Six places to start
Pick what matters most. The full list is below.
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Getting started
Ask
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Goals
Ask
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Comfort and dignity
Ask
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Challenging behavior
Ask
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Progress and data
Ask
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Parent training
Ask
Your child’s BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) leads the ABA team. A good BCBA welcomes questions. Use this list before you start services, at your first meetings, or any time you want a check-in. You do not need to ask every question at once. Pick the ones that matter most to you, and check them off as you go.
Getting started
- What experience do you have working with children like mine?
- Who will be on my child’s team, and what are their roles?
- How often will you personally see my child?
- How often will you supervise the therapist who works with my child?
- How do I reach you if I have a question or concern?
- How quickly can I expect a reply?
Goals and the treatment plan
- How will you choose my child’s goals?
- How will our family’s priorities, culture, and language be included?
- Can you explain each goal in plain words?
- Why are these goals important for my child right now?
- How will you know when a goal is met?
- How will you make sure skills work at home, at school, and with other people?
- How often will the plan be reviewed and updated?
My child’s comfort and dignity
- How will you know if my child is happy to take part?
- What will you do if my child shows they want to stop or take a break?
- How will you use my child’s interests in teaching?
- Which behaviors will you leave alone because they are harmless?
- How will you respect my child’s way of communicating?
Challenging behavior
- How will you figure out why a behavior is happening?
- What will you teach my child to do instead?
- What strategies will you use, and why did you choose them?
- Are there any strategies you will not use?
- If a behavior could cause harm, what is the safety plan?
- Will you walk me through the safety plan before it is used?
Sessions
- What will a typical session look like?
- Where will sessions happen, and can that change?
- Can I watch sessions?
- How will I hear about how each session went?
- What should I do if my child is sick or we need to cancel?
- What happens if my child’s regular therapist is out?
Progress and data
- How will you track progress?
- How often will you share data with me?
- Can you show me how to read my child’s progress graphs?
- What will you do if my child is not making progress?
- How will you decide when services should change, decrease, or end?
Parent training
- How will I be involved?
- How often will we have parent training sessions?
- What will I learn in parent training?
- Can other caregivers, like grandparents or a babysitter, join?
- Can parent training happen by video?
Working with others
- Will you talk with my child’s school, speech therapist, or occupational therapist?
- What do you need from me to share information with them?
- How will you make sure everyone is working toward the same goals?
Paperwork and approvals
- If insurance is involved, what approvals are needed, and how long do they usually take?
- When does my child’s current approval period end?
- What do you need from me before the next progress report?
- Who should I call with billing or insurance questions?
My own notes
Use this space to write your own questions.
A final reminder
There are no silly questions. You are your child’s most important advocate, and asking questions is part of being on the team. If an answer does not make sense, it is always okay to say, “Can you explain that another way?”
