At one point, my kids were in ABA for more than 15 hours a week. Every day seemed to revolve around therapy schedules, data sheets, and reward charts. We were told that the more hours they received, the better the results would be.
But the truth is, it wasn’t working.
No matter how much time they spent in sessions, I didn’t see my children becoming happier, calmer, or more confident. I saw exhaustion. I saw frustration. I saw kids who were being trained to perform certain behaviors without anyone asking why those behaviors existed in the first place.
Fifteen hours a week is a lot of time for a child, especially when that time isn’t spent helping them feel understood or regulated.
Looking back, I wish someone had told me that progress isn’t measured by hours. It’s measured by connection, by trust, and by how safe a child feels in their own body.
Therapy should make life lighter, not heavier.
