Next month marks an exciting milestone — Kay will officially begin ABA therapy! I’m both excited and hopeful for this next step in her journey. ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is a therapy focused on improving communication, social skills, and everyday behaviors through positive reinforcement and individualized teaching. It’s often used to support children with autism, and after learning more about it, I feel confident it will be a wonderful fit for Kay.
The main goal of ABA is to help children build skills that make daily life a little easier and more successful. For Kay, that might include things like tolerating her BAHA (bone-anchored hearing aid) headband more consistently, keeping her shoes on, staying seated longer to focus on an activity, or following directions even when it’s something she’s not too excited about. What I love most about ABA is that it truly meets each child where they are — it’s about progress, not perfection.
Kay’s schedule will definitely keep her busy! She’ll have ABA on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons. On Tuesdays, she’ll continue with her regular weekly therapy, and every morning, Monday through Thursday, she attends her pre-k program at school. It’s a full week, but one that gives her plenty of opportunities to learn, grow, and practice her skills in different settings.
I plan to continue ABA until she starts kindergarten next school year. Once she transitions to full-time school, she’ll stop ABA and her additional therapies so she can focus more on her classroom experience. Because of that, I’m really trying to make the most of this time while she still has these extra supports in place. Every bit of progress now helps set her up for success later and I’m so grateful we have access to these resources right now.
Starting something new always brings a mix of excitement and nerves, but I couldn’t be prouder of how far Kay has come. I know this next chapter will help her continue to grow, learn, and shine in her own incredible way.