In this post I will outline the very first steps to getting ABA therapy. Some of this will be specific to Kentucky, where I practice, but most of it is not.
Getting a Diagnosis
You or your child might already have an educational diagnosis of autism. This is an important finding, but it will not justify medical services. I go more into depth in my post What Diagnosis Qualifies for ABA.
When investigating a diagnosis, the evaluator you choose matters. Children should be seen by a developmental psychologist, ideally acting as a member of a multidisciplinary team. The evaluations I have received from these teams contain a rich account of the client’s strengths and impact of their symptoms, which helps direct relevant treatment. Teenagers and adults should also be seen by an evaluator familiar with their demographic, and prepared to use diagnostic instruments that speak to their potential needs. You are not responsible for knowing these instruments, but your evaluator should be able to tell you about the assessments they use and why.
It is not uncommon for ABA clinics to work with a psychologist who can diagnose. It is my opinion that this is a beneficial arrangement for all parties and is acceptable with a few caveats. The evaluator should not benefit from eventual ABA services, as this would create a conflict of interest, and the client should be free to pursue services elsewhere after the diagnosis.
After the Diagnosis
After you or your loved one receive an autism diagnosis, your next step will be to consider what you value in an ABA program. You might value social skills or life skills. You might want your child immersed in instruction in a center, or to receive services with you in your home. If you are rural or seeking services for yourself, telehealth might be an option. It’s ok if you’re not sure, but keeping these in mind will ensure you find an ABA therapist that is a good fit.
Then, find potential ABA providers and reach out to the ones that most closely meet your needs, this might be that they are in network or willing to offer services on a consultation-only basis. (Read my post about paying for ABA therapy for more on that.) Whatever your criteria, be prepared to contact a few people or agencies and follow up if you don’t hear back. An administrator’s error shouldn’t keep you from a talented provider, even if they’re the same person.
Make a referral to Spectrum Behavioral Services of Kentuckiana
If it’s not an Autism Diagnosis
What you do in this case depends on your situation. If you didn’t want an autism diagnosis, congratulations! Your diagnosis might qualify you for another therapy where you can address your goals in a manner that’s most likely to work for people like you. If this is for your loved one, the same applies.
If you did want an autism diagnosis, you can seek a second opinion or a diagnostic clarification. Ideally this will be from an evaluator that uses a different approach or battery of tests. It’s also worth following up with your initial evaluator, as one of my clients brought her child back for review and was given an autism diagnosis on his second visit. I do not know how common this is.
Leaving the diagnoses as they are, you might consider bringing your list of concerns, or reasons for suspecting autism, to a dually trained provider. ABA has not been an available course of study for long and a few people went into the field after practicing in another discipline. (Some just did both from the start, bless them.) A dually trained provider will be able to treat the diagnosis found in a manner that is informed by their behavior analytic training.
If no diagnosis is found at all, after follow ups and second opinions, informal supports might be more appropriate than therapy. A consultation model could also meet your needs, where a provider meets with you and gives their take on the situation without completing a full assessment or creating a treatment plan. This is a very different service, but it could be the right one.
Spectrum Behavioral Services of Kentuckiana 