What is the Role of the Parent in ABA Therapy?

Parents play a vital and necessary role in the child’s Applied Behavior Analysis therapy program. Studies show that children whose parents are actively engaged in the process make measurable gains.

• Parents are able to continue to prompt and reinforce the child through various daily activities – an essential component to generalizing skills.
• Parent training is a necessary part of an effective ABA-based program. The child’s progress is closely monitored by the collection of data on the performance of each trial. After a skill has been mastered, another skill is introduced, and the mastered skill is placed on a maintenance schedule. A maintenance schedule allows for periodic checking so that the child does not regress in mastered skills.
• By teaching not only the parents but the surrounding friends, family and caretakers the principles of ABA and autism support, our program ultimately helps the child’s entire support group have a better understanding of the child. In doing this together, we can reach our committed and common goal of your child’s success.
• A parent of a child with autism has to implement instances of practice, demonstration, real world consequences and more practice consistently. Building social skills, social understanding and consistently practicing these methods will teach an autistic child on the spectrum more successful behaviors.

No one knows the child better than the parent.

The parents provide critical and insightful information that will help guide the ABA program.