Choosing an ABA provider in Dubai: 12 questions to ask first

Choosing an ABA provider is a bigger decision than it looks. You are committing to months of sessions, a significant monthly cost, and a person who will spend hours with your child every week. Provider websites tend to sound alike, so the useful information comes from the answers to specific questions. Here are twelve worth asking, whoever you are speaking to, and what a good answer sounds like.

Who designs and supervises the programme

1. Who writes my child's programme, and will they meet my child first? You want a named clinician, usually a BCBA, who writes goals for your child from an assessment and an observation — not a standard set of targets every child receives.

2. Who delivers the sessions, and what is their experience? Usually an RBT or a similar technician. Ask about their experience with children of your child's age and with similar needs, and whether you will have the same person each week.

3. How often does the supervising clinician see my child, and what do they do in that time? "Regularly" is not an answer. Ask how often they observe sessions in person, how they give the therapist feedback, and how they review the programme between visits. Our guide to BCBA vs RBT explains why this matters.

How progress is measured

4. What data do you take, and will I see it? Good ABA records progress on specific targets every session. You should be able to see what is being measured and how it is changing, ideally in a form that makes sense without a glossary.

5. How often do we review the programme together, and what happens at a review? A review should cover what has been mastered, what has stalled and what changes next. If reviews only happen when you ask for one, that tells you something.

Your role as a parent

6. How will you involve me, and will I be coached? Strategies that stop when the therapist leaves do not get far. Ask whether parent coaching is part of the programme or an extra, and what it looks like in practice.

7. How do you decide what my child works on? Goals should reflect what matters to your family — communication, daily routines, the hard parts of the day — and not only what is easy to measure. You should be able to question a goal that does not sit right with you.

Your child's comfort

8. How do you know when my child is unhappy, and what do you do about it? Modern ABA pays attention to assent: whether a child is willing and comfortable, read from their behaviour as well as their words. Ask how the therapist recognises distress, what happens when a child wants a break, and whether any procedures are used that you would need to agree to first. Our article on modern ABA explains why this matters.

9. How would you handle difficult behaviour? Listen for an answer that starts with understanding why the behaviour happens and teaching something that works better for your child, rather than one that starts with making it stop.

When things change

10. What happens if the therapist is not the right fit, or leaves? Ask whether the provider replaces the therapist, how that works, and what happens to sessions in the meantime. With an individual therapist, the honest answer may be that sessions simply stop.

11. What is the notice period, and what are the cancellation terms? Find out how much notice you need to give to end or reduce sessions, what happens if your child is ill, and whether you pay for sessions that do not take place.

Money and paperwork

12. What exactly am I paying for, and can I claim it? Ask for the hourly rate in writing, what is included (supervision, reviews, parent coaching, reports) and what is charged separately. If you plan to claim from insurance, ask how and how often the provider invoices, and check your policy directly with your insurer. Our guides to ABA and insurance in the UAE and what ABA costs in Dubai go further.

A provider who answers these clearly, without hurrying you, is usually a provider who runs a clear programme. One who becomes vague about supervision, data or notice periods is showing you where the problems are likely to appear later.

For what it is worth, here is how we answer them. A BCBA writes and reviews every programme, and an RBT delivers sessions one-to-one at home or at nursery or school. Data is taken every session, the programme is reviewed with you monthly, and parent coaching is part of every programme. If the fit is wrong, we replace the RBT. Registration is AED 499 and non-refundable: it pays for the BCBA's review of your child's brief, the first goals and hours, and the introduction of one matched RBT. Sessions start from AED 325 an hour, confirmed in writing and billed per session held, and one month's notice ends the arrangement. We invoice monthly; some UAE policies reimburse ABA on a pay-and-claim basis, but we cannot confirm your cover. More on ABA therapy in Dubai and BCBA-supervised ABA.