Clinic vs. Home: Why Indiana Families Prefer In-Home ABA Therapy

As a parent or caregiver of a child with autism, you’ve probably searched for “in-home ABA therapy near me” a few times already. You’re not alone. Many parents are torn between going to an ABA therapy clinic and getting custom ABA therapy right in their homes. 

It’s an important decision to make, and we want to make sure you’re making the right one for your child and your family. To help you make that decision, let’s take a look at some of the key differences between in-home ABA therapy and in-clinic ABA therapy services.

What Is In-Home ABA Therapy?

In-home ABA brings together the effectiveness of ABA therapy and the comfort of one’s home. Unlike in-clinic services, ABA therapy conducted at home allows children to learn and receive care in an environment where they’re already comfortable. 

When you search for “in-home ABA therapy near me”, you’d have access to highly-trained therapists who will be happy to visit your home to give custom ABA therapy services to your child. They’d come up with a program that will suit your kid’s goals and needs, and what they learn can easily be applied to their daily tasks and routines.

How In-Home ABA Therapy Works

An ABA therapist or a team of therapists will work with the parents or caregivers to come up with a comprehensive therapy plan that is specifically designed to meet the child’s goals and to support their growth. 

Every session will include a mix of activities, including real-life experiences that will enable them to develop core skills across different aspects of life. Different ABA techniques are used to help build skills, encourage positive behaviors, and reduce negative behaviors. 

Why You Should Consider In-Home ABA Therapy

As the name suggests, in-home ABA therapy takes place at home - the child’s natural environment. This means your child is already familiar and secure enough to feel at ease during their custom ABA therapy sessions. 

With in-home ABA therapy, your child’s therapists can help them develop life skills and behaviors that happen naturally at home, like eating their meals, getting dressed, and preparing for bedtime routines. Here are some of the benefits that you should consider:

Family Involvement

First of all, in-home therapy encourages family participation. What this means is that parents and siblings can both observe and participate in the actual sessions. They could also learn how to properly reinforce positive behavior outside of therapy sessions, and this collaboration between families and therapists ensures a supportive environment where the child can progress. Additionally, therapists could provide real-time feedback to all the family members and even coach them through difficult situations as they arise. 

On the other hand, in-center ABA therapy might limit how much involvement parents and siblings can have during sessions. This could be because of certain factors like tight schedules, limited space, and others.

Familiarity and Security

Most children with autism don’t easily get comfortable in unfamiliar spaces, and it might take a while before they can relax in the clinic or therapy center. This will not be a problem if they receive therapy at home, where they’re already comfortable. They can focus on their tasks from the get-go because they won’t need time to get used to an unfamiliar setting or get distracted by all the new things and people around them. This also eliminates anxiety and meltdowns that often come with unfamiliar settings. 

Convenience

The convenience that in-home ABA therapy offers is certainly among the top benefits that you’d want to take into consideration. This is especially helpful if you live far from the nearest ABA therapy clinic or if your family’s schedule is quite hectic, because most therapists offer in-home ABA services can accommodate unique schedules, too. Whether you’re driving or commuting to the ABA clinic, taking your child to the ABA clinic can still be challenging. Some factors could affect the child’s behavior or emotions during the commute - noise, large crowds of people, traffic, and other unforeseen things that could trigger a negative reaction.

Custom ABA Therapy

ABA Therapy, in-clinic or in-home, is always tailored to the needs of the child. But another edge of in-home therapy is that they are able to work on the behaviors of children in their natural environment and in real-time. This is something that cannot always be replicated in clinics. For example, if a child has difficulty eating their food and getting dressed, those can be practiced right then and there. At home, if their lesson involves following instructions, they could be given a set of household chores with specific instructions that they can practice following. 

This is not to say that In-Home ABA Therapy is perfect, as there are some limitations, too: 

• Therapists can only use the materials and resources they bring with them.
• Therapists can recreate social interactions at home, but there will be significantly fewer opportunities for children to connect with others.
• Kids could be distracted because they are not in a controlled environment.

How to Know If In-Home ABA Therapy is Right for You and Your Child

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Determining whether In-Home ABA Therapy is the right option for your kid and your family is dependent on your unique needs. Both settings come with pros and cons, so you should consider your specific goals and the challenges each option presents, too. 

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If your child is more comfortable in a familiar environment, if your family wants to be involved in the growth and progress of your loved one with ASD, if you want a therapy program that directly applies to behaviors shown at home, and if convenience is of high importance for you, then in-home ABA therapy is the right choice for you. 

Find the Right Indiana ABA Therapy Provider for Your Child

In-home ABA therapy delivers a flexible approach that meets the needs of children with ASD right where they feel the safest - their homes. With the benefits it offers, it’s easy to see why it’s becoming the more popular choice for families today. And for Indiana families, Astra ABA is their partner of choice for ABA therapy at home.

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Astra ABA offers ABA therapy at home in Indiana, ensuring that we meet the specific needs of the children we provide our services to. Get in touch with us to get started with your child’s ABA therapy at home!

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