Children with autism need structure and continuity to ensure that they can retain skills and make progress. Stopping or discontinuing a client’s therapy can result in a loss of skills and an increase in behavior issues. In addition, caring for a child with autism while working from home can put additional stress on parents and families.
Our therapists are working hard to ensure the safety of your child by taking special COVID-19 precautions. Get to know the different protocols we've put in place to help maintain safe contact. Share on X
Our Safety Protocols
Given this, how can we safely continue to provide ABA therapy to children with autism during the pandemic? While ABA therapy requires close contact between child and therapist, we’ve implemented many processes and procedures to maintain continuity of therapy while keeping safety as our highest priority. To date, following these strict protocols have allowed us to avoid any transmission of the virus between our staff or clients:
Masks
Masks are required for entry into the building. All staff wears masks while in the parking lot, in the clinic, and while providing therapy. Staff may only remove masks when eating.
Social Distancing
Parents use a car line for drop off and pick up of clients to eliminate building entry. Parent training sessions are conducted by telehealth where appropriate. Each therapy room is used by only one client and only one staff member at a time. BCBAs maintain six feet of separation during supervision sessions. Staff maintains six feet of separation from other staff members at all times. Playtimes are scheduled so that only one client uses the outdoor play area at a time. Staffing for each client is limited to 3 – 4 assigned therapists.
Sanitization
Each client has a designated storage box for toys and other materials. Toys are sanitized on a daily basis after the end of the session. Surfaces in each therapy room are sanitized after the end of each session. Surfaces throughout the clinic are sanitized on a daily basis. Each room is equipped with hand sanitizer and sanitary wipes that are safe for clients.
Exposure Minimization
Staff and clients with symptoms must stay home. Staff and clients with symptoms exceeding one day must obtain medical clearance to return to the clinic. Staff and clients are asked COVID questions and receive temperature checks upon arrival at the clinic. Designated managers monitor any COVID positive or COVID exposure situations. Our detailed schedule allows for immediate identification of any “close contact” situations. CDC guidelines for quarantine and testing are followed in any incidents of COVID exposure or COVID positive test results. These and other planned protective measures allow us to continue to provide exceptional therapy to our children regardless of how long this pandemic lasts.
Your Health is Our Priority
With all of the uncertainty of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we’re committed to making adjustments in the future as needed. At the end of the day, you and your child’s health are our priority. Our staff is taking as many precautions as necessary to limit the spread of illness and ensure successful visits. As we continue to navigate these changing circumstances, you can trust special care is being taken to ensure the safety of your family.
Have you considered personalized behavior therapy services for your child? Get in touch with one of our team members to set up a consultation today.
