Need ABA recommendations for new ASD diagnosis for toddler son
Hi friends,
My 2.5 y/o son was recently diagnosed with ASD. I am starting the journey of looking into ABA providers and understand there can be many issues with availability and quality so would love the communities input if there’s any amazing centers in the east bay I should short list first. Appreciate the recommendations and any comments!
Thanks!
Oct 7, 2024
Parent Replies
Autistic mom here, with an autistic partner, parenting two autistic kids ages 5 and 8. Welcome to the autistic community <3
You didn't say anything in your post about why your family sought out a diagnosis, but I wanted to poke my head up to say that there are many of us in the autistic community who believe ABA isn't helpful because it focuses on changing behaviors rather than teaching skills or solving problems in ways that would allow your child to be healthy, happy, and well-adjusted.
What we did as we began to realize our family was autistic (because it is genetic, so odds are very very high that at least one of your child's bio parents is autistic too) was to seek out resources from the adult autistic community. The Autism Self-Advocacy Network has a great book (really more of a long pamphlet) for parents of recently diagnosed kids called Start Here: I've given it to our kids' teachers several years in a row. There are TONS of good resources from autistic OTs, SLPs, and psychologists available online too. I'd get books to read with your kid about autistic kids and families (some of our favorites are Do You Want to Play?, the Little Senses series, Why Johnny Doesn't Flap, and My Autistic Mama) and just normalize talking about how everyone has different kinds of brains and different brains need different things.
Happy to chat more and share lots of resources off-line, feel free to PM me.
We use 2020 Behavior and the BCBA we got through them is amazing. Only issue is cost as unless you work at a couple very specific tech companies (Google and Uber last I knew), they are going to be out-of-network with potentially a pretty low reimbursement rate (we get ~20%) depending on your insurance. Also filing all the claims, dealing with insurance authorizations is a constant struggle. The quality of care makes it worth it though.
https://2020behavior.com
I literally wrote this exact post 6 months ago.
I have a 3.5 year old who was diagnosed with ASD earlier this year.
I wholeheartedly recommend Whole Child Psychology. We have had a para in the classroom since June and it has made a world of difference. Susan Nachand and her team are truly incredibly and my preschool director said it was the best program she has ever seen. They go to speech to make sure they are bringing in all the skills each week and are truly looking after my kid.
Note: they are only OOO and we submit their bills to our insurance. happy to chat more offline.