If you’re new to ABA Service - what should you ask?
I wanted to give a quick guide for families seeking services to ask of potential providers. I think with the efforts being made by ONTABA to get licensure in our province we’ve made significant headway but until that’s complete and being advertised, families are largely on their own.
The first and most important piece is: ask about licensure with the BACB. There are 3 levels of staff that can supervise an ABA program, these are: BCBA-D, BCBA, and BCaBA. While there is a hierarchy here, I would argue that if they hold this credential, are in good standing (which you can verify on the BACB website), then your further questions would fall into the second category. There is one level of staff who can implement an ABA program, and this is called an RBT. Not all therapists are RBTs. It is not a requirement at this time (although let’s hope soon!). That being said, I would evaluate the therapist based on their level of training, and their regular supervision. The BACB requirement of an RBT is 5% of their monthly hours must be overseen by someone with the above-three-licenses. I personally supervise almost 30% and would not be comfortable seeing them less. Ask about what the supervision of ITs is, and how regularly it’s done. Ask if the IT can request it additionally to what’s scheduled, and ask what supervision looks like. A program review is not support for the IT. They are doing a tough job and deserve 1:1 FaceTime with someone qualified and more experienced than they are.
The second important piece I would ask about would be what the agency’s guiding principals are. What does their measure of success look like? How long do they typically work with kids? What does a session look like? How often can a child get a body break? What happens if there’s a tantrum? Ask scenario questions to get a feel for what this agency is providing, and what the service for your child will look like.
Further to this point, ask about competency and experience. I am a provider who works primarily with children between the ages of 2-8. I am not qualified to work with older children. This is not because I could and I’m not. I simply can’t. It would be an ethical breach. So ask what ages of children the Senior Therapist has worked with, ask how many years they’ve worked with those ages - get a sense of whether they can reasonably have the experience necessary to work with your child. It’s not impolite to ask, and it’s also not rude when a professional says they aren’t qualified. They’re following their ethics - and that’s very good.
My strongest advice (or maybe number 3) is to trust your gut. If you feel like the meeting is not to your taste, don’t go ahead. Don’t feel so desperate for services that you sign because they tell you if you don’t you may be a waitlist ‘forever’. Do what feels good for you. There are many providers available, and likely someone else will make you feel more comfortable. And if in doubt (or just to confirm you made the right choice) be sure to be in to see sessions. Find out exactly what’s happening.
