help they need.
Tips for Preparing for ABA Therapy at Home
There are many benefits to in-home ABA therapy. Perhaps the biggest is convenience. With that said, it’s essential to properly prepare your home to enable your child’s in-home ABA therapist to deliver optimal ABA therapy.
Read on to see what steps you can take to help make everything run as smoothly as possible for you, your in-home ABA therapist, and your child with autism.
1. Get To Know Your ABA Therapist
In-home ABA therapy means that another adult, or adults, will spend a reasonable amount of time at your home. Of course, this is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You should be able to trust anyone spending significant time in your home.
That’s why it’s crucial to choose a reputable ABA therapy provider. Your child’s in-home ABA therapist should have received a background check from your provider and held to the highest safety standards.
At The Autism Therapy Group, we hire the best and brightest Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) and Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) with the proper credentials and glowing background checks. When you choose in-home autism therapy, you can be confident your child’s in-home ABA therapist is qualified, background-checked, safe, and reliable.
2. Make Yourself Available
When your child gets ABA therapy at home, you or another adult should not only be physically present in the home, but you should make yourself available. In other words, fielding phone calls or participating in video meetings during this time is not ideal.
Participation and involvement in your child’s in-home ABA therapy sessions are critical. You’ll understand how your child is progressing and gain the skills you need to put into action once the session is over. At The Autism Therapy Group, we stress the importance of parental involvement. In fact, we believe it is one of the most important keys to their success.
3. Have a Dedicated Space for ABA Therapy At Home
It is important to designate a room or a space in your home dedicated solely to in-home ABA autism sessions. The space should be comforting to your child with autism and practical for the purpose of ABA therapy.
While the designated area doesn’t need to be an entire room, it should be comfortable enough for your child’s in-home ABA therapist to feel comfortable. If the ABA therapist and your child are comfortable with the space, the sessions will be more comfortable, effective, and efficient.
Consistency is key here. It’s crucial you don’t abruptly change around the designated therapy space for your child and in-home ABA therapist. Because changes in routine can often be extremely challenging for children with autism, keeping things consistent and familiar will be best for everyone involved.
4. Establish Good Communication With Your Child’s ABA Therapist and Provider
Sometimes, the difference between having a solid relationship with your in-home ABA therapist and not boils down to how well you communicate with them. Don’t be afraid to voice any concerns. At the same time, remember that your child’s RBT and BCBA are autism experts. While it may be difficult, try not to take over your child’s ABA treatment plan.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t question and suggest things. In fact, at The Autism Therapy Group, your child’s treatment team meets regularly to discuss how your child is progressing and potential changes that need to be made to their treatment plan.
Communicating well with the at-home ABA therapist goes a long way toward establishing trust between your child’s in-home ABA therapy team and you.
5. Get the Siblings Involved
One of the goals of ABA therapy is to improve your child’s communication and social skills. So it would only make sense to have their siblings interact with them during ABA therapy at home. If your child doesn’t have siblings at home, consider inviting a friend over during some sessions so your child can practice what they’re learning during therapy sessions.
This would also have the added bonus of helping to strengthen the bond between your child and your other child or children. Talk to your in-home ABA therapist about strategies for involving other siblings or friends in your child’s treatment program.
6. Make Sure You Make Your Goals and Expectations Known
In-home ABA therapists are experts at what they do. But you know your child best.
Be vocal but respectful about what you hope to see your child with autism get out of in-home ABA therapy.
When your goals and expectations align with your child’s ABA provider, it goes a long way toward everybody meeting those goals. At The Autism Therapy Group, we involve you, the parent, from day one. Your goals and concerns are key to our team of experts curating and delivering the best possible ABA therapy for your child.
Partner with The Autism Therapy Group For High-Quality In-Home ABA Therapy
If you have decided that in-home ABA therapy is right for you and your child with autism, ATG can help. We provide high-quality and clinically-proven services in-home and clinic-based ABA therapy in the Chicago area and other areas of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas.
At ATG, we are dedicated to maintaining a child-first philosophy by offering a customized treatment plan that focuses on your child’s unique needs. Contact us today to discuss the next steps in helping your child achieve their full potential with our in-home autism therapy services.