Many ABA therapy providers in Southwest Florida share similar approaches and philosophies with respect to evidence-based methodologies and evaluation standards. That said, there are different schools of thought when it comes to the optimal treatment setting – whether that’s in-clinic, at school, at home, or some hybrid combination. At FOCUS Therapy in Fort Myers, we prefer in-clinic ABA therapy for our patients – and there are tons of good reasons why.

ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. It’s widely recognized as one of the most highly-effective, child-oriented, results-driven therapy for kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. It’s also proven very helpful for kids with traumatic brain injuries, oppositional defiant disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and Down syndrome. These conditions don’t have a “cure,” per se. What ABA therapy does is teach appropriate/safe/expected behaviors while minimizing and extinguishing inappropriate/unsafe/unexpected behaviors. Individual target goals may differ, but most long-term goals involve improving kids’ independence, safety, social skills, academic participation, and community engagement.

Although the skill of the therapist is certainly important, so too is the setting where therapy is provided.

Among the many upsides to Southwest Florida in-clinic ABA therapy:

1. Easier transitions to (pre)school. For most families, the goal is for their child to ultimately transition to a mainstream learning environment. In-clinic ABA therapy can better prepare kids for that transition, structuring environments that more closely mirror their experience in school so that their skills are more easily generalized.
2. More opportunities to teach and learn social skills. When our registered behavior technicians (RBTs) and board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) are working with children in the clinic, there are going to be inherently more opportunities for social interactions – both with peers and adults. We can practice key skills like turn-taking, recognizing social cues, and self-regulation/coping skills.
3. Better quality of care and supervision. This is not to say at-home ABA therapy providers don’t provide adequate care. But when we have multiple RBTs, BCBAs, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and support staff on-site, there are simply more eyes, ears, and hands if challenges arise. Plus, it gives supervisors the opportunity to regularly observe, make recommendations, and ensure treatment is on-track. They can see what’s happening in real time (rather than relying on RBT notes after the fact) and are able to make immediate modifications as necessary.
4. Multi-disciplinary setting. Lots of the kids we treat at FOCUS require numerous therapy interventions. If your child needs ABA therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and/or physical therapy, you can get all of that in one location. But parent convenience is just part of this benefit. When you have highly-skilled pediatric therapists in a broad range of disciplines all working in close proximity to each other, it creates opportunities to learn from each other. A speech therapist might notice an issue in passing that an RBT wouldn’t have immediately identified – and offer possible solutions. Those kinds of interactions and collaborations happen all the time – and we encourage them because kids get optimal benefits when we approach treatment from the “whole child” perspective.
5. Tons of positive reinforcers. Every parent can recall at least one time their child was super into something – and then just suddenly decided they were ALL SET with it. Like, all they want to eat every single morning is a strawberry Pop-Tart, so you eventually go all-in and buy the Costco size – only for them to decide two packages in, they never want to see another strawberry Pop-Tart for as long as they live. Reinforcers in ABA therapy can be like that too. These are the unique-to-each-child incentives used to encourage interactions and activities that allow us to target behavior goals. But what a child was willing to work for one day might no longer interest them the next. With in-clinic ABA, the therapist has immediate access to TONS of alternative reinforcers – games, puzzles, books, sensory gym, etc. We can quickly find the “next best thing” and go from there.
6. Easier transitions when there are staff changes. As much as we love and value our amazing ABA therapists, they don’t always stay forever. For these kids, transitioning from one therapist to another can be a major challenge. But when kids receive behavior therapy in a clinic setting, there’s a good chance that their new therapist is a friendly face they’ve already seen and directly interacted with.
7. In-clinic ABA therapy works. Like, really well. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach that works for every kid in every therapy, it’s been our experience that in-clinic ABA provides the most “bang for your buck” in terms of results – and a conclusion solidly backed by research. Just one example: A National Institute of Health study analyzed the effectiveness of at-home ABA therapy vs. in-clinic ABA therapy. They controlled for variations in individual child skill sets by treating the same group of kids in both settings at different times, and then tracking their progress during each. Kids treated in-clinic mastered 100 percent more skills-per-hour compared to those treated in their homes.

With in-clinic ABA therapy at FOCUS, we’re able to provide the best quality therapy in a setting that is welcoming and fun as well as structured and safe. If you have questions about our therapy services or Fort Myers ADOS testing, reach out!

FOCUS offers ABA therapy and ADOS testing to children in Lee County, Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.

Additional Resources:

What Is Applied Behavior Analysis? June 23, 2021, Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, WebMD

More Blog Entries:

Top 4 Benefits of In-Clinic ABA Therapy, April 2, 2022, Fort Myers ABA Therapy Blog