ABA therapy · Nursery & school
ABA at school, planned with the SENCO.
An RBT works on your child's BCBA-written goals in nursery or class, in sessions the school has agreed to and the SENCO helps plan.
ABA at school, at a glance
Updated
- What it is
- One-to-one ABA sessions in your child's nursery or school, working on goals a BCBA has written for the classroom.
- What it needs
- The school's agreement first. We coordinate directly with the SENCO or inclusion lead on when, where and how sessions run.
- Not an LSA
- An LSA or shadow teacher supports your child through lessons; school-based ABA is a measured therapy programme for agreed hours.
- Price
- From AED 325 an hour per session held, with AED 499 to open the search and the BCBA's review.
Why school
Some skills only make sense in a classroom.
Waiting in line, sitting through carpet time, coping when the bell goes, asking a teacher for help, joining a game at break. A child can practise these at home, but they are really learned where they are needed, with the noise, the other children and the rhythm of a real school day. School-based ABA takes the programme there.
An RBT works with your child for agreed sessions in nursery or class, on goals a BCBA has written with the classroom in mind, and records data each time. The aim is not to sit beside your child all day. It is to teach specific skills and then step back, so your child is doing them with the teacher and classmates rather than with the therapist.
Nothing happens at school without the school's agreement. Private schools in Dubai are regulated by KHDA, in Abu Dhabi by ADEK and in Sharjah by SPEA, and each school decides how outside professionals work on its premises. We start with the SENCO or inclusion lead, plan the sessions with them, and keep the work in step with what the teacher is doing.
What school-based ABA works on
Goals written for the school day.
Class routines
Carpet time, lining up, tidying away and changing activity when the rest of the class does — the routines a school day runs on.
Asking for help
Putting a hand up, telling an adult something is wrong, or asking for a break before a hard moment becomes a crisis.
Break time and friendships
Joining a game, taking turns and coping with losing, in the playground where those moments actually happen.
Behaviour in class
Working out why a behaviour happens at school — a hard task, a noisy room, a transition — and teaching your child something that works better.
Independence
Unpacking a bag, using the toilet, eating lunch and managing belongings, working towards doing them with less adult help.
ABA therapist or LSA?
Two different roles, sometimes both.
School-based ABA
An RBT delivers a BCBA-written programme for agreed sessions, targets specific skills and records data every time. It is therapy, measured and reviewed monthly.
An LSA or shadow teacher
Sits with your child through lessons to support their access to the curriculum: keeping them on task, helping with transitions and working with the teacher.
When a child has both
The LSA can use the same strategies the ABA programme is teaching, so the day is consistent, and the SENCO helps keep the two in step.
Not sure which?
Tell us what is happening at school. If it is mainly access to lessons, an LSA may be the better fit; if it is specific skills or behaviour, ABA may be. Sometimes it is both.
How it starts
From a first message to the first session.
- Step 1
Talk to us, then the school
Tell us about your child and the school. With your permission, we contact the SENCO or inclusion lead to ask whether and how sessions can run on site.
- Step 2
The BCBA writes school goals
AED 499 opens the search. The BCBA reviews the brief, including what the school has told you, sets first goals for the classroom and recommends the hours.
- Step 3
Agree the details with the SENCO
Which days, which lessons or rooms, how the RBT works alongside the teacher, and how the school is kept up to date.
- Step 4
First session in class
The matched RBT starts at school, takes data every session, and the programme is reviewed with you monthly.
Pricing
Two figures, both up front.
Open the search
AED 499
- A BCBA reviews your child's brief
- Goals and weekly hours recommended
- One matched RBT introduced
Sessions
From AED 325/hr
Confirmed in writing before the first session, and lower as the weekly hours go up. Billed for the sessions each month holds.
- Programme written and reviewed by a BCBA
- Data every session, review every month
- RBT replaced if the fit is wrong
More on ABA therapy
Related pages.
ABA therapy in Dubai
What ABA is, who it helps, and how our BCBA/RBT team runs it at home and at school.
Read moreLSA and shadow teachers
One-to-one classroom support, briefed and supervised.
Read moreManaged LSA
We employ, brief and supervise your child's classroom support.
Read moreEarly intervention ABA
Play-based ABA for children from about 18 months to six, at home or at nursery.
Read moreABA therapy at home
One-to-one sessions in your own home, with the price and the register form on the page.
Read moreADHD support
Structure, routine and classroom support for children with ADHD.
Read moreFrequently asked
Questions families ask.
- Can my child have ABA therapy at school in Dubai?
- Yes, if the school agrees. Private schools in Dubai are regulated by KHDA, and each school decides how outside professionals work on its premises. We contact the SENCO or inclusion lead, agree how sessions will run and fit around the school's own arrangements.
- What is the difference between an ABA therapist at school and a shadow teacher?
- A shadow teacher or LSA supports your child through lessons, often for much of the school day, to help them access the curriculum. An ABA therapist at school delivers a BCBA-written programme for agreed sessions, teaches specific skills and records data each time. Some children have both.
- Can ABA happen at nursery?
- Yes, with the nursery's agreement. For younger children, nursery sessions usually focus on joining a group, following the routine, playing alongside others and communicating with staff. We plan them with the nursery's lead or SENCO.
- Who talks to the school, us or you?
- We do, with your permission. We coordinate directly with the SENCO or inclusion lead, so you are not left passing messages between the school and the therapist. You are still part of every decision, and the programme is reviewed with you monthly.
- What if the school says no to ABA sessions?
- Then sessions stay at home, and the BCBA can write goals that prepare your child for school routines there. We respect the school's decision, and if it changes later, sessions can move into school.
- Will an ABA therapist disrupt my child's class?
- Sessions are planned with the SENCO so that they fit the class rather than compete with it. The RBT works around the teacher's routine, and the aim is always for your child to do more with the teacher and classmates, not more with the therapist.
- Can ABA sessions be split between home and school?
- Yes. A programme can run some hours at school and some at home, so the same goals are practised in both places. The BCBA recommends the split, and you and the school agree what is workable.
- How much does ABA at school cost?
- Sessions start from AED 325 an hour, and the rate eases as the weekly hours rise. The exact figure is confirmed in writing before the first session, and you are billed for each session actually held.
- Does it work the same way at schools in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?
- Yes. Schools in Abu Dhabi are regulated by ADEK and private schools in Sharjah by SPEA, and in every emirate we start with the school's agreement and its SENCO or inclusion lead.
Further reading
Guides for this decision.
For Schools
ABA therapy at school in the UAE: how it works with the SENCO
How school-based ABA works in UAE schools: agreeing it with the SENCO, the regulatory context, and how it differs from an LSA or shadow teacher.
Guides
How to talk to your child's school about an SEN diagnosis
A practical guide to raising a new SEN diagnosis with your child's school and getting a constructive response.
Guides
KHDA's shadow teacher policy: what Dubai parents need to know
What KHDA actually requires of Dubai private schools before they ask a family to fund a shadow teacher, and the questions worth asking.
Guides
Choosing between home, school and centre-based therapy
How to decide which setting works best for your child's therapy — home, school, or a dedicated centre.
ADHD
ADHD in the classroom: what teachers wish parents knew
Practical classroom realities of ADHD, from the teacher's side of the desk.
Tell us about your child.
A conversation first, on WhatsApp or by phone. No obligation, and a straight answer if we are not the right fit.