Home vs. Center

December 28, 2021 Apollo Behavior Team Comments Off

Applied Behavioral Analysis is the gold-standard, scientifically validated method of treating autism. It leverages positive reinforcement to improve the child’s social, learning, and communication skills. While each child’s treatment plan varies, many parents and caregivers find themselves weighing two options for ABA: center based and in-home.

Center-based ABA therapy, which is the core of our program, provides a structured environment and helps children develop effective modes of communication, independent living skills, group-based routines, social skills, and more. In-home ABA therapy focuses on the child’s behavior within his or her home, and it can also address other challenges. These therapeutic contexts are often used together as part of a comprehensive, tailored treatment plan, depending upon the child’s specific needs.

What Are the Benefits of Center-Based ABA Therapy?

  • Gives the child access to new, exciting toys and learning materials to make therapy more fun.
  • Fosters learning in a structured environment.
  • Teaches skills that the child can apply in school, home, and public environments.
  • Introduces the child to a new environment and different settings within that environment (for example, different classes to work on specific challenges).
  • Provides the child with a realistic setting in which to engage socially with peers, which helps prepare him or her for school.
  • Promotes distraction-free learning.
  • Allows for maximum supervision and observation by the child’s care team.
  • Provides a more controlled environment for therapy.

Center-based therapy at Apollo Behavior offers several advantages:

  • Promotes greater levels of success and skill mastery, as demonstrated by scientific studies.
  • Provides a natural opportunity for interacting with peers, developing social skills, and learning behaviors from others.
  • Most appropriate for children who need a higher number of therapy hours per week, such as earlier learners or younger children.
  • Allows parents and families to take care of tasks outside of the home while the child is at our center (such as caring for other children, running errands, or working).
  • Can facilitate a smoother transition to school, as the center presents a more structured environment, similar to what a child will experience upon graduating out of our early intervention program.

What are the benefits of In-Home ABA Therapy

  • In-home ABA therapy at Apollo Behavior is helpful in addressing specific goals and generalizing progress into broader contexts:
  • Provides a familiar, comfortable environment for the child and for the caregiver(s)Addresses goals, behaviors, and learning objectives that may only occur within the home
  • Helps ensure that progress made in-center is generalized and sustained in new contexts, including in the home
  • Teaches children skills in the environment in which they will be most frequently used (for example, sitting at the family dinner table or bathing).
  • Can be helpful when working with the child and other family members, such as grandparents and siblings, for whom travel to a center may be impractical

Your child’s BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) and RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) team will collaborate with you to design an individual transition plan (ITP) that works well for your child and family. We’ll take all of your concerns and your child’s specific learning needs as we develop your child’s program.

ABA therapy supports natural family relationships, builds upon normal family interactions, and fosters independence. It provides the child and his or her family with practical, realistic ways to apply newly-learned skills. It also improves the child’s self-help abilities, verbal skills, and social skills.

Your child’s treatment plan might include in-home ABA therapy, center-based ABA therapy, or telehealth, or it could incorporate all three methods. Apollo Behavior offers all three of these autism treatment options because they are each uniquely beneficial. Contact us today to learn how Apollo Behavior can assist you and your family, whether it be at home or our local ABA facility.

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