We can't say enough good things about ABA. ABA is a way of reaching and teaching our kids as long as it is done in a kind, considerate and meaningful way.

-- Doris and Steve Smith, parents of Jacob, Maryland

We have not been offered ABA and only been told a very little about it after asking. With our health insurance excluding autism and very limited number of therapists who accept Medicaid, our options are limited. She has made remarkable progress with only her Occupational Therapy. But I can only wonder how much more she could accomplish if more help were available.

-- Laurie Mitchell, Oklahoma

I didn't think I'd like ABA, but we spent a year at a complete standstill with language, social skills and basic world concepts, and now he is making rapid progress. Love Floortime, but he didn't make any progress at all. Now we are getting somewhere.

-- Jen

I have worked with Autistic children and their parents for a number of years. My advice to parents and other professionals is to use an eclectic approach, based on the needs of their child. Using just one approach will not yield global gains.

-- ssiggk2

Many parents get confused about ABA. The first thing they should note is that it is not a therapy for autism. It is a fully fledged science of behavior that has produced remarkable results when applied to autism. Let science teach you how to assess the effectiveness of your treatment. That is all there is to it.

-- Dr. Mickey Keenan, University of Ulster, N. Ireland

ABA unlocked my son with moderate autism's ability to learn and communicate at age 3. I won't pretend it hasn't been difficult at times, especially with regard to cost.

-- SugartreeAngela

Positive reinforcement is critical to all of us, it works wonders. Data collection is the other key thing. This is the ONLY way you will be able to see trends.

-- Maria Roges

ABA is a wonderful tool.

-- Tammie Knight NY

ABA is positive, and rewarding not only to the student, who can focus and sort out their feelings, but also to the therapist, who gets to see the child calculate the answer and increase their knowledge of the topic as more information is introduced.

--Jani Sblendorio

I have a three-year-old daughter who is autistic. Emma didn't respond well to ABA Therapy due to her age, so we started Floor Time and she did much better.

-- Keri Bryant

As a parent, if you are considering using the ABA approach, you have to remember that you are in it for the long haul. This is not an easy undertaking. But the results are well worth all of the effort.

--Donna Baver, paraprofessional with ABA & Verbal Behavior training, sibling of a brother with autism

Research on other treatments doesn't even come close to the evidence supporting ABA as the best treatment for children with autism.

-- Mary Lynch Barbera, RN, MSN, BCBA

I believe ABA is a good thing, however, I personally don't think having children in an ABA setting every day for hours at a time is healthy in the long run. Autistic children need change too. My child has a long way to go, but has also come a long way - I refuse to be his biggest disability by holding him back in the future by doing something that seems to be the right thing for today.

-- Mindy U., Grant's proud mom

ABA seems to work well for some children but for our son, it caused serious regression. We were promised so much by the "Behavior Mod" people. They had enormous amounts data to prove how successful their methods were. But, in reality, for our son, it was 15 months of torture for him and our family - fifteen months of early intervention time that we will never get back.

-- fkooney

ABA has been a vital component of my son's treatment plan since he was 4. For Max, the key has been to individualize his treatment, and find the components that work for him. A variety and blending of approaches has been the best fit, and ABA has been a big part of it.

-- Katherine Brennan, Wellsboro, Pa.

As a mom with two children on the spectrum, I am a strong fan of the ABA method of teaching both verbal and independent behaviors.

-- Lora Brewer, mom of two special kids in Daytona Beach, Fla.

I think ABA works well, but we just can't afford it. Our insurance only covers 20 visits per calendar year. It's very sad that the services are available and my son responds very well to the therapy, but money issues prevents him from having the opportunity to realize his full potential.

-- Linda Humphrey

Anyone who tells you not to use ABA, particularly school districts, doesn't want to be bothered learning and training staff to do it. It is labor intensive but the results are well worth it. It certainly may not be for all children on the spectrum, but I believe it is vital for those children with severe language deficits where traditional teaching methods would simply not work.

-- Susan Bergmann, parent and educator

Our son, Peter, was diagnosed as PDD-NOS at 20 months old. He did not clap hands, point, speak, respond to his name, or understand most one-step directions. Peter is now eight years old and can read, do addition and subtraction, and spell at his age level. Although Peter started speaking, ABA was never able to make him a true speaker. Peter has come so far, and we know that our ABA team deserves a lot of credit for their tireless efforts with him.

-- Amy Spadafino

Although I think every therapy may have its place in a treatment program, the results of ABA-only treatment in the clients I have followed have not had an effect on the core issues of social isolation. The social skills taught are robotic and do not generalize to novel situations unless specifically taught.

-- Patria Thomas M.A., L.P.C.C, Santa Fe, N.M.

ABA has truly been our daughter's "missing link". Once we had compliance, she could do anything. Now, the trick is finding a qualified consultant to get you started.

-- Keith and Pam McCarthy, Charlotte, N.C.

ABA is the only therapy that has had any impact on the quality of my son's life. We tried most of the other behavioral interventions, as well as nutritional interventions. But, in the end, we came full circle and have settled on intense ABA.

-- Michael J. McKenna, Southborough, Mass.

My twin nephews took part in ABA for several years. It works -- but it's hard. Parents must be willing to sacrifice time and energy and, yes, vacations and significant space in their home. We chose to have our children and we owe them the sacrifice to give them the best possible shot at a happy, self-sufficient life.

-- Pat Schwartz, Philadelphia, Pa.

ABA saved our son. I had hesitations, because as an educator, I had seen it implemented incorrectly and was worried. Within 3 months Daniel was flying through his compliance, matching and language programs. He still gets a modified discrete trial instruction for new concepts. He is eight-years-old, is reading and doing math on grade level, and has lots of language. We would have never gotten to this point without ABA.

-- Heather Melnick, Macedon, N.Y.

ABA was great for our son. Can't recommend it enough.

-- Doug Krinsky, Westerville, Ohio

I would say that the hardest part about ABA, is that many people claim that they know what they are doing and they do not, which is why a lot of children do not benefit. No one thing works for every child, so you have to have a knowledgeable person who is willing to try all kinds of different things until they find the one that works. It continuously needs to be changed and updated and is not something one can learn in a book.

-- Lynne Faison, mother of a 16-year-old daughter with autism

ABA had helped us with helping our son talk again. I do think that you need to gradually incorporate other techniques as the child learns language and gets older.

-- Jackie Moccia, New City, N.Y.

ABA is a way of life for us. My six-and-a-half-year-old son, Luke, has thrived and I find myself incorporating many ABA techniques into everyday life.

-- Christine Delany, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

While it isn't a miracle cure, we have seen slow and steady progress and are able to document that progress. I don't think that ABA is the only or exclusive way to achieve progress though. I've found that most good teachers and tutors do that intuitively, using any and every opportunity to learn.

-- Janet

I did try ABA with my son, however I was never able to do it with the intensity that is intended. That's the sad part most parents can't afford consultants and assistants that can focus on ABA 40 hours a week. I have heard of many success stories but it is mostly from families that have the money and resources to do so.

-- Deb Osborne

My family and I are true believers in ABA. Our therapist was wonderful. She loves her job and loves to see families thrive. We are very thankful for her. Make sure that your ABA therapist fits in with your family and has your family's best interest at heart.

-- Alysha Marlin, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Yes, yes, yes! Embrace it at home, school, in public, everywhere, everyday. Immerse yourself, your spouse, your child and your family in ABA.

Please give ABA a try. Every treatment will be different for every child, as different as each human being is. I understand that there are no two snowflakes alike. It is worth it, you are worth it and most of all, your child is worth it.

-- Tracie Carlos, wife and mother to three incredible children, one who happens to have autism among many of his talents

I believe ABA taught the skills necessary for my daughter to leave her own world of autism and learn to function in our world. I highly recommend ABA therapy

-- castruz

I understand that ABA is the most common interventions for Autism. I believe this is only a result of being ignorant of current research. ABA did not work for us. It worked, according to the experts, for my older son, if the goal was for him to sit in a classroom. But the goal of my child is to have a normal life, filled with friends, marriage, Etc. My goal is for my child to be able to have flexible thinking, and problem solving skills which will get him a good job and give him a high quality of life.

-- Kathy Darrow

I can not say enough about how ABA has changed my son's life. Is he "cured"? No, he is not. Have I ever regretted trusting my son's and my family's future to ABA? Never. The only regret I have is that we didn't learn about it sooner.

-- Theresa Pirraglia, mother of a 19-year-old son with autism

As an ABA provider and a cousin of a now teenager with autism, I believe in ABA with all my heart. I have seen it help children with autism first-hand reach their highest potentials. I do not believe in "recovering" from autism but I do believe that with the help of ABA many children can go on to live very normal lives.

-- ltr815

I am the mother of a boy with autism. We initially went the ABA route along with Speech and Language Therapy. It didn't work for my son. It made him more autistic so we stopped all interventions. Eventually we stumbled across RDI [relationship development intervention] and now we are implemented RDI working jointly with a Certified RDI consultant. Hands down, RDI is the most effective treatment and much less expensive than ABA.

--Jody

As a parent of a 15-year-old with autism who did ABA for 9 years I would caution anyone about using ABA as your only therapy. We should have stopped using it after two years when it was apparent that it wasn't working. I know there are many families who have been helped by ABA but there are also many who did not get the results they had hoped for. As a physician, I know that treatments come and go. Sometimes it takes months to years for practitioners to realize that a treatment is not effective. I feel strongly that ABA falls into this category. I believe that ABA is a tool or technique that can be used to help teach kids. It should not be the entire therapy and schools should not be based on this technique. A comprehensive program is what is needed. RDI is one such program that provides this framework.

-- Rebecca Lorens

I truly believe that ABA is the right therapy for my son. It really helped him in different ways , talking, behaviors, play. It is a lot of hard work but it is worth it.

-- Sandie

Look at the child first. Identify what that child's learning style(s) is/are. What are the child's strengths? Use them. And what are the child's needs? Target them. Use those two questions to initially help you decide what methodologies to choose.

-- Alison Davis, parent of three sons with autism, Durham, N.C

I am in total support of ABA. There are different methods of ABA, so if you are considering this method of treatment, I suggest learning more about it by doing some research before you start an intervention.

--Kathy Bernard, mother of George

Absolutely. ABA worked for my beautiful daughter Lauren, but unfortunately she only received it for one year. We are residents of Ontario, Canada. Sadly she was cut off her therapy at the age of 6. As governments dither, our children and families lose precious time. No child should be denied therapy because of money. You either pay now, or you pay later.

-- Patrica La Londe (proud mom), Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Having worked twenty years with adults with disabilities, especially autism disorders, I feel ABA is good as long as the team remembers that all autistic children and adults are different and not try one or two methods that might have worked for others. To "text book" the same applications for different individuals is the lazy way out.

-- J.S.G. QMRP

ABA therapies have made the most consistent difference for our son throughout the years.

-- Lora Carpenter

Can't afford it.

--Pauline Soulnier

ABA works, no doubt. I am a teacher who has worked with children with autism for over 10 years and has seen such great results when home and school work together to support the child. A good program and consistent follow though is a must to the success of the child.

-- Laura Sivori

ABA is tough for the children, as well as the parents, but the rewards of what other people may see as the smallest basic accomplishments make it all worth it to a parent who most of the time feels hopelessness.

-- Melinda

Once my son Tripp turned two, he started having violent tantrums and we were scared for his safety. We started ABA. Fifteen hours a week. As you can imagine, he hated it. Fought it tooth and nail for about six weeks, then ... it was like magic. He craved it. We could see him changing every single day. Not only did his behavior improve, but his speech came alive. We saw much improved eye contact and we were able to help him show emotion without tantrumming. Because we were involved in other therapies (ST and OT), I guess scientifically I can't give all the credit to ABA. But I would bet my house that if we hadn't done ABA, we would not be nearly as far along as we are at this time.

-- Nancy Calhoun

ABA therapy has been a huge blessing and a huge help for our son. During that time he learned a lot of skills that "typical" children learn on their own (by imitation, etc.). If it weren't for ABA therapy he would not be functioning at the level that he is.

-- Susan

I run a preschool ABA program. I am in favor of ABA as a teaching tool, but it is important to incorporate real life into the program. ABA cannot be effective if it is not coupled with real life situations and skills.

-- Tracy Austin

I am deeply disappointed in the behavioral board that certifies BCBAs (board-certified behavior analyst). I find there are many who have this title who are sadly lacking in skill and knowledge. I know many people who do not endorse ABA or any type of behavioral approach to teaching kids with autism. Many people feel this way because they have experienced very bad ABA. They have seen cruelty and arrogance with the name "ABA" slapped onto it. This does not need to be the case. I am deeply upset that this is what many people have experienced.

-- Irene Tanzman

ABA has worked! It was a sacrifice on our family. We can honestly say that all of the sacrifice has been worth it. To see our son at school with other children and thriving brings tears to our eyes.

-- Jody, Mass.

Yes, ABA was very effective for my son. It taught him many basic skills; however, it was only when we combined ABA with biomedical treatments did we see any "wows". His therapists and ABA consultant could not keep his programs updated fast enough. I feel that the ABA must be combined with treating underlying medical conditions for the best outcome.

--Beth Fields

I am the mother of three-and-a-half year-old Adam, a beautiful boy with autism. I can honestly say that ABA therapy changed his life. He is a different child than he was just a year ago. Adam spoke no words until he was three. I had never heard his sweet little voice. Now I hear him trying to repeat the words of his teachers and therapists and he will say “I love you” as he gets on the bus for school. It is truly heart-warming. Autism took my child away but ABA brings him back.

-- Heather Montross

I have been working with children with ASD for over a decade and have a very eclectic approach to treatment. These children are so different. If one approach worked for all of them, trust me, we would all be using it. It's not that easy. There is a power-struggle between professionals in the field as to which approach is the best. Nothing is perfect. We do not know enough about autism to provide the "best" of one thing.

-- Dr. Kirstina Ordetx, Sarasota, Fla.

We had some professionals tell us that ABA was abusive. What nonsense. Our son likely didn't enjoy the 30 hours per week we were drilling him on various lessons, but he did enjoy his successes. The key was that he was engaged in interaction with another human being for 30 hours per week. For many kids with autism, that engagement is vital for their recovery. If a child can be motivated, and seeks reward for accomplishment, ABA can really work.

--Tim Hanson, Hanover, Minn.

For us, the most important thing was having access to a program that worked for our son. This is what worked for him.

-- Mike and Theresa Sandidge, Auburn, Ill.

If we were to provide any advice, we'd say 1) make sure you have an experienced ABA therapist. Some of ours were still in college and had only about six weeks of training 2) try ABA to see if your child likes it/benefits from it and 3) Make sure you know what your goals are for the therapy.

-- Letty Thies

As the parent of a gregarious sweet little 5 year old boy who is nonetheless tethered by the limitations of autism (PDD), I can say the one solid hope I have ever had and ever witnessed was ABA therapy for my son. It's the one approach that seemed to have a sharply focused, disciplined plan of attack in really helping my son gain skills and begin to decrease undesirable behaviors.

-- Jan W, outside of Boston, Mass.

We tried it for three months and had to give it up because it was a nightmare. Not because ABA is a bad intervention, but because I did not have the resources to do it properly. In my opinion, parents should not take on the role of ABA therapist. I would recommend parents try ABA, but only under the right conditions.

-- Lisa Simone

I absolutely recommend ABA. It has done wonders for our child. It must be done carefully by qualified providers and must be intensive -- I do recommend 40 hours per week if possible. You will never regret it, it works.

-- A mom in PA

ABA can be a very effective therapy, but only when used in conjunction with biomedical interventions.

-- Tami Giles, mother of Dan, age 8

I have 2 children with Autism and I was lucky to be able to do ABA with both of them. My only concern with ABA is the "cookie cutter approach" that many therapists have. They often follow programs that are identical for every child they work with and don't adjust them sufficiently to meet the needs of your child. The other concern is the expense. I wrote many of the drills for my second child to save money. The consultant would tell me what she wanted and I would write out the sheet and make the materials etc, to save money.

-- Cheryl, Perth, Australia

Hiring therapists and the whole ABA lifestyle is expensive. Insurance did not help us any.

-- Bart Bevers

My advice for parents is that too many times I see other parents depending on others to help their child. The key to our success was to learn to do it ourselves. We know our child the best, we know what motivates him, and we spend the most time with him. I realize that not all parents have the time to do this, but I believe that family dynamics is a key to the success of ABA.

-- Beth Miller

I have three children with autism. All of them are 2nd grade and above. We have used ABA. In our situation, with three lower-functioning auties, ABA worked for only a limited time. It is a great program for teaching one or two word commands (i.e.: come here, sit down, pick up, stop, etc), but has not proven to work consistently when teaching life skills or academics.

-- Sonya Wills, Iowa

I would recommend ABA to any and everyone. For two long years I never heard a word. On November 8, 2002 my son called me mommy for the first time. That is a memory I will last forever

-- Gina Collo

I can't say enough about ABA therapy. It provided us with the intervention necessary for our 10 year old, Joel, to be fully included in regular education with no special education. I wish every parent could have the same opportunity as we did. While it appears that no one approach has the same outcome for all children with autism, ABA provides a way to help children understand and communicate to their fullest potential.

-- Lisa Knox, RDH

ABA has worked well for my child, but not in the way I thought it would. ABA, when it fails to “recover” a child, can lead to a second round of shattered hopes and dreams. However, once I got over the shattering, I was able to recognize the good that our ABA program had done. No, my child doesn't converse spontaneously, but he is very good at making his needs and desires known (“I want Star Trek, please!”) I do not believe this would have happened had he not had the ingenious and continuous practice offered by his ABA program.

-- Ann Naffier

My son Zack (age 4) was diagnosed with autism in January 2006 and started in a contained classroom with other autistic preschoolers with ABA. Wow, what a difference he has made in just one year. He is now potty trained, does not show aggression (biting, fighting, hitting, throwing, scratching, etc) he is much calmer, he talks more, and we can actually go to restaurants and family shows now. The blow was hard when we got the diagnosis, but what a blessing to have the ABA for our son.

-- Megan Poulos, mother of daughter 7, son 4

ABA works. It's just a shame that not all school districts believe that. They make it so hard for parents to get intense ABA services for their toddler. We pay for our son's ABA, now that he is in kindergarten -- because the school will not give it to him. We also would pay to subsidize what the district gave to him when he was a preschooler. It's expensive. But if it means my son will 'come out of himself' and enjoy this world, then it's worth it.

-- TYVIK

It may not normalize your child, but when done correctly it can mean great gains for them that last a lifetime. I can not stress how important it is for the parents to be involved if they want their child to make the greatest gains. Parents do not have to do the actual teaching if they choose not to, but they should be very involved in what is being taught and making sure all tutors are following the correct techniques.

-- Kim Kubena

My advice to parents considering starting an ABA program is to get into the mindset that this is a lifestyle change. You have to be 100% dedicated to it and be prepared to do it all day, every day. It will work best if you don't just rely on your child's teacher(s) to implement the techniques with no reinforcement after hours on your part. Once you are familiar with the techniques, this all becomes second-nature and seems very natural and much easier to do at home.

-- Bruce and Melissa Ferman, Ellenwood, Ga.

ABA has been a godsend to us in the treatment of our high-functioning six-year-old son. I strongly believe that our ABA therapist, whom we now pay for out of pocket, has been the driving force behind getting our son to where he is now. Yes, we have a way to go, but I never thought we'd be where we are at this point.

My only regret is that because of a lack of awareness regarding ABA when our son was first diagnosed, we had a late start. I often wonder how much further along he'd be, had we started sooner.

-- Carolyn D'Alessio-Bunt

Our experience with ABA has been mixed. It is good for teaching some skills, but it is devoid of spontaneous showing of emotion and kids need that.

-- Luz & Ed Zabin

The major struggle we face is continuing to be able to fund my daughter's sessions. It is an ongoing battle with the regional center and the school district to receive help with funding.

-- Tara Barber

I feel the most important thing in ABA is having a certified behavioral therapist who manages the program and believes in at least 25 hours a week.

-- DK in Southern California

I have a child who has "recovered" from autism. He is currently excelling in all aspects of his life. He is a 14-year-old 8th grader who is at the top of his class at a private school. I solely credit ABA with his recovery and given his good behavior, I wish I had done a behavioral program with my two "normal" kids.

-- Susan Redelfs

It is our opinion that ABA alone is the equivalent of smashing your square-pegged child into a round hole. It is discouraging and frustrating for both the parent and the child. In short, there is a place for ABA but it shouldn't be the foundation for treatment. Our children are telling us by their behaviors what is wrong. We must go to the very core of the problem and not just treat the behaviors themselves.

-- Michelle Jenck, Tillamook, OR

The first day I tried ABA, my daughter said 26 words in two hours and we potty trained her in one weekend. We had more successes in three days than we had in two years.

-- Maria Calcagni

ABA saved my daughter's life. After finding the cost to be prohibitive, and therapist very difficult to find (in 1998), my husband and I ended up getting training and training ourselves to do ABA. We reduced our work to part time - spending our savings to stay home and teach her how to talk. After awhile, I gave up on keeping data as her world was expanding faster than the data could be used. She still doesn't understand how to hold a conversation, unless it is a topic near and dear to her heart and I am not sure if she ever will; but ABA opened the world of verbal communication to her.

-- Donna Avino, mother of 11-year-old Giovanna

What also needs to be addressed is the generation of individuals who have had the benefit of early intervention and have improved dramatically. These individuals are in need of adult services that are different than the generation before them and these options just are not out there. What is happening to this generation who has had the benefit of ABA and intensive interventions and is now reaching adulthood but is not fully recovering? What is the agenda for them?

-- Judith Reuter, mother of a 21-year-old son with autism, central N.J.

The reason ABA was so successful with my son is that all of the people in his life were properly trained in the method. It isn't something I would suggest trying without the proper training.

-- Kelly Kawahara

It took a lot of patience, perseverance and lots of positive reinforcement, but the reward is well worth every minute of it.

-- Kim M., San Diego, Calif.

ABA is a wonderful program for early intervention. We utilized this tool for several years with Daniel and it helped immensely. Daniel is currently 12 years old and mainstreamed in a 5th grade classroom with a one-on-one. He is considered moderately Autistic, and I truly don't believe he would be where he is today if we hadn't had the opportunity to explore this option.

-- Stephanie O'Connor

ABA was very upsetting for myself and my son. I did not like the way they treated him "like an animal." I'm not saying that everyone should avoid ABA but as for my son I didn't see improvement.

-- Suzanne

I worked as an ABA therapist and then became the parent of a child with a need for ABA. My feelings, as with all therapies, are that the therapy must fit the child's needs. Learning is not a "one size fits all" game. I also feel that the people delivering the therapy must be highly trained and highly motivated. With that being said, I must say that for the right person and with the correct goals in mind that ABA can move mountains.

-- Katie Motherwell, Little Falls, N.J.

At first we were discouraged from getting this therapy because of how "rigid" it was. That is a mistake. We so wish we had started it earlier. It is not rigid, it is disciplined and he responded beautifully. We feel that this therapy was the first therapy that really "unlocked" him. A good ABA therapist can make all of the difference in the world.

-- Jane Kaufman

I believe that ABA is a wonderful method to be used as a foundation for learning.
As wonderful as ABA is, I feel that it should be used in conjunction with, at some point, other teaching methods so that the child has a well-rounded information processing foundation.

-- Elizabeth Brown, mother of a nine-year-old autistic son

As a parent, I found ABA to be extremely great for the home and family. By this I mean that the structure of ABA is nice in a home setting, but feel ABA would not be appropriate for autistic children in a school-type surrounding. By doing positive reinforcement at home in everything that they do, you literally wean them off as you function in the world hence, pretty much, doing away with ABA all together so that our children are more independent.

-- Lidia Pellarin, Whitestone, N.Y.

Olivia has made progress in areas that affect her daily behaviors. We are not saying that ABA is easy to do. It is very time consuming. One must be consistent with the program.

-- Steve and Miranda Honigman

As a parent that is now a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst I would suggest 1) It is not rocket science but does require consistency and following the methodology, and 2) Even parents can do it but it is better to have a competent ABA professional to keep you on track and to troubleshoot.

-- Kathy Harris

I don't know if it's ABA's "fault" that my son isn't making as much progress as we had hoped or as we had been told by the "experts" based on our sense that Nigel (our 6-year-old autistic son) is very intelligent. Isn't insanity doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? How much longer should we do ABA? I would advice parents to look into all options (not to put all their eggs in one basket) and to do what works for them... and not wait four years before considering other options

-- Nyree

I am not 100% believer of just ABA. He needed the Floortime element to explore and be comfortable with who he was and to have a therapist meet him on his level. At the same time, he needed the structure of ABA to teach fundamental skills that never would have happened with Floortime.

-- daniseth

My regret is that we wasted so much time initially when my son was two on sensory integration preschool (which was so wonderful to watch, touchy, feely) but was not a good base for his training and his delays.

-- Kristi Pedersen, Idaho

I am a special education teacher at a non-profit school for children with autism. I have been in the field of ABA for four years and worked with many children and families utilizing the techniques of ABA. I have seen incredible progress with these children using ABA principles. I believe one of the most important components of ABA for all who service a child, including the families, is consistency. Greatest success is seen when consistency is ensured.

-- Stephanie, Natick Mass.

We can't afford 40 hours a week of ABA. We are only getting around 10 to 15. Do you think some therapy is better than no therapy?

-- Cheryl Lantrip

I would tell other parents to not assume that ABA is not covered by insurance. Second, I would tell them that some ABA is better than none at all. My son's therapist was able to make significant gains in a few hours a week. I would caution them that ABA need not be as costly or intensive as books and experts sometimes lead us to believe. I would caution them to choose their provider carefully. I would caution parents to not cause themselves undue financial burdens in pursuit of a cure. While ABA is very helpful, I do not feel it is worth bankruptcy. It is unlikely your child will be cured.

-- J Latham

The biggest fear that I had was that ABA would be too strict. Yes, it is strict, and I learned that it has to be that way, but the therapists are kind and love my daughter. Sydney loves going to the center! Our entire family is sold on ABA! We feel that there is so much hope for our daughter.

-- Jessica

Within a year Patrick was "cured" -- per a clinical psychologist and developmental pediatrician. Now he's 12, fully mainstreamed in a 6th grade class, playing soccer and trumpet and chess. He is still emotionally and socially delayed, and has some speech irregularities, but is also an honors student and well behaved (usually). He's better adjusted than we'd ever hoped for when he was 3. We now advocate for ABA for early autism intervention.

ABA is THE tool that gave us our son the ability to understand the world around him, and made him the well-adjusted pre-teen he is today.

-- Ellen and Jim Smith

David seems to enjoy the structure of ABA. Sure, he sometime tries to escape tasks, but he readily goes back to work when he is given short breaks. The tangible rewards are very motivating for him. He now will work for tokens, which he trades in for a (single) corn chip, Cheetos or the like. I am convinced that ABA has made a great improvement in his learning.

--Margaret

We've had excellent results with ABA because it is data driven. You are not guessing or wondering if your child is progressing. Though expensive due to the one-on-one and number of hours necessary to be effective, I cannot imagine the costs and emotional pain we would incur if we had not choose to use ABA in the recovery of our son.

-- Shannon Ruhe, mother to Tyler, three years old

Moving skills in an ABA program from ritual to repertoire is the art of producing a learning curve that becomes the foundation for all future learning through the environment, natural experiences, and other, less restrictive methodologies.

-- Susan Varsames Young, M.A.Ed.

In two words -- ABA works. At least it did for our family. We did years of ABA therapy starting when my son was 3. He is now 7 and mainstreamed into a 2nd grade class, reads at his level, maintains fine grades and has friends. Thank you ABA.

-- Kari Loth, McKinney, Texas

ABA is extremely important but I also think there needs to be a balance. Self care skills, daily living skills, communication, social skills, play skills and academics. Often ABA programs are heavy in one area and totally ignore others. This is often compounded by the young age of many of the therapists who do not have the ability to empathize with parents struggling day to day and can not relate to the importance of certain skills for their students.

-- K. S. Paulsen

First and foremost, ABA taught me how to teach our son. I'm a woman with a college degree who, before ABA, felt like a complete failure because I didn't know how to engage my child, really couldn't get him to sit for more than one minute to look at a book.

-- Lisa Vaillancourt

We tried ABA when Kylie was 4, but it just wasn't right for her. I felt it was too restricting and I thought it actually had a negative effect in how she dealt with people, making her not want to be with them or us (sometimes). It just wasn't for us. We're focusing on RDI [Relationship Development Intervention] now and I've been very happy with how it's going. It's more fun and I think we are getting better results.

-- Julie Craft

We blend RDI and Floortime approaches during natural environment teaching and in our everyday interactions and feel these perspectives have enhanced his skills and our relationships. However, ABA has given us the skills to help him learn the steps to what challenges him. ABA gives him a positive feeling when he accomplishes a new target. He also has experienced positive relationships with all of the therapists and teachers because of the positive rewards - including social praise, hugs, etc. - that they shower on him. ABA also provides the consistency he needs to learn.

-- Teri Richards

My experiences with ABA have been mixed. PRO: The principals and techniques of ABA, and particularly Verbal Behavior, are indispensable in dealing with any autistic or any "difficult" child. I'm very glad that I learned about them, and I wish that they were required knowledge for any teaching certificate. CON: To set up a good home program is extremely expensive, exhausting and difficult. It can be impossible to get good therapists and pay them. If you don't do it right, you run the risk of making the teaching process itself aversive to your child. ABA is not a simple recipe with which you can do the same drills in the same way for any child. It's basically a framework for working out how to teach a particular child. You still have to observe closely, and use your brain, creativity, and problem-solving skills at all times.

-- Darla Tagrin

Our personal experience with ABA is mixed. Like many aspect of child rearing, what works for one child may not work for another. "Shifting gears" is what we more often than not used/continue to use in Jacobs' development. He has benefited from employing many different tactics. When one area no longer produced measurable improvement, we would switch techniques.

-- Vicki Molnar

Finding, training, and retaining instructors to deliver the program were major hurdles. Funding the program also proved to be a major obstacle. Getting his program off the ground was one of the difficult things I have ever done. ABA is a very difficult program to deliver, but done right the results can be amazing.

-- Donna Kipps

It was like his whole world opened. My advice is to do ABA no matter what the obstacle (money, time). You will never regret it.

-- Fay Painter

Unfortunately there are many misconceptions about ABA and individuals who claim to be using ABA with students who are not trained nor supervised by a certified behavior analyst. These are the events that sometimes may give ABA a bad name. My suggestion for parents would be to research what a good ABA program should be.

-- Kathleen Flanders, Bronx, N.Y.

ABA, particularly in home-based programs, is an extraordinary commitment for a family. ABA becomes your life, your family schedule, your financial mountain to climb, and the task of generalizing the skills learned fills most of your waking thoughts (and perhaps some sleeping thoughts as well). In our case, separate ABA programs over the course of two years for our two children on the spectrum has worked a near miracle.

-- Kelly Tinsley

I would greatly recommend ABA therapy. But my advice for the parents is to check out the therapist and/or center, make sure you get a good caring "feeling" from the therapists.

-- Sofia Backlund, mom to Mikey, four years old

My opinion of ABA therapy is that for my son it worked up to a point when the therapy was going on, in the sense that he would be able to follow very simple directions. However, the gains at therapy were not carried over to everyday life, even though we were very diligent in following the therapy in everyday situations.

-- Jaramillo, Juan Carlos

When our son was 2.5, we engaged a very prominent ABA-certified specialist to start a 40 hour per week home program. We worked religiously at this program for two years with minimal success. At this point, we moved our family across the country to go to the ABC school in Sacramento, CA where he received in-school ABA full time in addition to a twenty hour a week home program by a different agency. Again, the success was very minimal. After 7 years of unsuccessful ABA and people telling us that our son was just mentally retarded in addition to autistic, we were ready to call it quits. We had four different and very prominent agencies attempt to teach our son through ABA. Each of them told us the other agencies were just "doing it wrong." I'm happy to say that we did not give up and that our 12 year old son is now able to communicate his very intelligent thoughts through a letter board and he is writing stories and doing age appropriate math and science lessons, but NOT with ABA!

We recently asked him what his thoughts were about ABA.

Question: Well, tell me about ABA, how about ABA?
Erik: I felt stupid.
Question: What would you tell your best friend about your ABA program?
Erik: I feel helpless.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against ABA, I know it has done a lot of good for a lot of autistic children, especially the young, visual learners. What I am against is every autism organization promoting it as the only educational program that is worthwhile.

-- Adrienne Bibby

I do believe that ABA helps children recognize that they are making wonderful progress when they do, or just giving it their best effort.

-- Joan Zarro, parent of five-year-old son with autism, Chandler, Ariz.

I've seen the critiques of ABA; that we're teaching our children to be trained seals, not how to be children. I will admit that, in some respects, it does have that quality - I watched my son, in the beginning, work for cookies & potato chips, without yet understanding what the behavior he was learning meant. But I was also there to see when he did understand, finally, what he was learning, and I was there to see those beautiful first moments when cookies and potato chips no longer cut it - he wasn't willing to repeat behaviors over and over again, because ABA had done it's job. He had learned how to learn.

-- Michele Montanez, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Life saving. It has been like winning the lottery for our family.

-- Jennifer, South Carolina

It was not adverse in any way -- Noah loved "working" with his therapists. The program systematically taught him what we all learn from life without even knowing it, and not just language. He was easily able to transfer his skills to the natural environment.

-- Kim Taylor, mother of Noah, age 6-1/2, diagnosed at 3.

Our biggest problem with ABA is the lack of therapists to fill the hours necessary to make it work. Money is not the problem, lack of people is.

-- Albert C.

The most frustrating issue in combating ASD is that one method does not fit all children. At the moment, ABA has the most data behind it. It meets the criteria set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act so public schools tend to jump on the ABA bandwagon without looking at the refinements of it. Urge your public school teachers to get some in-depth training in ABA and the skill set they learn will not only benefit your ASD child but will transfer beautifully to working with typical children.

-- Karen Marvel Shute, San Antonio, Texas

I feel ABA made my daughter submissive and a follower, which is not her personality. I strongly believe that she suppresses her feelings and wants because she acts as it is expected from her.

-- Chrisanthy Tetonis, N.Y.

ABA concepts of task analysis for life skills (i.e. implementation of potty training) was very helpful. However, I soon came to realize that ABA should not be used in the classroom for teaching reading, writing and arithmetic -- all subjects which persons with autism (even severe) are capable of learning with the proper approach. Even for the students I've seen who succeeded in their early years with ABA (rote) learning, they all seem to hit a wall once they reach the ages of 8 or 9. Unfortunately, so many students remain trapped in ABA programs which diminish student's opportunities to learn and to appreciate their world. It pains me to see ABA over-glorified when it is only a small piece of a solution for helping autism.

-- L Lange

In our state (Utah), applied behavior analysis is not paid for by any government agencies or schools. I worked full-time to pay for his tutors and consultants and our son's therapy easily cost us more than $350,000. It was worth every penny.

-- Marc King

I believe that ABA helped my son learn language skills. When he was 3 years old he had less than 50 words, after ABA he developed over 200 words. I do not think that Simon would have learned those language skills as fast if it weren't for those few months of Intensive ABA therapy. Sometimes if he doesn't want to speak his words, he'll spell them. If it weren't for ABA I don't think he would be as interested in spelling and his alphabet.

-- Paige Rynning, Arlington, Wash.

From my experience as a mother and a special education teacher, meeting the child's needs and searching for the best type of therapy is the key to early intervention in helping a child with Autism. Don't be afraid to say " I'm sorry this therapy just isn't working for my child ". You have that right.

-- Joanne Ortiz, Effort, Penn.

ABA has it's place in education for children. However, it's only one of many tools. All children need to be taught in a multi-modality way, to have a full and rounded education. Life after 21 years is not only ABA based.

-- Suzanne Sloboda

At first this was very hard and I can honestly say my son and I cried the first two months, but after that when his therapist came in the door he would run to the therapy room eager to learn. Over the past two years my son has learned many things such as the basic things in life, to go there, come here, do this, get that. When we started I would say that our son was in his own world and now I can say he is very much in our world.

-- Mina Dever

As a School Psychologist, I have mixed thoughts about ABA. I have observed positive outcomes through the use of ABA with more significantly involved children. My concern is that ABA is being overly "prescribed" and "sold" to parents, thinking this is the only way to treat a child with autism. I have worked with many parents who have been told that their child needs 20 or 40 hours of ABA per week in order to optimally function. I find this unfortunate in some cases because it takes away from the child's natural environment (i.e.-the preschool classroom). Learning skills in isolation is very different from being able to learn or generalize into the natural environment.

-- Lapie13

For the past 2 years my son has received approximately 40-45 hours per week of structured time, most of this as ABA therapy. The expenses for this therapy and the supporting materials have averaged about $45,000 per year (out-of-pocket). I wish that I didn't have to spend my retirement savings this way, but under the circumstances, I would not change a thing. My son is laughing, asking to read books together, and telling jokes. He loves doing dot-to-dots, drawing, painting, baking cookies, playing piano, swimming, throwing Frisbees, and playing duck-duck-goose with his classmates, and he asks to do these things on a regular basis. Without ABA, none of this would have been possible.

-- Jan Whittington, University of Washington

For our child, ABA was not an effective intervention. While he was able to master programs, he was never able to carry over the skills he learned to other environments -- the "mastery" was limited to teacher and context. Moreover, in my opinion, the programs that have an ABA focus tend to only see the numbers and miss the child. To me, you can't tell me anything about my child from "data." As with any intervention, however, I think the therapy is only as good as the therapist. I am certain that there are excellent ABA therapists who are able to get good results under this rubric. Unfortunately, there are only minimal requirements to become "certified" as an ABA therapist, and we never had one of those really good therapists using this method.

-- Rochelle

ABA definitely jump started my son's linguistics abilities. At first I would get very emotionally when the school would have my child in a cubicle and train him as if they were training an animal. Little did I know that it was just the type of intensive therapy he needed at that moment in time.

-- Tashia Santiago, Uniondale N.Y.

I am a 78 yr old speech language pathologist who feels that ABA trains skills but does not even attempt real connections or communication -- and is dangerous for very young children because there is confusion about autism/apraxia/language delay, etc. It would be much better to start through play -- music, visuals, gestures, as proposed by RDI.

-- Nancy

When my youngest daughter Rosie was diagnosed with autism at age 2, we began the early intervention process through a family services agency. New skills keep emerging and with each new skill, the world makes just a little bit more sense to her. The early intensive treatment has certainly paid off for our family.

-- Melanie Luker, Cranston, R.I.

I am not a parent, but a psychologist who has worked with many children with autism across the last 10 years. I have conducted numerous psychological, developmental, and educational assessments for children with autism, and in my experience, when a child receives good early intensive ABA therapy, the gains they make are remarkable. I have had the pleasure of assessing children prior to their ABA program and after, and the gains are notable and significant. While not all children can 'recover' or gain entrance into a typical developmental trajectory, I have only met 1 child who did not make any gains. It is such a horrible circumstance that the one therapy that has such empirical support and has been endorsed by the surgeon general is not freely provided to families without the need of lawyers and the courts.

-- sashah

I am a developmental specialist working with birth-to-three-year-old children. At times more than half my caseload has been children with autism. ABA is good for some children. One size doesn't fit all truly applies with these children. In my experience the right combination of approaches works best. I would urge all parents of children with autism to become fully informed about all treatments before agreeing to any one treatment.

-- Carol McCullough, Mesa, Ariz.

We used ABA for my son from the age of 2-1/2 to 7. Without it, my son probably never would have developed language.

-- Cathy Capozzo

I am sure ABA saved my son's future and the quality of his life to come. Despite draining all of our financial resources, it remains the best money I have ever spent. It is not, however, to be done by those who don't know what they are doing, or who don't have a large picture perspective on the development of the whole child.

-- Bob Bourbon

Most of the people who are practicing applied behavioral analysis use the methods that were developed in the sixties. This old version (Lovass style) uses methods that are very strict and not child centered in any way. Research supports that the newer ABA (McGee at Emory & Koegels at UCLA) is more effective and creates less aggression in children and happier family life. Tears do not have to be a part of effective therapy.

-- Joyce Adams, autism consultant

We are not big proponents of ABA as we have found that our son becomes dependent on the routine associated to completing certain tasks. He has been part of a LEAP program where he is integrated with typical kids and has made great progress in this type of environment – being mentored to initiate play and mimic other students' behaviors.

-- Jodi Zangrilli Cook

I hate to think about where my son would be if I hadn't pieced together an ABA program for him. He is making progress every day and that is what counts. For parents who are just starting out - I would like to tell them to stick with it. It is not going to be easy. An ABA program is invasive; having a therapist at your house 20, 30 or more hours a week, some with very little experience and those who quit on you, school systems and insurance that won't help pay the bills but, in the end, the progress makes it all worth it.

-- sdrhoad