Parents Are Part of the ABA Team: What Meaningful Family Collaboration Should Look Like

By Brianna Maher

When a child begins applied behavior analysis, or ABA, services, parents may feel as though they are entering a world filled with unfamiliar terms, data sheets, treatment goals, and professional recommendations. Although behavior analysts bring specialized training to the process, they are not the only experts at the table.

Parents and caregivers know their child in ways that no provider can. They understand their child’s personality, routines, preferences, family history, culture, strengths, and daily challenges. For ABA services to be practical and meaningful, that knowledge must be included throughout the treatment process.

Research on partnerships between behavior analysts and families emphasizes that effective collaboration involves more than simply keeping parents informed. Families should be actively involved in identifying priorities, developing goals, making decisions, and evaluating whether services are helping their child and family.

Collaboration Begins With Listening

Meaningful collaboration begins when providers take time to listen.

During early meetings, a behavior analyst may ask parents about their child’s communication, independence, social interactions, daily routines, and behaviors that interfere with learning or safety. However, these conversations should not feel like an interview in which the professional asks questions and then independently develops a treatment plan.

Parents should have opportunities to explain:

    •    What is currently going well

    •    Which situations are most difficult for the family

    •    What skills would make daily life easier or more enjoyable

    •    Which goals are most important to the child and family

    •    What strategies have or have not worked in the past

    •    Whether a recommendation fits the family’s routines, values, and available resources

For example, a provider may believe that independently completing a lengthy morning routine should be a priority. A parent may explain that the family’s greatest concern is helping the child request a break before becoming overwhelmed. Both goals could be valuable, but the family’s immediate needs should help guide which one receives attention first.

Goals Should Be Meaningful Outside of Therapy

An ABA goal should not be selected only because it is easy to measure or commonly included in a treatment plan. Goals should improve the child’s ability to participate in everyday life, communicate needs, build relationships, access preferred activities, remain safe, or become more independent.

A meaningful goal may involve helping a child:

    •    Ask for help

    •    Communicate “no” or “stop”

    •    Wait briefly when necessary

    •    Participate in family routines

    •    Tolerate important health or safety procedures

    •    Play or interact with siblings

    •    Complete age-appropriate self-care tasks

    •    Use coping or communication skills when overwhelmed

Families can help providers understand where and when a skill is most needed. A child might demonstrate a skill during a structured therapy session but struggle to use it at home, in the community, or with other people. Parents provide valuable information about whether improvements are carrying over into real life.

Family feedback is therefore not an optional addition to treatment data. It helps determine whether an intervention is socially significant and practical for the people who will use it.

Collaboration Does Not Mean Blaming Parents

Parent involvement should never mean that parents are blamed when progress is slow or when a strategy is difficult to use consistently.

Families manage work schedules, school responsibilities, medical appointments, household needs, relationships, transportation, and the needs of other children. A recommendation that requires hours of daily preparation or constant data collection may not be realistic, even if it sounds effective on paper.

A collaborative provider should ask, “How can we make this strategy fit your family?” rather than, “Why aren’t you doing it exactly as written?”

Providers can support families by demonstrating strategies, practicing together, giving clear feedback, and simplifying recommendations when needed. Parent education should feel supportive and useful rather than like another test that caregivers must pass.

A Child’s Voice Also Matters

Children are also members of the treatment team.

Parents provide legal consent for services, but providers should also pay attention to the child’s assent, preferences, and signs of discomfort. Assent refers to a person’s willingness to participate, expressed through words, gestures, behavior, body language, or other forms of communication.

Depending on the child, signs of assent might include approaching the activity, engaging with the provider, choosing materials, or indicating that they are ready. Signs of withdrawal or discomfort might include saying “no,” moving away, pushing materials aside, becoming distressed, or using an AAC device to request a break.

Researchers have emphasized the importance of person-centered practices, supported decision-making, dignity, and recognizing when an individual withdraws assent.

This does not mean children will never be asked to participate in difficult or necessary activities. It means the team should examine why the child is resisting, consider whether the goal is truly necessary, and identify ways to increase choice, predictability, communication, and comfort.

Family Culture and Values Should Be Respected

Families differ in their routines, expectations, communication styles, languages, traditions, relationships, and beliefs about independence. A strategy that works well for one family may not be appropriate for another.

Culturally responsive ABA requires providers to examine their own assumptions, learn about each family’s perspective, and avoid treating one way of parenting or living as the universal standard.

For example, providers should not assume that every family has the same expectations regarding eye contact, mealtime behavior, personal independence, interactions with adults, or family roles. These topics should be discussed respectfully rather than judged.

Parents should feel comfortable telling the team when a recommendation conflicts with their values or does not fit naturally within their household.

The Entire Professional Team Should Communicate

Children receiving ABA therapy may also work with teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physicians, counselors, or other professionals. Each discipline brings different knowledge and skills.

Interprofessional collaboration can improve care when professionals communicate respectfully, understand their roles, and work toward shared goals. It can also reduce confusion for families who might otherwise receive conflicting recommendations.

Parents can ask whether their child’s providers are communicating with one another and how recommendations from different professionals will be coordinated. Families should not be placed in the position of having to manage disagreements between providers without support.

Questions Parents Can Ask Their ABA Team

Parents have the right to ask questions and understand the services their child receives. Helpful questions may include:

    •    Why was this goal selected?

    •    How will this skill help my child in everyday life?

    •    How were my child’s preferences considered?

    •    What should I expect to see if the intervention is working?

    •    What happens if my child appears uncomfortable or refuses?

    •    How can we adapt this strategy to fit our home routine?

    •    How will you collaborate with my child’s other providers?

    •    Can we revise a goal if it no longer feels useful or appropriate?

A strong ABA provider should welcome these questions. Parents should not feel that asking for clarification means they are being difficult or uncooperative.

Partnership Is an Ongoing Process

Family collaboration is not a single meeting held when services begin. Priorities change, children develop new skills, routines shift, and strategies sometimes need to be adjusted.

Meaningful collaboration requires ongoing communication, shared decision-making, flexibility, and mutual respect. The behavior analyst contributes knowledge of behavioral assessment and intervention. Parents contribute essential knowledge about their child and family. The child contributes their own preferences, communication, and experiences.

ABA is most meaningful when professionals work together with families and include them in the decision-making process.

References:

Bowman, K. S., Suarez, V. D., & Weiss, M. J. (2021) Standards for inter professional collaboration in the treatment of individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14(4), 1191-1208. Https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00560-0

Breaux, C. A., & Smith, K. (2023). Assent in applied behaviour analysis and positive behaviour support: Ethical considerations and practical recommendations. International Journal of Developmental Disability, 69(1). 111-121. Https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2022.2144969

Horbanczuk, S., Fettig, A., & Luna, A. (2024). Building collaborative partnerships between behavior analysts and families. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17(4), 996-1007. Https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00940-2

Jimenez-Gomez, C., & Beaulieu, L. (2022). Cultural responsiveness in applied behavior analysis: Research and practice. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(3), 650-673. Https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.920