Center or Home-Based Treatment: Which is Right for My Child?

There are many things that a parent must consider when seeking ABA treatment for their child. They have to find a provider that they and their child feel comfortable with. They might consider success rates of each company, or the amount of training that the company requires of its staff. However, one of the biggest considerations is location. The parent must decide if their child (and the rest of their family) would be better served by receiving treatment in a center or in their home.

There are benefits to both treatment models, but the biggest things to consider are:

1. What are my child’s needs, and would they be better served in a center or in-home?, and
2. What are the needs of my family, based on our availability of time and resources for treatment?

To begin with, let’s look at the needs of your child. It’s important to note that, no matter where your child receives treatment, the programming (the specific goals the clinician will be working on with your child) will be basically the same. After an initial assessment, the clinician will work with the parent to set goals for the child, such as speech, potty training, or impulse control, and will then consistently work with the child on meeting those goals. But what if one of your child’s main needs is social skill improvement or play skills? Well, if you have other children in the home, or cousins, or a play group, this is something that can be tackled easily with in-home treatment. However, if your child doesn’t have frequent opportunities to interact with other children, a center-based program might be a great option. In a center-based program, your child’s time is divided between one-on-one therapy and structured group playtime, with an emphasis on building social skills. For a child who needs frequent peer interaction to meet their goals, a center-based program should definitely be considered.

The other thing to think about would be the needs of you (as the parent or caregiver) and the rest of your family. It is a requirement that an adult (such as a parent or grandparent) be present for the entirety of an in-home treatment session. But what if you have a full-time job, and have to schedule treatment around when you are available? Or maybe grandparents usually supervise sessions, but they’re starting to have trouble keeping up with the little ones. In this case, you might want to consider a center-based program. Your child would be able to receive fully supervised ABA treatment while you work or are otherwise unavailable. Space is also a consideration. Generally, an ABA program doesn’t require much of it: a table to work at and some open floor to play in. But if your child is particularly active, a small amount of play space could present challenges. A center-based program would offer more space to play in, and a wider array of activities than would generally be offered at home.

If you think a center-based program might be the best option for you, then we have great news! We have several centers opening across the country within the next year. We are also continuing to offer our best-in-class in-home ABA treatment in all of our locations. Please contact us today for a free benefit verification and to learn more about how ABA treatment can help your child achieve a world without limits.