My child was just diagnosed with ASD. What should I do?
First, understand that a diagnosis isn’t everything. Your child is still the same person they were before the diagnosis, and the label will never change that.
Second, educate yourself. If your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or if ASD is suspected, it is important to act early. Explore the various treatment modalities available, and talk to professionals who specialize in the field of autism, to help guide your decisions.
Avoid the "wait and see" approach; the early years are when the brain is most susceptible to change. Additionally, make sure you seek out scholarly articles that can guide your understanding with facts and research.
How do I get started?
We are here to help, whether you will end up partered with Cayman ABA, or whether we can refer you elsewhere. We will meet with you to guide you through and support you in your next steps.
Register for a free consultation, so we can point you in the right direction!
Your inquiry will be confidential, and we will use this information to see how we can best assist. Then, our Clinical Case Manager will meet with your family for a free consultation to determine if ABA is the right fit for your needs.
As a licensed Health Care Facility, we do have some insurance providers in the Cayman Islands who will cover ABA therapy services. Coverage depends on your specific insurance provider and plan, and we will submit for pre-approval from your insurance company before beginning services.
It is important that you are familiar with your insurance coverage. If a physician’s referral is required by your insurance plan, you are responsible to request and provide the referral prior to the first session. Insurance plans often require pre-authorization for services, and occasionally there is a limit on the number of visits allowed or an annual monetary cap. It is the parents’ responsibility to secure needed information regarding their insurance coverage prior to beginning treatment. A copy of your insurance card and this packet are required prior to service. You are responsible to complete the appropriate insurance form at the time of service. Once benefits have been confirmed, it would be beneficial for you to monitor the number of sessions you have had in relation to the number of sessions or amount of coverage allowed. If maximum benefits are met, you are responsible for any outstanding charges.
PLEASE NOTE: As noted by insurance companies, verification of insurance benefits does not guarantee payment. Clients are ultimately responsible for all financial fees incurred.
Will my insurance cover Clinical services?
I'm not sure if my child needs ABA. How can I find out?
You are always welcome to come in for a free consultation to find out if we’re the right for you! If you're not sure whether services are right for your child, the best way to find out is to contact us to schedule a free consultation, or to schedule to observe a session. Our clinicians can provide you with more information, and determine which type of service is appropriate for your child.
At Cayman ABA, we follow the needs of the child.
Therapy sessions will take place in the clinic setting, the child's home, or the child's school, depending on what is determined to be the best environment to work on skills. During the intake process, we will make recommendations in line with your therapy goals regarding the ideal location for services.
Where does therapy take place?
Is ABA helpful for diagnoses of ASD level 1?
(previously Aspergers/PDD-NOS/High functioning Autism)
At Cayman ABA, we adapt our therapy to meet the individualized needs of each child. Children and young adults can learn vital social skills, life skills, and emotional regulation skills through ABA. Children with any level of ASD diagnosis can benefit from ABA.
The field of ABA is vast, and ABA has been used to help smokers quit smoking, address personality disorders and relationship counseling, treat obsessive compulsive disorders and even improve workplace productivity. Behavioral principles became a treatment option for autism in the late 1960’s. Studies are available that support the use of ABA programming with children affected by a number of different disabilities including Downs’ Syndrome, CP, Emotional Disorders, General Developmental Delay, etc.
What does research say about ABA Therapy?
Over the past 40 years, a number of peer-reviewed studies have been completed evaluating the effects of using a specific group of ABA techniques in a “comprehensive, individualized, intensive early intervention program for children with autism,” achieving extremely positive results.
Comprehensive refers to the fact that intervention addressees all types of skills and envelops all developmental domains; Early means that intervention began before the age of four for most children in many of the studies; and Intensive refers to the number of hours per week received by the children (ranges between 25-40 hours per week).
20+ hours a week sounds excessive. Why so many hours?
ABA is different from other treatment approaches in many ways. One of the most obvious differences is that individual ABA intervention is intensive, and your child may be recommended for 10-30+ hours of therapy per week, depending on their needs.
ABA works because of repetition and practice. When learning to play basketball, a player has much greater opportunity to develop their skills if they practice often, rather than once per week. The same theory applies in ABA; skill acquisition occurs as a result of practice and persistence.
We work hard to promote rapid skill acquisition and our goal is always to promote independence, and decrease hours. But the good news is, the 20 hours involves a LOT of play skills work, and fun sensory breaks, which ensures that your child will have a good work hard play hard balance.
As a parent, do I have the option of training in ABA to better support my child?
Yes!
The best ABA models are ones that emphasize parent training. At Cayman ABA, we are huge advocates of parent participation, and will encourage parents to participate in ongoing training so they can teach skills at home and improve consistency and carry over in the ABA treatment plan.
We have developed a Google Classroom training portal specifically for parents hoping to learn more about how to incorporate ABA into their daily life. We also have filmed some Positive Behavior Supports parent trainings, that are really helpful for providing a framework for positive behavior change strategies!