McKenna Autism Consulting

Over the years, I’ve counseled hundreds of parents whose children were newly diagnosed with autism. Typically, the parents are overwhelmed and emotional. Autism is a lot to process at first. So, I calm them down, explain key terms, and discuss therapy options. 

I recommend that parents with newly diagnosed children start with ABA. It’s not the right therapy for every autistic child and every family — some families find it too rigorous and inflexible. But I counsel parents to try it out. They can switch to a different agency with a lighter touch if the first agency doesn’t work for them. If the second choice doesn’t work out, we can explore different therapy options.

My philosophy for helping young children with autism is “more, more, more.” Research shows that more time with quality therapy leads to better outcomes. I explain that ABA is useful because it’s time-intensive. Young children can receive between 20 and 40 hours of ABA therapy per week. 

While not all companies utilize best practices, ABA is well-regarded by folks in the autism industry. BCBAs, lead ABA therapists, usually have a Master’s Degree from an accredited college to work with children and oversee a team of technicians. There should be more oversight of agencies to ensure best practices, but, on the whole, ABA is well-regarded. 

Another reason to choose ABA is the cost. Insurance companies, including Medicaid, cover as much as 40 hours of therapy per week. Other kinds of therapy aren’t covered at all. Early Intervention only provides a few hours per week of help. So, working with a private ABA company leads to better outcomes and more hours, for lower costs. 

Finding the right ABA agency can be a challenge, because there are so many agencies. There are 200-300 ABA agencies in New Jersey alone. Parents often don’t know where to start. Finding the right fit for a child involves research, information, and expert support. 

So, I created a new tool to help families narrow their choices — ABA Options.Parents can use this app to find an agency that is close to their home, has availability, takes their health insurance, and is “a good fit.” Parents can leave reviews that will help inform other parents on our platform; our website also includes the number of Google stars and a link to existing Google reviews. 

ABA Options is free for parents. Always. 

We’re building a body of resources for parents, schools, and agencies. Download our flyer with tips about choosing an ABA agency. 

If you would like to chat with me about ABA and other autism resources, reach out at any time. 

This essay was originally published in the June 9th edition of Autism Insider, my newsletter. Read the whole newsletter here.

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