Changing ABA providers
You can ask questions before you decide anything. This guide helps you plan a possible move without assuming how timing or coverage will work out.
The short version
- Name why you are thinking about a change.
- Ask before you end anything.
- Gather your own copies of key documents.
- Do not assume coverage or timing carries over.
- Plan how your child will hear about it.
Name the reason first
Some families change because of a move, a new plan, or a schedule that stopped working. Others are worried about the care itself. Your reason shapes your first step.
| If the reason is | A first step to consider |
|---|---|
| A concern about care | If you feel comfortable, raise it with the supervising BCBA, ask what would change, and write down the answer. |
| A move or a long drive | Check what is open near your new address, in a clinic or at home, before you end anything. |
| A new insurance plan | Ask the plan and each provider what the new plan requires. |
| A schedule that no longer fits | Ask your current provider what could change. Our schedule guide can help. |
| Your child seems unhappy | Share what you are seeing with the team and your pediatrician, and ask what might be behind it. |
If you are worried about your child’s safety, act on that first. Please do not wait to work through this guide. Your pediatrician can help you decide what to do next.
Questions for your current provider
- How do I request copies of my child’s records?
- How much notice do you ask for, and is that in anything we signed?
- Can you share a summary or speak with a new team, and what permission do you need?
- What happens to our schedule if we need to stay longer than planned?
- How can we help my child say goodbye to the people they know?
Listen for: clear steps and who handles each one.
What to gather
Keep your own copies where you can find them. These are useful to have together.
- Your child’s full evaluation report
- The most recent assessment and treatment plan
- Recent progress reports
- Your insurance card and any letters about authorizations
- Contact details for your pediatrician, preschool, and other therapists
- Your own notes on what your child loves, how they communicate, and what helps on a hard day
Ask a new provider how to share documents before you send anything. For Training Wheels ABA, please call to confirm the current way.
Questions for a new provider
- What is open now, and what could change before my child starts?
- What do you need from us before you can give us a realistic timeline?
- Will my child need a new assessment?
- Will our plan need a new authorization, and who handles that?
- When will we know what we owe?
- How will you use what the last team learned about my child?
Listen for: honest answers about what is not known yet.
Please try not to end care based on an assumption. Insurance differs by plan, and coverage confirmed with 1 provider is not automatic with another. There may or may not be a gap between providers, and nobody can say until those answers are in. Ask both providers how a gap or an overlap would be handled.
Help your child through the change
New people and places can be a lot for a young child, and your child may miss someone they trust. You know how your child takes in news, so start there.
- Explain the change in the way your child understands best, with words, pictures, or a visit if one is possible
- Ask whether a goodbye can be part of the last session
- Tell the new team about favorite toys, words, and routines
- Ask how the new team will build trust before asking your child to work on anything
If you notice changes in your child that worry you, tell the new team and your pediatrician. Our clinic visit checklist can help if you are still comparing options.
Thinking about a change?
Call or apply to ask about current openings and what your plan may need. An application does not start services or confirm a start date.
Training Wheels ABA, trainingwheelsaba.com, (737) 214-9205