WARNING: Your child's first few ABA sessions may not look the way you pictured therapy & that’s okay.
You might see a lot of play, exploring the room, following your child's interests, or figuring out favorite toys and activities. The therapist may not immediately sit down and begin running a long list of goals. This is called “pairing” as is the fundamental first step for any therapy to be successful.
A little preparation before those first few sessions can go a long way. New people, new routines, and a new therapy experience can take time to get used to, so creating a familiar and comfortable environment can help make the transition easier for your child.
You don’t need to have everything perfectly planned. A few simple steps can help your child feel more comfortable while also giving the therapy team helpful information and tools to start building a positive relationship from day one.
During the first few weeks of therapy, the focus is often on building foundational skills that set the stage for future progress. Rather than jumping straight into big goals, your child’s therapy team will break larger goals into smaller, achievable steps.
Trying to tackle too much at once can quickly become frustrating or overwhelming. By building skills gradually, your child has more opportunities to experience success, gain confidence, and keep moving forward.
REMEMBER: Progress happens one step at a time, and those small wins are worth celebrating.
The first few weeks of ABA may not look like major progress—and that’s okay. You probably won’t see a life-changing goal mastered in the first week. Early sessions are often focused on building trust, establishing routines, learning how your child communicates, and introducing expectations gradually.
You may even notice some challenging behaviors happen more often at first. Therapy can introduce new demands, expectations, transitions, or limits that your child is still learning how to navigate. That doesn’t automatically mean therapy isn’t working.
Look for the small wins: tolerating a new routine a little longer, communicating instead of becoming frustrated, completing one more step independently, or engaging with their therapist more comfortably. Those small changes are often the building blocks for the bigger progress that comes later.
Give the process time. Progress in ABA is usually built one small skill at a time—not overnight.
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