We did Aba in home for a full year incorporating taking turns and working with my son and daughters play relationship. They were also supposed to be working on iep goals. I consider it successful in the sense that it succeeded in helping my kids learn to play together, follow rules and take turns. It was a nice mental break for me once a week. Down side for us was it was painfully slow process that was not cheap and was really a stretch trying to expect both IEP data to be collected and goals to me worked on AND work on peer relationship, turn taking etc. most successful if you try to master one thing at a time. But others have different experiences depending on how many other therapies and programs you are involved in at the time.

Thank you, everyone! We have interviews set up in two weeks with two different companies. I will let you know how it goes!

I did intervene when necessary because I could see it coming before her most of the time! That is something the therapist has to learn too if they are going to be in your home, so don't rescue the rescuer unless you really need to. Tell them what the triggers are and signs that trouble is coming but let them handle the aftermath in a way that you both can deal with it consistently. You have to be on the same page with consequences.

His preschool was really fabulous and he was receiving speech there and outside OT. But I was on my own for behavior at home, so Aba seemed to be a good fit for us at that time. It was not that awkward at first. This was at a time when my son was going through some very explosive behaviors, pulling his sisters and my hair out of her head, scratching, hitting and throwing things at his sister and biting. I needed the breather and was able to step back and let someone take some of that burden off me for an hour and a half, unfortunately for her the therapist was on the receiving end of that too so that was kinda awkward! She probably stopped seeing people in their homes after she was done with our house! but if you saw him today his meltdowns are Nothing like they used to be. We are still working on scratching but we replaced peoples faces with a free carpet sample from Home Depot and that substitution seems to be the holy grail right now. He is so close to ready for kindergarten now and he can play with her for extended amounts of time, joyfully and peacefully! He actually hugs his sister when he sees her after school! Maybe try picking the thing that has you the most stressed or struggling to change and try just working on that one thing, then you can look at it with fresh eyes and adjust it easier if it is not working. Some people use Aba for 20-40 hours a week, there was no way we could even facilitate that but if it works for you stick with it! Some therapists are just very comfortable one on one in the home and others are better in a classroom setting. Hope that helps a little, I would love to know about families who tried the longer, extended days with Aba and how they decided what to work on and if it is all one on one, small group or both? Best of luck! Keep us posted!

All the interventions should have goals that overlap, so it gets easier once the ball starts rolling and things fall into place. That recommendation of 25 hours per week is rarely met. It's a nice line to use when asking for help throughout he school, insurance, etc. I always considered the 1-1 time that I spent with my son part of those hours. With another child at home, it should be interesting. I wonder if she will end up being a play partner at some point and help grow those social skills. In that case, you are so lucky. I hesitated to have my home invaded every week. I just try to keep a certain standard of housekeeping but don't worry too much. I've found that my ABA therapist has become my best sounding board and advocate - at IEP mtgs especially. I can also step back and let my son learn and practice certain skills with others which helps him generalize. Initially, I stepped in a lot, because I know how my son learns best. Is your dumpling in a preschool program yet? My son was diagnosed at 3 1/2, so I feel for you.