My child is now 7 and he has been receiving ABA since he was 3. Like others have said, SO MUCH depends on the ABA therapist. I am a little controlling, and I've never left my son with a therapist until I've known them for several months. By doing that, I've been able to observe how each person interacts with my son. Luckily, the first ABA therapist we used is absolutely amazing, and I truly believe she has changed my son's life. We still use her, but of course she is in demand and is unable to work with us as much as i'd like. We've used other "therapists" to supplement the therapy, and it's been terrible. I have fired more "therapists" then I've kept. I don't want to scare you, but some of them have done some really terrible things to my son WITH ME THERE WATCHING, and I cannot even imagine what they would have done if I hadn't been there. I believe you have to be very vigilant because a lot of people will refer to themselves as ABA therapists who are not. Also, unfortunately, ABA is not regulated the way I believe it should be. People who are NOT licensed therapists are allowed to practice it with very little supervision and supervisors are technically allowed to supervise dozens of cases without even laying eyes on the child. I'm constantly amazed when I bring my child to therapy that parents will just drop off their kids for hours with people they don't even know. And because I stay and observe what is being done with my child, I see how these therapists interact with their children and it sometimes makes my stomach turn. Just be vigilant, and if something doesn't feel right to you, don't be afraid to speak up. A good therapist will listen to your concerns, address them appropriately, not talk down to you, be kind (but firm) with your child, and you will see positive results. Good luck!

It really, really, really depends on the person you choose as a therapist, their approach, and their attitude towards autism. If they are helping your child acquire skills that are useful, great. If the goal is to "normalize" them (i.e stop stimming when it's not interfering with anyting - often stimming is a coping behavior and stopping it increases stress; forcing eye contact - PAINFUL for many autistic people; etc.) - run as fast as you can in the other direction. If you aren't allowed to observe, run away. If they say you need a full work week of training for a 4 year old, run away. Your child needs time to be a kid. They need to learn in the way that works best for them, and they need to be respected.

Visit http://www.autistikids.com/aba.html to read about autistic experiences with ABA - many are not positive and you need to know what to look for if ABA is the only option you have in your area. The page also includes parent perspectives as well.

Pay attention to your child's responses. If they fear it, it's not working and not healthy for them.

Also, your child is a child. ALWAYS remember that. He will change and learn and grow - at his own pace. Tune into how he experiences the world - that'll help you a lot with helping him deal with how he processes the world.

ABA is Applied Behavioral Analysys and it is used to help with behavioral issues and also give the child coping mechanisms for dealing with difficulties. ABA is one of the methods for treating autism that is proven to work, along with Speech, OT and PT.

I will say it is very dependent on the therapist and not all of them are as skilled as others. I alwYs recommend changing therapists before giving up on it because it does work well, but it takes time. The earlier you start any therapy the better the outcome, so if you can get it covered then do so.

If your insurance does not pay for it fully I would be asking the school to do so because in most states they are responsible to provide it if you can justify it with an IEP. If they themselves can't provide it is up to them to find someone that will.

Yes, absolutely. My son started ABA at 22 months and he's now 3 1/2. It has made a huge difference in his ability to attend to tasks, speech, sensory issues and many other aspects of his autism. The agency we use is very accommodating and there have been some therapists that were not a good fit for our son and they have respected our input and changed therapists for us on a couple of occasions. Just go with your instinct. Only you know what's best for your child. All studies show that early intervention is key so start him on ABA sooner than later. Speaking from experience, it does help.

YES! It has been really great for us and Colin has responded well. ABA was instrumental in getting Colin potty trained. ABA is the only evidence based therapy for autism (though we have found other things helpful for our specific child) and that sold us on giving it a try.