Frequently Asked Questions About Autism

ABA therapy is a "dose-dependent" therapy, which means the higher the dose the greater the treatment effect.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, The National Research Council, and the National Standards Project of the National Autism Center all confirm that starting ABA therapy as soon as possible with intensive behavioral analytic intervention of 25-40 hours a week for 12 months a year is associated with "substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic performance, and adaptive behavior, as well as some measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have been significantly better than those of children in control groups."

At Life Skills Autism Academy, we take a unique and comprehensive approach to ABA therapy. Each child and family has a therapy team which consists of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), a Behavior Technician, and a Client Service Manager. Your team's main function is to work together with you and your family to ensure that your child is receiving the highest quality ABA therapy.

Yes, you will! Parent and family involvement in the treatment planning for a child with autism is very important. You know your child best and your family's goals for your child will be incorporated into the therapy treatment plan. In addition, it's important for families to participate in ABA training sessions so that they can extend the child's treatment to the hours outside of therapy.

If your child has been diagnosed with autism then the best next step is to start the process to begin ABA therapy. At Life Skills Autism Academy, we will work side-by-side with you and your insurance providers and physicians to verify insurance coverage, get insurance authorizations and have an assessment scheduled as quickly as possible.

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-ChatTM) is a screening tool that can be used to help determine if behaviors a child is showing could indicate that child has autism. The screener is not a formal diagnosis evaluation, and if you have any questions regarding the outcome of the screener, please consult with your physician as a formal diagnostic evaluation may be needed

Depending on your location, and time of day you will have ABA sessions, we can start in as little as two weeks. After the Initial Assessment and Treatment plan are developed, your your Health Insurance provider will be contacted for ABA coverage. We will be working on finding you a Behavior Technician that meets the needs of your child. Also, your Supervising Clinician will supervise the treatment plan and Behavior Technician moving forward. Once all staff is in place, and the ABA coverage gained, we are ready to start!

Yes, we can! At Life Skills Autism Academy we have an entire team of specialists who can help you navigate through the often-complex process to begin ABA therapy, which all starts with a formal diagnostic evaluation. We will work with you to help locate and schedule a diagnostic evaluation and keep in contact with you along the way.

Life Skills Autism Academy is a highly-specialized, center-based treatment program designed for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Find the nearest center to your area by visiting our Locations page.

ABA therapy is usually prescribed in "hours per week" - and this is often times referred to as the "treatment dosage". ABA therapy is a "dose-dependent" therapy, which means the higher the dose the greater the treatment effect. To determine the appropriate amount of therapy hours, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will complete a behavior assessment prior to starting therapy and make a recommendation of therapy hours based on your child's needs and your family's goals for treatment.

Therapy sessions are based upon the number of hours your Board Certified Behavior Analyst recommends as part of the treatment plan. Sessions will range from 2 to 5 hours based on the need of the individual child and the associated treatment goals your BCBA and yourself have created together.