If you’re feeling unsure about whether your child needs more support through school services or ABA therapy—or a mix of both—you’re not alone. It’s a big decision, and you want to make sure your child is getting exactly what they need. Let’s walk through the key differences in ABA and School Services, where they overlap, and some thoughts to help you sort through the decision making process.
ABA vs. School Services: What’s the Difference?
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
ABA professionals focus on improving specific behaviors, like communication, social skills, and daily living activities. It’s individualized, meaning your child’s program is based on their unique needs and adjusted as they progress. ABA often happens in a clinic, home, or community setting with a lot of one-on-one support.
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School Services
School services cover a broader range of needs—academic, social, and emotional—often delivered in a group setting (think classroom). Support might come from a special education teacher, behavior specialist, speech therapist, or other professionals. But, because schools are balancing the needs of many students, services tend to be less individualized and focus more on your child’s overall progress.
How Are ABA and School Services Similar?
Both ABA and school services want to help your child become more independent and successful, whether that’s with learning new skills, improving behavior, or achieving academic goals. Both are driven by research-backed strategies and rely on your input to shape goals and track progress.
ABA Services
ABA Strengths:
- Individualized Attention: ABA is tailored specifically to your child’s needs.
- Behavioral Expertise: Therapists are trained to dig into why behaviors happen and use strategies to increase positive behaviors and reduce problem behaviors.
- Data-Driven: Every decision is backed by data—if something isn’t working, it gets adjusted quickly.
ABA Weaknesses:
- Limited Academic Focus: ABA may not focus much on academics, which can leave gaps in school-related areas.
- Generalization Challenges: Skills learned in a clinic might not always transfer easily to the classroom without extra support.
School Services
School Services Strengths:
- Holistic Approach: Schools are focused on the whole child, balancing academic, social, and emotional development.
- Multiple Resources: Your child has access to different professionals (e.g., speech or occupational therapists) and peer interaction.
- Classroom Generalization: Skills taught in school are practiced throughout the day, helping them stick across subjects and settings.
School Services Weaknesses:
- Limited Behavioral Expertise: Most teachers don’t have the level of behavior training that ABA professionals do, so behavior plans may not be implemented as effectively.
- Less Individualization: Schools have to meet the needs of many students, so individual attention might be spread thin.
- Time Constraints: There’s only so much time in a school day—Brief or inconsistent services can make it hard for students to show significant progress.
Can ABA and School Work Together?
Absolutely! Here are some ways to think about how they can complement each other:
Communication is Key: If your child is receiving both ABA therapy and school services, it’s important for the two teams to communicate. Sharing data and strategies helps keep everyone on the same page and makes sure the work being done in one setting supports the other.
Consistent Support: Skills learned in ABA, like communication or self-regulation, can be reinforced in school. On the flip side, interfering behavior or learner readiness needs that impact academic progress can be addressed during ABA therapy to help your child succeed.
Cross-Training: Teachers may not be ABA experts, but they can learn key strategies to better support your child’s success. ABA isn’t just about reducing problem behavior, but about figuring out what your child needs in order to be successful in different environments. Likewise, ABA professionals can gain insight into barriers impacting your child’s academic progress from the school, ensuring that your child’s progress is aligned across both environments.
Check out THIS ARTICLE for tips on inviting your private BCBA to your child’s IEP meeting.
The School Setting & FAPE
Schools are required by law (through IDEA) to provide services that help your child access their education.
Schools are responsible for providing appropriate support for behaviors that impact learning. This is where you may need to push for more. If you feel like your child’s behavior plan isn’t being implemented well, isn’t sufficient, or the school is only making minimal adjustments, it’s okay to ask for more robust services. You may even want to request outside consultation from an ABA professional or other expert in your child’s area of need.
Making a Decision Between ABA and School Services
Here are a few questions to help guide your decision:
- What are my child’s biggest needs right now? Are they mostly behavioral, academic, or a combination of both?
- Is the school able to provide enough support? Does your child need more than what’s being offered or what the school is currently capable of giving?
- How are skills transferring between settings? Are the skills your child learns in ABA therapy showing up at school, or do they need more support to make those connections?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but understanding the strengths and limitations of both systems can help you advocate for what’s best for your child. And remember—both ABA and school services can be used together to give your child the most well-rounded support possible.
