If my child is receiving one-on-one ABA services from Behaviour Essentials, what professionals would be a part of their therapy team?

Your child’s team would consist of at least 1-2 Instructor Therapists that would work directly with your child. It would also consist of at least one Clinical staff member.

Can I use my child’s OAP funding to purchase ABA services? Are there other methods to purchase ABA services?

Yes, our Clinical Supervisor is on the OAP Provider List. Core clinical funding, childhood budgets, or interim one time funding can be used to purchase services. For those that do not have funding through the OAP, we accept private pay.

Do you require a minimum number of hours per week in order to receive services?

We do not require a minimum number of hours per week in order to receive services from our team. After meeting with your family, our Clinical Team will provide a recommendation for hours.

Do I have a say in the goals my child is working on?

Yes, you do! We really encourage parents to think about goals that would be the most beneficial for their child across their lifespan. When providing in-home services, the best part about that is being able to work alongside and talk to parents and caregivers on a weekly basis. You know your child the best and we want your input when selecting goals for your child to work on.

What types of goals can I expect my child to be working on during their ABA sessions?

There are a number of different goals that can be targeted using ABA. All goals are individualized for every child, depending on their needs. Some of these goals could include: communication, receptive and expressive language, self-help skills, imitation, social skills, play skills, executive functioning skills, emotional regulation, reading, writing, reducing challenging behaviour, tolerating skills, and so much more! We always take into account a child’s interests and tailor our program materials to fit those interests.

What is a trauma-informed approach to ABA Services?

A trauma-informed approach to ABA Services means that we recognize that all of our clients come into our care with their own history and that history has a direct impact on their behaviour. Our first and foremost priority is building a relationship with the clients we work with. Once a solid relationship is built, teaching and learning can then take place. We utilize the least intrusive methods possible to teach skills. We work to teach advocacy skills and continually monitor for assent (and dissent) during our sessions.

What does an Instructor Therapist do?

An Instructor Therapist works directly with a client that is receiving one-on-one ABA services. They provide direct client care in a one-to-one setting, utilizing a combination of ABA teaching strategies and natural environment teaching opportunities, and follow and implement skill acquisition and behaviour reduction protocols as directed by our Clinical staff. They collect, record, and summarize data on observable client behaviour. They prepare teaching materials, visual supports, and data sheets and assist Clinical staff with completing assessments. They may also assist with parent coaching and staff training.

How are your Instructor Therapists trained? What type of oversight do they receive from Clinical Staff?

Most of the Instructor Therapists hired at Behaviour Essentials have background knowledge in ABA and autism through the university and/or college programs they were in (i.e., undergraduate degrees in psychology or disability studies, developmental service worker, educational support, autism and behavioural science, etc.). When a new Instructor Therapist is hired, they go through our in-organization training modules. They also spend approximately 1-2 months training with our more seasoned Instructor Therapists where they get to observe sessions and slowly begin working with our clients. They must pass a skill development observation that is done by one of our RBAs. Skill development observations are conducted twice a year. Our Instructor Therapists are continuously supervised across the clients they are working with and are provided with feedback during each session.

What types of settings do you provide services in?

We provide services in a client’s home, in our centre which is located in Essex, in daycares, community settings such as after school programs or summer camps, private schools, and publicly funded schools (please reach for more information about this).

My child goes to school all day. How are they supposed to access ABA services as well?

It is really important for ABA services to be delivered when a child is at their optimal time for learning. For younger children, this is might mean that morning or early afternoon sessions are best as that is when they are the most alert and ready to learn. We do offer after school sessions, but they are limited due to high demand. Our Clinical Staff may offer suggestions for therapy times after speaking with you and/or observing your child. We want to ensure that all of our clients are getting the most out of their therapy.

Do you have a waitlist for ABA services?

We have a continuous waitlist for after school sessions. Unfortunately, those time slots do not typically become available until a client decreases hours, leaves service, or we hire more Instructor Therapists to fill those time slots. Please reach out to our Clinical Supervisor to inquire further about our availability.