Clinical ABA: Parent FAQs

General Questions about ABA Therapy:

What is ABA Therapy?

ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is the standard of care for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders. ABA therapy is rooted in the scientific study of the principles of learning and behavior. In ABA therapy, we use specialized assessment methods to understand what motivates your child. We then use this motivation to teach your child socially significant behaviors through individualized and systematic programming. For more information, visit www.bacb.com. 

Core Characteristics of ABA:

• Objective assessment and analysis of a client’s current needs, by observing how the environment affects the client’s behavior, as evidenced by data collection
• Understanding the context of a behavior, and the behavior’s value to the individual, the family, and the community 
• Using procedures of behavior analysis to improve a client’s health, independence, and quality of life 
• Consistent, ongoing, and objective assessment and data analysis to inform clinical decision-making 

How will ABA therapy help my child?

ABA therapy is the gold standard for a clinically-validated and heavily researched approach to helping children with autism. ABA therapy will address the areas of need identified during an initial assessment of your child’s development across several skill areas. With children on the autism spectrum, this often includes communication, social and play skills, self-care skills, and adaptive behavior. 

When is the best time for my child to begin ABA therapy? 

Simply put: the earlier, the better. Evidence-based research has demonstrated that children who start intensive ABA therapy as early as possible make the most significant improvements in their areas of deficit. 

What skills are targeted in an ABA therapy program? 

ABA treatment frequently is used to build such skills as: 

• Social skills (e.g. joint attention, responding to and initiating bids for interaction, taking turns) 
• Adaptive living skills (e.g. toileting, feeding, dressing, daily routines, etc.) 
• Expressive language (e.g. requesting for wants and needs, labeling familiar objects, 
• Receptive language (e.g. following directions, identifying objects from a field of view) 
• Play and Leisure skills (e.g. functional toy play, expanding interests) 
• Foundational academic and pre-academic skills (e.g. matching, motor imitation, independent tasks) 
• “Learning readiness” behaviors (e.g. staying in a designated space, following a schedule, waiting) 

Questions about Bridgeway’s Clinical ABA Half-Day Therapy Program 

What is the age range of children you serve? 

Our Half Day Clinical ABA Therapy Program currently serves children aged 18 months to 5 years with a diagnosis of autism or a developmental disability. 

How is the ABA clinic structured, staffed, and supervised? 

• Our Clinical ABA Department consists of Clinical Team Technicians, Support Specialists, a Manager, and a Director ○ Our Clinical Team Technicians are Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), and/or are currently working toward credentials to become a BCBA or RBT.
  • Each technician works under the direct, on site supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to implement programming that is unique to each learner. 
• Our half day ABA clinic includes: ○ 15 hours of direct ABA therapy per week (3 hours per day)
  • 1-2 hours of direct supervision per week (at least 1 hour of supervision/10 hours of service) by a BCBA 
  • All programming and assessments directly supervised by a BCBA 
  • Monthly parent training/observation package 
• Hours of operation:
  • AM sessions: 9am-12pm Monday through Friday 
  • PM sessions: 12:30 pm- 3:30 pm Monday through Friday 
  • *Clinical ABA services run on a 46.5 week/year calendar, which includes some breaks over holidays, as well as staff development days. 

Will my child be one-on-one the whole time? How many therapists will work with my child? 

Our clinic offers ABA therapy at a 1:1 and/or 1:2 technician to client ratio. Clinical team technicians are scheduled to rotate clients in order to create opportunities for both ratios daily, as well as promote generalization of skills across instructors. 

Do you use any other methodologies besides ABA? 

Bridgeway Therapy Center supports the use of any evidence-based methods used for treatment within the scope of behavior analysis, but Applied Behavior Analysis is the foundation of our daily practices. 

Some of the ABA-based teaching methods we utilize are: 

• Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI) 
• Functional Communication Training (FCT) 
• Behavior Skills Training (BST) 
• Natural Environment Teaching (NET) 
• Components from Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) 

What happens during your initial enrollment and assessment process? 

Each parent will participate in an initial intake meeting or phone call with a supervising BCBA to discuss enrollment, seek information about your child‘s developmental history, and discuss any concerns you may have. We will also review any outside assessment results or documentation that have been completed by other providers and/or your child‘s school. Once we have that information, our formal assessment process can begin. 

Some assessments we may use, initially or throughout the calendar year, are: 

• Verbal Behavior- Milestone Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) 
• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) 
• Functional Analysis Screening Tool (FAST) 
• Trial-Based Functional Analysis 
• Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) 

An in-person evaluation, usually across 1-2 visits, will be scheduled by the Clinical ABA Team to take place within the month prior to your child’s start date. A treatment plan will be developed following this initial evaluation to include socially significant goals to target, based on a combination of assessment results, observations, and prior learning history. 

All sessions following the initial evaluation are planned in accordance with your child’s treatment goals and programming. For the first few sessions, it is standard practice for the staff to spend time observing, building rapport, and taking narrative data. 

What does a typical day of ABA therapy look like? 

• Arrival: Parents should plan to park in our parking lot and bring their child to the main lobby. ○ Parents will check-in at the front desk. For your first time signing in, please seek assistance from the front desk.
  • The team member assigned to your child’s first session will come to the lobby at the designated start time of the session. 
  • The team member may briefly ask you about your child’s day so far (for example, sleep habits, any unusual behavior, any new skills demonstrated, etc.). The therapist will then walk your child to the treatment space. 
• Daily sessions: Your child will access one of our treatment spaces to begin instruction. He/she will receive frequent reinforcement breaks throughout the session. Activities and programming will vary in length and presentation in order to keep your child attentive and motivated as they target established treatment goals. Data will be recorded throughout the session in order to document progress. It is common to rotate technicians and spaces 2-3 times per day to promote generalization of skills. 
• Departure: The session will end with the therapist walking your child back to the lobby. Parents should plan to arrive in the lobby a few minutes before the designated end time. The therapist will finalize session notes, and submit a communication post to Classroom Dojo by the end of the work day (4:15pm). 
• Keep in Mind: ○ When arriving in the lobby with your child, please make sure to remain within arms length of your child until a therapist arrives to take him/her back to the treatment space. ■ Our lobby can become busy. Acceptable locations to wait with your child, or for your child, include: chairs in the lobby, the family waiting space, or the wall where the lobby chairs are located.
  • Transitions outside of the therapy space is a skill that is targeted within the 3-hour session. Therefore, release to and from the parents will occur at the designated start and end times of the session. 
  • Please aim to arrive a few minutes before your child’s session will begin. This allows us to make the most out of your child’s time with us. 

How often can I expect communication regarding my child’s progress?

Daily: For daily updates and direct communication, we will use the same communication application that has been successful for Bridgeway Academy’s Education Center: Classroom Dojo. 

• “Classroom story” feature will be used as a way to remind parents of upcoming events, closures, etc. This will be used as needed for more important group updates. 
• “Student portfolio” feature will be used to upload summary documents, individual pictures, and videos related to progress. Parents can expect: ○ 2-3 “daily summary” uploads per week by 4:15 (checklist of programs and 1-2 specific updates)
  • At least 2 picture/video progress posts to student portfolio per week 
• “Direct messaging” feature can be used to communicate directly with parents ○ Should be used for more timely/ urgent questions or updates that may need to be addressed. Although this system resembles “chats” or “texting,” please help our team maintain professional boundaries by refraining from conversations that fall outside of these parameters.
  • The Clinical ABA team is available via email: clinicalaba@bridgewayohio.org. Please allow our team up to 24 hours to respond to messages and emails, as they spend the full work day with our clients. 

Every 6 weeks: Clinical ABA staff are responsible for submitting a skills tracking report every 6 weeks that summarizes progress and/ or modifications made to each client’s programming. This will be sent to parents as well. Progress will be reported to any and all necessary agencies. 

If my child is unable to make it to a session due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, who should I contact? 

Please complete the Attendance Form linked below any time your child will be absent, including full or partial days. Complete this as soon as you make the decision to keep your child home, ideally by 7am that morning. As long as you fill out this form, you will no longer need to inform staff individually or call the front desk. If you have an excuse note for your student, please send this to rstanforth@bridgewayohio.org. Information regarding our Illness Policies can be found in our Therapy Center Handbook. 

The Attendance Form for Parents is also linked under the “For Parents” section of our website. If you experience a last-minute emergency, you may still call the front desk. 

We understand that extenuating circumstances may occur from time to time that cause late arrivals or pick-ups. However, it is important that we account for our team’s time and schedules. Within our Therapy Center Handbook (signed during enrollment), there are policies and potential charges associated with consecutive late arrival/ pick up, missed appointments without notice, and excessive absences. Please review this document thoroughly. 

What are some possible funding sources for the Clinical ABA program? 

Within the Half Day ABA Clinic model, direct services provided to a client by an RBT or BCBA are covered by Primary and Secondary funding sources. The funding options that cover direct RBT and BCBA services are listed below: 

• Private Insurance (18 months-5 years) 
• Autism Scholarship (ages 3-5 years) ○ $34,000 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026), scholarship will be prorated based on eligibility date
  • Services provided by the Therapists and the supervising BCBA can be billed directly to AS. 
• Franklin County (ages 3-5 years) ○ If available, and clinically necessary, Franklin County funds can be allocated to cover therapeutic services provided by our RBTs and BCBAs if/when Primary Funding sources (ex: AS or Insurance) are exhausted or denied for coverage. 
• Private Pay (18 months-5 years) 

Starting June 2024, our Half-Day ABA clinic began to include a Program Fee of $250/ month that families are financially responsible for. This program fee covers additional components outside of direct services, that are pertinent to the continued success of our clients and staff, including but not limited to: client-specific materials, building maintenance costs, general administrative tasks, and staff training. The Program Fee is an out-of-pocket expense that can be divided into monthly installments. It cannot be covered by funding sources that typically support direct/ client specific services including Autism Scholarship, Commercial/ Managed Care insurance, Medicaid, and County Funding. 

During an enrollment meeting, or if any change in program costs occurs, the business office will send your family an up-to-date Financial Agreement document to sign for ABA services lasting up to 12 months at a time. 

Do you offer parent training/ observations? 

Yes. Parental involvement is crucial for any client who is participating in our Clinical ABA Program. 

• All parents have the option of one parent training, meeting, or observation per month as part of our ABA therapy program. **This is required for those utilizing insurance. 
• At the beginning of each month, a sign up form is posted to your child’s Classroom Dojo story. 
• Each parent must sign up by the 15th of each month to be guaranteed a slot. 
• It is up to the parent/ caregiver to sign up for a time slot each month, as the team cannot provide individual warnings as we grow in numbers. 
• As of August 2025, no-call no shows or cancellations without 24 hours notice for parent observations will follow the same policy as excessive absences or tardiness, with families being charged the BCBA hourly rate after two warnings. 

My child is receiving therapy services (Speech, Occupational and Physical) from outside providers. Will I have to stop? Am I able to switch my funding to receive these therapies at Bridgeway? 

You will not need to stop existing services. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with professionals that are already familiar with your child and, if applicable, will do our best to incorporate targeted skills and strategies they are using into our treatment plan. 

However, we have the unique privilege of collaborating and potentially co-treating with therapists within the same building. Bridgeway Therapy Center consists of: Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Music Therapy, and Psychology Departments. If you are interested in utilizing any of our additional therapy services, it is possible these therapies could be scheduled before, during, or after your child’s half-day session based on therapist availability, funding source, and recommendation. Click here for more information about our Therapy Center. 

If you are interested in your child receiving additional therapies through Bridgeway Therapy Center, please contact our Director of Therapy Services, Lindsey Cargill. lcargill@bridgewayohio.org 

My child is currently enrolled in one of Bridgeway Academy’s full-day classrooms. Can we still access this half-day clinic for part of the school day? 

Our Half-Day ABA clinic is housed in Bridgeway Therapy Center, and is entirely independent from Bridgeway Academy’s school-based programs. We provide clients with early intensive intervention based on a therapy model, consisting of 3-hour sessions per day, 5 days a week with a ratio of 1 staff to 1-2 clients. Bridgeway Academy programs utilize a full-day classroom model, 5 days a week, with a ratio of 4-5 staff to 9-10 students. 

For this reason, our half-day ABA clinic is only accessible for those who are not enrolled in a full-day educational program within the Academy. However, keep reading to learn more about Clinical ABA services our staff can provide to Academy students. 

While Bridgeway Academy’s full-day classroom model uses a comprehensive approach to learning, Bridgeway Therapy Center’s half-day intensive model is more focused in approach. Click here for more information about Bridgeway Academy’s full-day classrooms. 

Do you offer other Clinical ABA Services besides the half-day Clinic? 

Full-Day (Clinic + Transition Room): 

In June of 2024, our department piloted a full- day option for some of our 3-5 year old clients, during a 7.5 week trial period. Our full-day option includes our typical half-day ABA clinic, but adds on a half-day transition room to complete a full day. Within the transition room, clients practice daily living activities such as recess and lunch, as well as small-group learning centers that aim to generalize skills acquired within the ABA clinic. The ratio for the transition room is typically 3-4 RBTs to 7-8 clients. 

As of January 2025, we began offering this full-day option year-round. Funding sources for the transition room include Autism Scholarship or Private Pay, and spots are limited at this time. 

Academy (Preschool) Services: 

Our Clinical ABA team also offers ABA therapy services to students enrolled in our full-day preschool classrooms with the Academy. Our RBTs and/ or BCBAs pull or integrate into the classroom for 30-60 minute sessions during the week to target foundational skills needed to increase independence within their classroom setting. This is meant to be focused treatment, and is supplemental to what their trained classroom teachers are already providing. Funding sources include Insurance, County Funding, or Private Pay. 

I have more questions and would like to talk with someone on your clinical staff. Who should I contact? 

If you would like to speak to someone regarding services, the best way to reach us is by phone (614-262-7520), emailing us at admissions@bridgewayohio.org, or filling out our enrollment application. A Clinical ABA team member will get in touch with you as soon as possible.