ABA Therapy & School: Can My Child Do Both?

When a BCBA recommends a certain number of therapy hours each week, the next question is almost always the same: how does that fit with school? Many parents worry that choosing one means giving up the other, which can make an already big decision feel heavier.

At Creating Brighter Futures, our answer is usually the same: you don't have to pick. Most children in our program do both, and the best results come when the center and the school work as one team. Here is what a balanced week looks like.

Can My Child Do ABA Therapy and Go to School?

Yes. ABA therapy does not replace school, and school does not replace ABA, because they do different jobs. School provides your child's education, along with any special education supports in an IEP. ABA therapy builds skills such as communication, daily living, and positive behavior, and those skills often help a child get more out of the school day. Our Parents' Guide to ABA Therapy explains how this works in more detail.

How Families Fit Both Into One Week

Every schedule at our center is individualized, built from your child's assessment and planned around school. Most of our children split their week, and a few patterns are common:

• School in the morning and therapy in the afternoon
• Full days at each, such as two days at the center and three at school
• Therapy timed around what your child most needs at school, which might be lunch, recess, and specials for one child and reading and math for another

Recommended hours vary widely, from about 10 to 40 a week. We work with your child's school team to find the best fit, and we offer programs for different ages, including our Early Intervention Program and our Junior & Adolescent Program.

How Much Therapy Is Too Much Alongside School?

There is no single right number, and your child's stamina matters as much as the hours on paper. A four-year-old who attends a school program, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA can end up with what is essentially a full-time job. Early intervention matters, but children also get tired, have good days and hard days, and deserve time to play. That is why our sessions are play-based, and if your child seems exhausted or less interested in either setting, tell your BCBA so we can adjust the schedule.

Can an ABA Team Work With My Child at School?

We work with your child's teachers rather than around them. We share what we have learned about how your child learns best, ask the school where the biggest struggles are, and target those skills at the center so they carry over when your child is back in class. Whether an outside team can observe or support your child inside a classroom is generally up to the school or district, so it helps to ask early and put your request in writing. In Michigan, parents also have the right to invite outside providers to an IEP meeting, according to Michigan Department of Education guidance on IEP teams.

Before your child's school and our team can share information, you will typically need to sign a written release for each side. We assist families with IEPs, and the free Michigan Alliance for Families offers statewide special education information and parent mentoring at no cost.

Will Therapy Hours Change as My Child Grows?

They can, and our goal is for school to take up more of the day. We aim to work ourselves out of a job so children can learn full time alongside same-age peers. The jump from one-on-one therapy to a classroom with one teacher and many students can be big, so we run small social skills groups to bridge it:

• A summer group for younger children, sometimes called our kindergarten and first grade boot camp, that practices learning in a group, following group directions, and basic friendship skills
• Summer maintenance groups for third through fifth graders who do well during the year but struggle with the long break from structure
• A peers group for teens, typically once a year during the school year and usually in the evening

Spots are limited, and summer evaluations typically begin in April, so it helps to call early and join the waiting list. You can explore our Summer Group Programs and Fall/Winter Programs, or Schedule a Tour & Consult to talk through school and therapy hours with our team at no cost in Ann Arbor.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can ABA therapy replace school?
  No. ABA is a therapy, not an educational program, so it does not take the place of school. The two work best as partners, each doing a different job.

• Does my child need an IEP to start ABA, or ABA to get an IEP?
  No. They are separate systems. Schools decide special education eligibility through their own evaluation, while ABA is typically authorized through a diagnosis and your insurance. Having one does not automatically qualify or disqualify a child for the other.

• What if my child seems too tired after school for therapy?
  Tell your BCBA. Fatigue is useful information, and adjustments may include moving session times, adding rest breaks, or changing which days therapy happens.

• What if my child's school doesn't want to coordinate with our ABA team?
  Start by asking the school what its concerns are, and remember that parents can ask for an IEP meeting at any time, not just at the yearly review. Michigan Alliance for Families can also walk you through your options.