FAQs
About ABA

What is ABA?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a field of psychology that applies a scientific approach to the study of behavior. Behavior Analysts believe that behavior is not simply a result of innate genetic or biological factors, but rather, that the environment plays a critical role in the emergence, maintenance, or reduction of behavior. The goal of ABA is to use the basic principles of behavior to bring about a meaningful change in behavior for children and their families. ABA uses a systematic approach to teaching new skills such as: language, academics, self-care, motor behavior, social skills, play skills, leisure skills, and self-management.

What is a BCBA?

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (or BCBA's) are practitioners that conduct behavior assessments and provide interpretation of the results of such assessments. The BCBA designs and supervises ABA programs and teaches others to carry out ethical and effective interventions based on research.

What kinds of goals will my child have?

There are SO many things a BCBA or Behavior Therapist can work on with you and your child! Goals will be chosen for your child based on assessment of his or her individual needs. Your child's team will also be concerned with goals that are most important to the family or that would help reduce family stress (i.e. sleep issues, feeding issues, tantrums, etc.). Skills that will have the greatest impact for the client will be addressed first. For instance, reducing aggression would be prioritized over academic skills because aggression will likely hinder a client's ability to learn.

Areas that are often addressed with ABA: Functional skills (i.e. toilet training, dressing, grooming, etc.), Communication skills (i.e. using spoken language, PECS, sign language, etc.), Social skills (i.e. playing with peers, maintaining personal space, etc.), Motor skills (i.e. handwriting, imitation skills, etc.), and Academic skills (i.e. letter identification, matching, functional money skills, etc.)

Someone told me that insurance will pay for ABA. How does that work?

​New York State has passed a mandate which requires insurance companies to pay for medically necessary ABA therapy for individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. In order to see if your child qualifies to receive these services, we can run your eligibility and tell you exactly what your policy covers. Your child will need to have a recent documented diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in order for us to help you obtain information about your insurance coverage. If you would like help navigating the world of insurance funded ABA, please contact us.