ABA Therapy

What is ABA therapy?

ABA stands for Applied Behaviour Analysis and it is the most effective and evidence-based treatment that can help individuals work through areas of developmental delays and gain functional skills (e.g. Autism, learning disabilities, developmental/ academic delays etc).ABA therapy is effective for individuals across a variety of settings such as schools, workplaces, homes, and clinics. ABA is endorsed by organisations such as the U.S. Surgeon General’s office, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

How does ABA therapy help children with developmental delays or Autism?

ABA is a flexible treatment that is individualised to meet the needs of the clients. A good ABA programme is never a "one size fits all". At datakids, our therapy & programmes are tailored to meet the needs of our learner. Our mission at Datakids is to help young children realize their capabilities to achieve greatness and beyond!

What is individualised ABA therapy?

Our therapy session is always customized specifically to the child’s needs and family’s goals. Treatment begins with a Behavior Analyst conducting an behavioral assessment with the parents to determine suitable intervention and programme goals. A Behavior Therapist will then work with the client and family, providing one-to-one therapy and recording behavioral data with ongoing supervision from the Behaviour Analyst.

Getting started

Centre based ABA Programs

Part time: 5 hours per week (Monday - Friday)

• Suitable for children with no prior experience of receiving intense ABA therapy
• Suitable for children under the ‘Early learner’ category (Level 1)

Full time: 10 hours per week (Monday - Friday)

• Suitable for children with prior experience of receiving intense ABA therapy
• Suitable for children under the ‘Intermediate learner’ category (Level 2)
• Suitable for children under the ‘Advanced learner’ category (Level 3)

How do I get my child started for ABA therapy?

• Indirect assessment - Parent interview (online)
• Prepayment
• Direct Assessment - Initial ABA assessment (centre)
• Consensus on ABA therapy goals with parent (after assessment)
• Start ABA therapy!

What is included in ABA therapy?

• Individualized Education programmes (based on VB-MAPP assessment)
• Weekly group supervision with BCBA
• One-to-one ABA therapy (by trained ABA therapist)
• Fortnight progress monitoring (with BCBA)
• Daily session notes
• Monthly parent meetings (with BCBA)

Our ABA programme is highly unique and designed based on the results of each child's VB-MAPP Milestone Assessment. These ABA programmes are designed to close the gap of the missing skills and take steps to help our clients build foundational skills.

How many hours of ABA therapy does my child need?

For most children on the autism spectrum or suspected to be on the spectrum, ABA is recommended as an intensive treatment program on a long-term basis. The number of therapy hours will be recommended depending on your child’s ABA assessment which include his/her milestone development and skill level.

For children under the Early learner category (with no prior experience of receiving ABA therapy), it is recommended to start with the part time program - 5x per week (1 hour session). This will ensure your child adapts well to the structure of ABA therapy before moving on to the more intensive full time program.

For children under the Intermediate and Advanced learner category (with prior experience of receiving ABA therapy), it is recommended to opt for the full time program - 5x per week (2 hours session). This will ensure that your child has maximum opportunities to practice every targeted skill successfully to achieve their program goals.

ABA Qualification

Who is qualified to provide ABA services & therapy?

If you are planning to start ABA therapy for your child, you should know who are the individuals that will be working directly with your child, overseeing your child’s case and what are their credentials.

1. 1

   Behaviour Analyst/ Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA)

   • Organise, conduct & facilitate various assessments
   • Designs ABA programmes & interventions
   • Supervise BCaBA(s) & RBT(s)
   Qualifications
   • Master’s level degree
   • Acquired clinical hours with qualified BCBA & BCBA-D (minimum 1000 hours)
   • BCBA: Pass the Board Certification Exam through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board



2. 2

   Assistant Case Manager/ Board Certified assistant Behaiviour Analyst (BCaBA)

   • Should not work independently, but is able to practice under the supervision of a Behaviour Analyst or BCBA
   • Assist to facilitate assessment and programme designing
   • Implement ABA programmes & intervention
   • Assist to supervise RBT(s)
   • Work directly (one-to-one) with clients
   Qualifications
   • bachelor’s level degree
   • acquired clinical hours (minimum 1000 hours)
   • bcaba: pass the assistant board certification exam through the behavior analyst certification board



3. 3

   ABA Therapist/ Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT)

   • Should not work independently, but is able to practice under the supervision of a BCBA/ BCaBA
   • Works directly (one-to-one) with clients on a daily basis
   • Works toward achieving the individual goals for the programmes designed by the BCBA
   • Note: Some ABA therapist at this level may not be certified, but are still be able to provide ABA therapy if they have at least a BCBA level practitioner supervising their practices.
   Qualifications
   • High school diploma
   • 40 hours of training
   • RBT: Pass the Registered Behavior Technician Exam through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board