| Do you have a child with autism that is receiving | | | | 4. Avoid a fake program, by ensuring that your |
| special education services? Did you know that | | | | child receives a minimum of 25 hours per week |
| Applied Behavioral Analysis, is the research based | | | | or a maximum of 40 hours per week. Many |
| educational treatment, for autism? Did you know | | | | disability organizations estimate that a 40 hour |
| that if ABA starts at age 3 by age 7 many | | | | week costs approximately $50,000 a year per |
| children are able to be mainstreamed, have a | | | | child. If your school district wants to give your |
| more productive life, and save society money? | | | | child 2 hours of ABA a day, tell them that ABA |
| Would you like to know, how to avoid a "fake" | | | | must be given a minimum of 25 hours a week, |
| ABA program that will not educationally benefit | | | | and you will accept no less. One way that special |
| your child? This article will discuss several ways to | | | | education personnel try and save money, is to |
| avoid, agreeing to an ABA program, that is not | | | | offer the appropriate interventions, but not for |
| being done in a correct manner, to the detriment | | | | the effective amount of time. |
| of your child. | | | | 5. Avoid a fake program, by making sure that the |
| 1. Avoid a fake program, by making sure that | | | | instruction uses discrete trial training, which is the |
| any program that special education personnel | | | | main component of the program. |
| want to use for your child, is developed by a | | | | 6. Avoid a fake program, by making sure that the |
| Board Certified Behavior Analyst. The professional | | | | teacher assistant that is carrying out the |
| should have a masters or a doctorate degree; | | | | program, has received extensive training from a |
| and ask for written proof of this. The person also | | | | professional with a Masters or Doctorate in ABA; |
| must have over one hundred hours of specific | | | | and works under the supervision of the |
| course work and thousands of hours of | | | | professional. The professional, should also meet |
| supervised experience. The program is | | | | with the teacher's assistant on a regular basis, to |
| individualized for each child with autism, and will not | | | | see how the child is progressing, and if the |
| be effective if it is not developed by a trained | | | | program needs to be changed. |
| person. | | | | Why is it important to make sure that the ABA |
| 2. Avoid a fake program, by making sure that the | | | | program your child receives will bring the |
| professional person that develops the program | | | | maximum benefit? A study that was done in |
| also has experience working with children with | | | | 1998 Entitled: Cost benefit estimates for early |
| autism. The program will be more effective, if the | | | | intensive behavioral intervention for young children |
| professional person developing it, has experience | | | | with autism shows that If a child receives ABA |
| working with many children with different types | | | | between the ages of 2 and school entry the cost |
| of autism. | | | | savings range from $187,000 to $203,000 per |
| 3. Avoid a fake program, by ensuring that the | | | | child for ages 3-21. Also the cost savings is from |
| ratio is 1-1; which is 1 adult to 1 child; any other | | | | $656,000 to$1,082,000 per child from ages 3-55 |
| ratio is not the correct way to do the program. | | | | years. |
| Many schools say they have ABA programs, but | | | | It is not only in your child's best interest to |
| the ratios are 4 students to 1 adult; not the way | | | | receive an appropriately developed ABA program, |
| ABA is carried out. If the program is not done on | | | | but it is in societies also. Advocate for an |
| a 1 to 1 basis, your child will not be getting the | | | | effective program that is going to benefit your |
| most benefit from the program. | | | | child, for the rest of their life. |