Your First Month of ABA: What to Expect, Step by Step

Step 1: Intake

Intake is the “getting started” stage. It is mostly paperwork and information gathering. You can expect:

• Forms about your child’s history, health, school, and family
• Consent forms that explain your rights and the provider’s policies
• A copy of your child’s diagnosis report, if one is needed
• Your insurance or funding information, if that is how services will be paid for
• Questions about your schedule and where you would like sessions to happen

Tip: Ask how long each step usually takes with this provider. Some steps, like insurance approval, may take time that is outside the provider’s control.

Step 2: Waiting for approval (if insurance is involved)

If insurance is paying for services, the provider often needs permission from your plan before the assessment and again before regular sessions start. This permission is called an authorization.

This waiting time can be frustrating. It can help to ask your provider:

• What is the next step, and who is responsible for it?
• How will I know when approval comes through?
• Is there anything I can do to help move it along?

Our guide Understanding ABA Insurance Authorizations explains this process in more detail.

Step 3: The initial assessment

Before the team can write a plan, the BCBA needs to get to know your child. The initial assessment usually includes:

• Talking with you. You know your child best. The BCBA will ask about strengths, challenges, routines, and your goals.
• Watching and playing with your child. The BCBA may observe your child at home, in a clinic, or both.
• Skill checks. The BCBA may use a structured tool to see which skills your child already has and which ones could come next. These tools often look like play or simple activities.
• Looking closely at challenging behavior. If a behavior is a concern, the BCBA will try to figure out what is happening before and after it, to understand its purpose.

The assessment may take more than one visit. See our guide Preparing for the Initial Assessment for a checklist of what to bring.

Step 4: The treatment plan

After the assessment, the BCBA writes a treatment plan. This document lists:

• The goals your child will work on
• How each skill will be taught
• How progress will be measured
• How many hours of services are recommended, and where
• How you, as a parent, will be involved

The BCBA should go over the plan with you and answer your questions. You should feel comfortable with the goals before services begin. If a goal does not feel right for your child or your family, say so. Good plans are made together.

If insurance is involved, the plan is often sent to your plan for approval before regular sessions can start.

Step 5: Your first sessions

The first few sessions are usually about building a relationship, not jumping straight into hard work. This is often called pairing. During pairing, the therapist:

• Plays with your child and learns what they enjoy
• Becomes someone your child is happy to see
• Keeps demands low and fun high

This step matters. Children learn best from people they trust and feel safe with.

What a typical session looks like

Once things are underway, sessions often mix different kinds of teaching:

• Play-based learning: Teaching happens naturally during play, snack, or daily routines. For example, your child might practice asking for a turn on the swing.
• Structured practice: Short, focused practice of a specific skill, often at a table or on the floor, with lots of praise and fun breaks.
• Breaks and choices: Your child should get regular breaks and chances to choose activities.
• Data collection: The therapist may write notes or use a tablet during the session. This is how the team tracks progress. It is a normal part of ABA.

At the end of a session, many therapists share a quick update. Feel free to ask what went well and what was hard.

Your role in the first month

You do not need to be an expert. Here are simple ways to help:

• Share updates about sleep, illness, schedule changes, or big events. These can affect how your child does in sessions.
• Tell the team what your child loves right now. Favorites change often.
• Ask questions whenever something is unclear.
• Join parent training sessions when they are offered. See our guide Parent Training: What to Expect.

A quick first-month checklist

• Intake forms completed and returned
• Copies of diagnosis and other reports shared (if requested)
• Insurance or funding information shared (if applicable)
• Initial assessment scheduled
• Treatment plan reviewed with the BCBA
• Questions about goals answered
• Session schedule confirmed
• Know who to contact with questions or schedule changes
• First parent training session scheduled

The bottom line

The first month is about getting to know each other and building a plan that fits your child. It is okay if it feels slow at first. A careful start helps the rest of the work go more smoothly.