33 Questions to Ask an ABA Therapist Before You Start Working With Them

Choosing an ABA therapist is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your child. But with so much information out there, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or unsure of where to begin. Our goal is to equip families with the knowledge and confidence they need. These questions are designed not only to give you a clear sense of what to expect but also to empower you so that the process feels informed and a little more manageable.

The Top Five Questions Every Parent Should Ask an ABA Therapist

All 33 of these questions are important, but the first five are key to ask an ABA therapist. They tell you a lot about how the provider works, how flexible they are, and whether their methods and approach align with what matters most to your family when it comes to your child’s progress and well-being.

1. What are your graduation criteria, and how do you measure progress?

A child graduating from ABA therapy means they’ve met the goals and targets outlined at the start of treatment. To understand how close your child is to graduation, ask how the provider tracks progress along the way. 

Most high-quality providers use specific assessment tools, such as the VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program), one of the most widely recognized tools for measuring skill acquisition and communication in children. We’ll have more detailed questions on this later, but the answer here should lay the foundation for a clear picture of the outcomes they’re working toward, how your child’s growth is measured, and what the next stage will look like once those milestones are met.

2. How often are staff trained, and what happens if team members aren’t meeting expectations?

Since your child will be spending a lot of time with these individuals, it’s important that you feel secure leaving your child in their care. You need to know that the provider is professional and values safety.

Staff should receive ongoing training, and the center should have policies in place for when they fail to deliver the quality of care your child deserves. 

3. How do you ensure quality across your program?

You have high standards for your child; your provider should as well. These should include consistent monitoring of ethics, safety, fidelity, and staff performance. It should also include frequent supervision by BCBAs, internal audits, and requests for feedback from peers and parents. 

4. What is the center’s specialization? 

There is a wide range of ABA centers. Some focus on early intervention, while others focus on teens or young adults. There are also centers that focus on communication, co-occurring conditions, or social skills. 

While some centers cater to all ages and needs, it’s helpful to know where their team feels most confident and where they truly excel.

5. Do you customize treatments or use a one-size-fits-all approach?

This might be the most important question you ask. ABA is built on the principle that every child is different, and from the very beginning, ABA therapy has reflected this belief through an individualized approach. If a provider isn’t personalizing their plan, they’re not truly practicing ABA.

That said, some structured programs or curricula might be used as a starting point, but the plan should always be adapted to fit your child’s unique strengths, needs, and goals.

If the provider hands you a pre-written program that rarely changes from one client to the next, that’s a red flag. A high-quality ABA team will build individualized goals, use flexible teaching strategies, and adjust the program as your child grows and learns.

Training & Credentials

As a parent, trust doesn’t come easily when it comes to your children — and understandably so. That’s why it’s essential to ask questions and ensure the team working with your child is not only qualified on paper but also experienced in real-life settings. 

Most ABA centers will gladly welcome these questions and will likely introduce you to the team that will be working with your child.

6. What training and certifications do you have as a BCBA, RBT, or ABA practitioner?

ABA professionals working with children should always be appropriately trained, certified, and, where required, licensed. A qualified ABA center typically includes a team made up of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs), and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs)—each with a clearly defined role in supporting your child’s progress.

7. How long have you been practicing, and what types of learners have you worked with?

ABA isn’t one-size-fits-all—especially when it comes to autism spectrum disorder. Each child presents with a unique mix of strengths and challenges, whether related to communication, sensory processing, emotional regulation, or masking. 

Ask the provider if they’ve worked with children whose profiles are similar to your child’s. Experience with diverse learners can make a big difference in how effectively they tailor their approach.

8. How do you stay current with modern ABA approaches—for example, compassionate or trauma-informed care?

ABA continues to evolve as research expands and our understanding of children’s needs deepens. Many providers continue to incorporate compassionate and trauma-informed care into their work. 

Therapists who participate in ongoing learning, whether through continuing education, mentorship, or new research, demonstrate a commitment to best practices and your child’s long-term well-being.

Assessment & Program Development

A well-planned and thorough assessment is the foundation of an effective ABA program with meaningful goals. This is where the therapist gets to know your child. 

It’s how a therapy team begins to understand your child, not just their behaviors, but also their preferences, personality, and strengths.

9. How do you assess my child before therapy begins?

Initial assessments should be more than checklists or tests. Observing your child in familiar environments and learning from you about their routines and preferences helps the team create a plan that truly fits. 

Questions should cover all areas of your child’s daily life, including challenges, as well as what excites and motivates them, what helps them feel calm, and what may signal stress.

This helps the therapist understand your child before they can determine the best treatment plan. 

10. How do you choose goals, and how will I be involved?

Effective goal setting starts with your input. A collaborative process is the first step toward building goals that reflect both your priorities and your child’s daily needs. While a standard list can help set expectations for common developmental milestones, goals should ultimately be developed with you and tailored to your child’s current stage and long-term success.

It’s also important to remember that these goals aren’t meant to be a rigid checklist—they should evolve as your child grows, learns, and progresses.

11. How often will goals be updated based on progress?

As your child gains new skills, goals should grow with them. A responsive team will review progress regularly and adjust goals when needed, whether to keep pace with your child’s development or to modify strategies that aren’t working as planned.

Session Structure

Understanding what a typical session looks like helps you envision your child’s day and determine whether the structure fits their needs. The following questions will help you determine how the center adapts to different energy levels, sensory sensitivities, and learning styles.

12. What does a typical session look like for a child with learning needs similar to mine?

Therapists should be able to describe the general flow of a session, including how they manage breaks, transitions, and learning activities. It gives you a clearer picture of how the sessions will meet your child where they are, emotionally, behaviorally, and developmentally.

13. Where are sessions held (home, clinic, or community), and why?

The environment and setting can have a big impact on how your child responds to therapy. Some thrive in familiarity and the comfort of home; others benefit from the structure of a clinic. 

Asking this helps you understand the reasoning behind the setting and whether there’s flexibility to adjust based on your child’s needs.

14. How do you balance structured teaching with naturalistic, play-based approaches?

A well-rounded ABA approach includes both structure and freedom. Children naturally gravitate toward play, but they may need to follow a structured plan to learn some skills. 

Many ABA providers blend structured instruction with child-led play to maintain motivation and keep learning engaging.

Therapeutic Philosophy

Therapy is more than a clinical process; it’s also a relationship. Understanding a provider’s philosophy helps you decide if their approach is the right fit for your family.

15. What does “compassionate ABA” look like in your practice?

Many modern ABA providers emphasize building trust, respecting emotional needs, and moving at a pace that feels safe for the child. 

To get a better sense of how the provider balances kindness with structure and progress, you can ask questions around how they handle transitions, interpret cues from children, and support emotional well-being as part of skill development.

16. How do you incorporate the child’s interests, preferences, and sensory needs?

Incorporating your child’s interests and sensory profile helps create a supportive and motivating learning environment. 

Ask how they use your child’s interests to guide learning and how they adapt if a child needs excessive breaks, some movement, or a quiet moment.

17. How do you think about assent and consent during sessions?

Children have a right to say no.  It’s important to understand how a provider respects your child’s comfort and autonomy. You can ask how they recognize signs of engagement or disengagement and how they support participation while honoring your child’s boundaries.

18. How do you handle distress or challenging behavior?

Every provider has a unique approach to behavior support, and each one handles distress or challenging behavior differently.Look for answers that show they try to understand what’s driving a behavior, rather than simply stopping it. Effective strategies often focus on teaching new, functional skills while supporting regulation and communication.

Parent Involvement

As a parent, you should be considered a part of the therapy team. These questions will help you determine whether the center includes parents as active partners or if they tend to place families more in an observer role.

19. How will I be included in therapy?

Most ABA centers value the family and caregiver perspective and encourage collaboration. Ask how often you’ll be able to observe sessions, participate in goal reviews, or receive regular updates and communication.

When providers and parents work together, therapy becomes more consistent and more effective. 

20. How often will we meet to discuss progress?

Therapists and practitioners recognize how important it is to keep families in the loop. Ask how often the team checks in with parents and what those meetings typically include, whether it’s progress updates, data reviews, or planning the next steps.

21. Will you coach me so I can support skills outside of sessions?

Parent coaching helps you reinforce your child’s learning at home, particularly in everyday situations, and research shows it can lead to significant improvements in behavior. 

In one study, children whose parents received training showed greater reductions in challenging behaviors than parents who received information alone. Ask the provider if they offer hands-on support like coaching, modeling, or real-time guidance so you feel confident using these tools at home. A strong ABA program should give you practical strategies that actually work in real life.

Emotional Engagement and Behavior Strategies

Children learn best when they are happy, relaxed, and engaged. That’s why effective teaching in ABA always considers the child’s emotional experience during sessions.

22. What behavior-reduction strategies do you typically use?

Understanding the purpose behind behaviors is a core part of ABA. If a therapist emphasizes removing “problematic behaviors” without focusing on the underlying causes, it may be a red flag. 

For this reason, it’s helpful to ask how the provider identifies why behaviors occur—and what strategies they use to teach alternative, functional skills. 

Many quality programs prioritize teaching replacement behaviors that meet the same need but in a safer, more appropriate way—using proactive, positive supports.

23. Do you use reinforcement? If so, what kinds?

Reinforcement is one of the foundational tools in ABA. Providers may use a range of reinforcement strategies to build motivation and strengthen skills. 

It’s helpful to ask how they use positive reinforcement, how it's tailored to the child, and how they ensure it feels respectful and empowering, not overly rigid or controlling.

24. How do you ensure strategies don’t overwhelm or harm my child?

A strong ABA team should be attentive to your child’s emotional well-being and readiness to learn. 

Ask how they individualize teaching approaches, whether using naturalistic teaching, structured learning, or a mix, and how they adjust if a child shows signs of stress or sensory overload. The goal is to keep therapy supportive, not overwhelming.

Graduation Pathway and Outcome Intentionality

Most accredited ABA programs prioritize monitoring progress in a consistent and structured way, with a clear path toward graduation. Families should be informed about the methods used to assess growth, as well as how and how often updates are communicated.

25. How will you measure progress?

Building on the earlier discussion around progress, it’s especially important to understand how a provider tracks growth toward your child’s goals. While everyday improvements matter, progress monitoring should extend beyond general observations and include clear, objective measures, such as communication, independence, and social engagement.

At BehaviorSpan, we use the VB-MAPP every six months to assess skill development and track growth across specific domains. This structured, data-informed approach ensures your child is consistently progressing and allows us to provide clear, measurable updates to families along the way.

26. What is your program’s graduation rate, and how long does it typically take for children to complete therapy?

Accredited providers will always have a clear plan for what progress toward graduation looks like. Ask what defined criteria the center uses to determine when a child is ready to transition out of therapy, and how often that actually happens.

This can give you important insights into graduation rates and typical timelines. Centers should track this kind of data, since their goal is to help each child reach their individual milestones. At BehaviorSpan, many parents set school readiness as a primary goal. Every child is different, but having a structured, goal-focused pathway gives you a realistic picture of what to expect.

27. What does the typical pathway look like from intake to graduation?

Many providers have a clear, consistent plan for what graduation looks like—but unfortunately, some centers lack a defined structure. That’s why it’s so important to ask: What are your graduation criteria? How often do children graduate? How long does it usually take?

Make sure their answer shows that, from day one, they’re intentional about helping every child move toward graduation and that they can clearly explain the structure, milestones, and intended outcomes along the way.

While every child’s path is different, at BehaviorSpan, we believe a goal-focused program gives families both clarity and confidence. For many of the families we work with, school readiness is the ultimate goal, and we design our programming to support that milestone.

Generalization & Real-Life Skills

Mastering a skill in a controlled environment is a clear win worth celebrating, but most therapists agree that real success in ABA shows up outside the clinic, in the everyday moments that matter. 

Generalization means helping your child apply what they’ve learned across different real-world settings — from home to school, and in new or unfamiliar environments in the community — so they can use those skills when it really counts.

28. How do you help my child use new skills outside of therapy?

Generalization is a core part of effective ABA. To support it, centers can use a variety of methods and teaching environments—so your child practices skills not just in the clinic, but also at home, in the community, or wherever those skills naturally occur.

At BehaviorSpan, for example, when we use Discrete Trial Training (DTT)—a method that breaks down skills into small, structured steps, often taught at a table—we always follow it with opportunities for your child to apply those same skills in more natural settings.

Providers who prioritize generalization also build practice into everyday routines, like turn-taking during play or asking for help at snack time. The goal isn’t just for your child to learn a new skill, it’s for them to know how and when to use it independently in real life.

29. Do you work on community-based skills?

Being able to attend a social event or play with other children isn’t just a skill—it can significantly improve your child’s quality of life. Functional ABA helps children adapt to real-world sensory environments beyond the clinic walls.

Programs should include community exposure and social opportunities that prepare your child for the kinds of experiences they’ll encounter in daily life.

30. How do you collaborate with speech, OT, or school teams?

Coordinated care creates a cohesive, holistic plan that reduces conflicting strategies, reinforces shared goals, and helps children make faster, more consistent progress.

Your ABA team should be willing and eager to communicate with teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and any other professionals supporting your child.

Safety, Values, and Provider Compatibility

Feeling confident in your child’s care is about more than credentials — it’s about shared values and a safe, respectful environment.

31. How do you ensure my child’s physical and emotional safety?

Safety policies should be clearly defined. Ask about staff training, supervision, emergency protocols, and how the team supports children during moments of distress. A strong provider will prioritize both physical and emotional well-being.

32. How do you promote autonomy and respectful care in your practice?

Children deserve to feel heard, respected, and included in their own learning process. Ask how the provider supports autonomy, whether through offering choices, respecting communication (including “no”), and encouraging independence where appropriate.

33. What should I expect in the first 30 days?

While parents should continue evaluating whether the center is the right fit, the first month often reveals how the relationship between your child and their therapist will take shape.

Those first 30 days typically include onboarding, parent meetings, initial assessments, and early-stage goal-setting. If the center doesn’t have a clear, organized plan for these critical steps, it may be worth exploring other options.

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As you evaluate potential providers, it’s important to remember that it’s not just about finding a program; it’s about finding the right team for your child and your family. 

The most effective ABA centers offer individualized care that evolves with your child and helps guide them toward functional, real-life goals, all while prioritizing their emotional and physical well-being.

Even after choosing a provider, staying connected and involved can make a big difference. Ongoing conversations and regular check-ins help ensure the support continues to match your child’s needs.

Contact BehaviorSpan, where your questions are always welcome! You can also call 720-206-9644.

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