How Many Hours of ABA Therapy is Needed?
“How long should a child stay in ABA therapy?” This is a question we hear a lot, and the answer isn’t straightforward. In fact, it’s kind of like asking, “How long is a piece of string?” It depends.
Some learners need short-term intervention, say six months to a year. Most learners with autism benefit from two to five years of ABA therapy, which may feature reduced frequency with time. In rare cases, learners benefit from lifelong therapy support.
In this article, we’ll explore the many factors that influence how many hours of ABA therapy is needed for learners with autism and consider the intensity levels of different ABA programs.
8 Factors Influencing ABA Therapy Hours
ABA therapy is typically a long-term approach, but there are a number of high-level determining factors that therapy teams at A Bridge to Achievement (ABtA) and families consider to make informed decisions about the appropriate duration of ABA therapy.
1. Individualized Progress
The duration of ABA therapy depends on how quickly the learner meets the specific goals set in their highly-personalized therapy plan. Progress varies based on the learner’s unique needs, strengths, and challenges.
2. Initial Assessment & Goals
The complexity of the learner’s initial skills, behavioral challenges, and goals influences the duration of therapy. Learners with more extensive needs typically require longer therapy.
3. Co-Occurring Disabilities
A learner with co-occurring disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, ADHD, or other developmental or mental health conditions, may need more ABA hours. These additional challenges can make the process of skill acquisition and behavioral adjustment more complex, requiring extended therapy time.
4. Intensity of Therapy
How many times a week ABA therapy is administered and for how long can influence the total duration. Programs that feature 25+ hours a week of ABA therapy might lead to targeted therapeutic outcomes sooner, while less intensive schedules might require longer therapy.
5. Age of the Learner
Younger children who start ABA early may need fewer years of therapy. Older children, or those who start later, might require more time to catch up on developmental and daily living skills. Younger children may also need to start with less hours and build up tolerance to a full day – a bit like preschool starting at a half day before building to a full day of school.
6. Family & Environmental Support
The level of support a learner receives outside of therapy, such as from family members, school settings, or the community, can significantly impact how quickly they progress. A strong support network can help reinforce learned behaviors, potentially reducing how long ABA therapy is needed. Having ABA strategies implemented in the home also helps learner’s develop skills more quickly and with greater generalization.
7. Behavioral Flexibility & Generalization
ABA therapy aims to teach learners to apply strategies in multiple settings. The quicker a learner can generalize skills to different environments, the shorter their need for ongoing therapy.
8. Ongoing Assessments
Regular assessments of a learner’s progress helps determine whether therapy should continue, be reduced, or be transitioned to different forms of support as they grow and mature.
Comprehensive vs. Focused ABA: Guidelines for ABA Hours
What constitutes the “correct” minimum number of hours for ABA therapy per week or total duration depends on the individual’s needs and goals set by the therapy team, as well as the learner’s progress. There are two primary types of ABA therapy, each differing in scope, intensity, and objectives: Comprehensive ABA and Focused ABA.
Comprehensive ABA covers many areas of a learner’s development and includes categories of programming known as intensive ABA and long-term ABA.
- Intensive ABA programs – like the Building Bridges early-intervention program and BRIDGES program at A Bridge to Achievement – are typically two to five years in duration. These programs often involve 30 to 40 hours of therapy per week and focus on comprehensive skill development in communication, social interaction, and behavior management.
- Long-term ABA programs tend to engage learners with co-occurring conditions, severe behavioral challenges, or the need for ongoing skill acquisition in multiple areas of daily life. Long-term is considered five or more years. Designed for ages 8 to 21+, the ABtA BRIDGES program is also suitable for those who need long-term support and is often used as a homeschool complement.
Focused ABA targets specific challenges with fewer therapy hours and is usually shorter in duration. Categories include both moderate or targeted ABA programs, and maintenance and transition ABA programs.
- Moderate or targeted ABA programs – like ABtA’s Social Skills Groups and Vocational Skills Program – are for learners who need less intensive therapy or have more specific goals, such as improving social skills or reducing problematic behaviors. These programs typically engage learners for one to three years and are usually less time-intensive, often involving 10 to 25 ABA hours per week.
- Maintenance and transition programs are designed to be ongoing, but reduced in hours and frequency – perhaps a few hours per week. This phase, which can last an additional one to two years, focuses on maintaining skills, ensuring generalization across environments, and working on more advanced goals as needed.
Progress Monitoring & Adjusting ABA Hours
Regular assessment and progress monitoring are foundational to determining how many hours of ABA therapy a learner needs each week and how long therapy will last. By continuously evaluating the learner’s progress and making data-driven adjustments to therapy intensity, the treatment plan remains flexible, ensuring it meets the learner’s evolving needs. This dynamic approach helps maximize the effectiveness of therapy and ensures the learner is receiving the appropriate level of support throughout their development.
Regular Assessment & Evaluation
Regular assessments and evaluations play a critical role in shaping an ABA therapy plan. An initial assessment sets the foundation, identifying the learner’s unique challenges and strengths to determine the therapy’s intensity.
As therapy progresses, ongoing evaluations provide insights into the learner’s development, helping to fine-tune goals and therapy hours. These periodic assessments ensure that therapy remains aligned with the learner’s needs, adjusting the intensity based on progress or emerging challenges.
Progress Monitoring
Continuous progress monitoring is central to the data-driven nature of ABA therapy. Through consistent data collection on targeted behaviors and skills, the therapy team tracks improvements or setbacks.
This information allows for the timely adjustment of goals – either increasing the complexity of goals as milestones are met or modifying interventions and teaching procedures if progress slows. Progress monitoring helps to ensure that therapy is effective and dynamic, adapting to the learner’s evolving needs and successes.
Adjusting Therapy Hours
Therapy hours are adjusted based on the learner’s progress and specific circumstances. Initially, higher-intensity therapy may be required, but as key skills are mastered, therapy hours may gradually decrease.
The ability to increase or reduce therapy hours, depending on how the learner responds to interventions, ensures that ABA therapy remains appropriately intensive and supportive. Ultimately, the therapy plan can be fine-tuned to maintain progress while transitioning the learner to more independent or naturalistic environments.
The Importance of Collaboration & Communication
Collaboration and communication between therapists and families is essential in ABA therapy. Families play a crucial role in reinforcing learned behaviors and skills outside of formal sessions. Therapists rely on family involvement to ensure that progress is maintained and generalized across different settings, such as at home, school, or in the community.
Families also provide valuable insights about the learner’s behavior in everyday life, helping therapists adjust goals, intensity, and techniques to match the learner’s evolving needs. When therapists and families work together, the learner benefits from consistent reinforcement, which can accelerate progress and promote long-term success.
Interested in learning more about ABA therapy programming at A Bridge to Achievement? Request services, check out our FAQ page, or contact us! Support starts here.
