Planning an ABA schedule around family life

Know who answers what

A schedule comes from several people. It helps to know who can answer each question.

Map a real week

Use an ordinary week, including the parts that never make it onto a calendar. Write these down for each day.

• Work, school, and childcare for everyone in the house
• Your child’s wake time, meals, naps, and quiet time
• Preschool, medical appointments, and other therapies
• Drive time in both directions, at the real time of day
• Who handles each drop-off and pickup
• Sibling pickups and activities
• For in-home care, who will be home and which space you could use

Mark the times that cannot move, such as a work shift or preschool pickup, and the times that could. Knowing both helps a provider tell you what is possible.

Walk through the hardest day

Pick the fullest day on your map and walk through it from morning to bedtime.

• Can your child eat, rest, and move around between commitments?
• Is there time for something your child simply enjoys?
• Can the person driving keep this up every week?
• Does anyone lose work hours or something else your family relies on?
• What happens during school breaks or a change in work shifts?

If 1 day will not work, look for the specific part that breaks, such as a pickup or a nap. That gives you something concrete to ask a provider about.

Questions before you commit

1. Which days and times are open now?
2. Is this time fixed, or could it change as my child’s plan changes?
3. Does our insurance authorization affect when or where sessions happen?
4. How do you handle illness, cancellations, and late arrivals, on your side and ours?
5. Who can handle drop-off and pickup, and what do you need from us for that?
6. If we would rather wait for a different time, how does that work?

Listen for: which parts are firm and which parts depend on openings or authorization.

Plan for the week that goes wrong

Write these down before you need them, and keep them where every caregiver can find them.

• A backup adult for drop-off and pickup
• Who to call if you are running late or your child is sick
• How your child will hear about a change in routine, using words, pictures, or whatever works best for them
• What you would need to ask of your employer if a time changes

Look back once it is running

Once your child has had time to settle, check how the schedule is working.

• Which day is hardest, and why?
• How does your child seem at arrival and afterward?
• Is anyone in the family running out of energy?

Bring what you notice to your child’s BCBA or our team. Any change may depend on your child’s plan, your coverage, and what is open at the time. If preschool is part of your week, read our preschool guide too.