🪨 Start here
the one the scout wants you to read first
Most people who help kids like yours are good. They got into this work because they care, and they will take good care of your child.
But this help got expensive fast. Medicaid spending on ABA therapy went from $6 million to over $660 million in a single state in four years. Where money moves that quickly, a few people follow it for the wrong reasons.
You deserve to know the difference between good help and a scam before you sign anything. This page gives you the tools. All of them are free.
Behavior analysts (BCBAs) are certified by one national board. That board publishes whether anyone has been disciplined, and updates it daily. Most parents never know this exists.
If a provider won't let you watch sessions, that is a red flag. Watch for non-BCBAs running the cases, punishment instead of encouragement, and no data showing your child is progressing.
Some scams inflate hours or bill for sessions that never happened. A real plan has goals, and a plan for when therapy can end. If nobody can tell you when your child will be done, ask why.
A waitlist is annoying. A bad provider is harmful. The first costs you time. The second can cost your child. Trust the instinct that brought you to this page.
Before you commit to any provider, do these three things. They are free and they work.
Go to the BACB Certificant Registry. Type the behavior analyst's name. You will see their certification status and whether they have any disciplinary actions. A † symbol next to their name means there is a published sanction. This registry is updated daily and is free to search. No account needed.
Open the BACB Certificant Registry → bacb.com · free · no login requiredA BCBA should design the plan and supervise it. But the person in the room is often an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician). Ask: who is the supervising BCBA? How often do they observe? You can verify the RBT on the same registry. If the provider cannot name the BCBA or says supervision happens "as needed," that's a flag.
BACB verification info → bacb.com/verify-certificationA good provider tracks your child's progress with actual data: graphs, baselines, goal updates. Ask to see it. If they say "your child is doing great" but cannot show you a chart, ask again. If they still can't, that matters. Progress without data is a feeling, not a fact.
You can print this or just pull it up on your phone in the meeting. These are fair questions. Good providers expect them.
A BCBA should observe regularly, not just sign off on paperwork.
The answer should be yes, without hesitation.
Look for: "we'll show you data every [timeframe]." Not: "you'll just see changes."
Good help has a plan for when your child won't need it anymore. Therapy that never ends is a business model, not a treatment plan.
Listen for reinforcement-based strategies. If you hear "consequences" or "planned ignoring" as primary tools, dig deeper.
Hours should be justified by your child's goals, not by insurance maximums or internal quotas.
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is the most common therapy for autistic children. Some families find it transformative. Some autistic adults who went through it as children say it caused real harm. Both groups are telling the truth about their experience. Here is what each side says, so you can decide for your child.
ABA has the largest evidence base of any autism intervention. When done well, it helps children build communication, social, and daily living skills using positive reinforcement. Many families see meaningful progress, especially with early, quality-focused programs led by experienced BCBAs who treat the child as a whole person.
Sources: AAP, Autism Science FoundationAutistic adults who went through ABA as children report that the therapy sometimes prioritized making them "look normal" over their actual wellbeing. ASAN and other advocacy groups cite harm including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and the suppression of behaviors (like stimming) that were actually coping mechanisms. The concern is not always the technique, but the goal: compliance versus genuine skill building.
ASAN first-hand perspectives →You do not have to choose ABA. There are other paths: speech therapy, occupational therapy, developmental models like DIR/Floortime, and naturalistic approaches. If you do choose ABA, the red flags and the checklist on this page help you find the kind that respects your child. Back to checklist →
These are real, free provider directories. We are not rebuilding them. We are telling you what each one does well and what to watch for when you use it.
Searchable by state. Covers providers, programs, and support groups across the US.
The official national database. Verify any BCBA or RBT's certification status and see published disciplinary actions. Updated daily.
Large directory with 35,000+ providers. Parent-crowdsourced, with community ratings.
The federal Medicaid fraud reporting portal. If you believe a provider is billing for services your child did not receive, this is where to report it.
If a provider asks you to lie about hours, pays you to keep your child enrolled, bills for sessions that did not happen, or uses untrained staff who are not supervised by a BCBA, that is not bad therapy. That is fraud, and your child is the cover story. You can report it without giving your name.
Your child is fearfully and wonderfully made. Nothing a provider says, sells, or scores changes that. You are not shopping for a fix. You are looking for people worthy of someone already whole.
Psalm 139:14