You’ve signed the intake paperwork. Maybe you’ve even met your child’s BCBA once already. And now you’re wondering what actually happens next.

The first month of ABA therapy looks nothing like the months that follow it. There’s no teaching happening yet, at least not in the way most parents picture it.

Here’s what the first month of ABA therapy actually involves, week by week, so nothing catches you off guard. This is the same walkthrough our team at Achieve ABA Therapy Group gives every family in Colorado before day one.

Why the First Month Looks Different From Every Month After It

It’s tempting to expect visible skill-building right away. In practice, the first month is almost entirely about information and trust.

A behavior analyst can’t responsibly write goals for a child they don’t understand yet. So before any formal teaching starts, your team needs to actually get to know your child.

That groundwork is what makes everything afterward work. Skipping it, or rushing it, tends to backfire later.

Week One: Paperwork, Verification, and the First Visit

The first week is mostly administrative, even though it doesn’t always feel that way from the outside.

Insurance Verification and Intake

Your provider confirms your coverage and what documentation Medicaid or your insurer requires. Colorado Medicaid, for example, requires a signed diagnostic evaluation from the past 12 months before authorizing services (Colorado HCPF, 2016).

If you haven’t finalized a diagnosis yet, this is usually handled alongside intake. Our autism diagnosis page walks through that process separately.

The First In-Person Visit

A BCBA visits your home, or wherever services will happen, to meet your child directly. This visit is observational, not instructional.

Expect questions about your child’s routines, communication style, favorite activities, and what currently triggers frustration or shutdown. You know these answers better than anyone, and that input shapes everything that follows.

Week Two: Pairing and Baseline Data

This is the week most parents didn’t expect, and it’s one of the most important ones.

Pairing Comes Before Teaching

Your child’s therapist spends early sessions building a genuine, trusting relationship before asking your child to do anything structured. We’ve written a full explanation of why pairing happens first, including what it actually looks like in a session.

Skipping this step doesn’t save time. It usually costs more time later, once a child associates their therapist with demands instead of safety.

Collecting Baseline Data

Alongside pairing, your team is quietly collecting data: what your child can already do, where the gaps are, and what functions certain behaviors are serving. This process is formally known as a functional behavioral assessment, and Vanderbilt University’s IRIS Center offers a clear public overview of how it works (IRIS Center, 2025).

Nothing about this baseline is designed to catch your child doing something wrong. It’s simply the starting line every goal gets measured against.

Week Three: The Treatment Plan and Your First Parent Training Session

By week three, most families see the picture start to come together, on paper and in the room.

The Treatment Plan Is Finalized

Your BCBA turns the assessment and baseline data into specific, measurable goals. These goals get reviewed with you directly, not just handed over as a finished document.

Some of those early goals often involve communication tools like PECS, or simple reinforcement systems such as token economies, depending on what your child’s baseline showed.

Parent Training Starts Now, Not Later

Research on parent-mediated therapy shows that when caregivers learn and use the same strategies consistently, children get more reinforcement throughout the day than therapy hours alone can provide (NICHD, 2017).

That’s why parent training isn’t scheduled for “once things settle down.” It starts in the first month, while everything is still new for everyone.

Week Four: Regular Sessions and Your First Check-In

By the fourth week, sessions usually settle into the rhythm your family will recognize going forward.

Your child’s therapist begins actively teaching toward the goals in the treatment plan, using structured methods like discrete trial training alongside more natural, play-based teaching (CDC, 2024).

Most teams also schedule an informal check-in around this point, not a full formal review, just a chance to ask how things feel from your side before the next data cycle begins.

A Simplified Week-by-Week Timeline

Every family’s exact timeline shifts slightly depending on scheduling and insurance approval, but this is a realistic shape for the first month.

What’s Normal (and What Isn’t) During Month One

A few things surprise almost every family during this stretch, and knowing they’re expected helps.

• Your child may protest sessions at first. This usually settles as pairing takes hold.
• You might not see “progress” yet. Baseline data collection isn’t meant to show progress; it’s the measuring stick for it.
• Session notes may feel clinical or data-heavy. That’s intentional, and it protects your child’s plan and your insurance authorization.
• You’ll likely be asked to practice specific strategies at home. This is expected, not extra homework tacked on.

What isn’t normal: a full month with no communication from your team, no visible plan, or no involvement asked of you as a parent. If that’s what you’re experiencing, it’s worth raising directly.

How the First Month Works at Achieve ABA

We built our intake process around one goal: no family should feel like they’re waiting in the dark during month one.

Most families start with in-home ABA, so pairing and baseline data collection happen in the environment your child already feels safest in.

If your child is also enrolled in daycare, our daycare-based ABA team coordinates baseline observations there too, so the picture we build isn’t limited to one setting.

For toddlers just starting services, our early intervention program follows this same first-month structure, adjusted for a much younger child’s pace.

Once your child is also in school, our school-based ABA team coordinates directly with teachers so month one doesn’t happen in isolation from the classroom.

We also walk every family through insurance coverage during week one, so there are no surprises once billing starts. If your family is still earlier in the process, our piece on the first 90 days after a diagnosis picks up before this one does, covering what happens between diagnosis and your first ABA session.

Starting ABA Therapy Anywhere in Colorado

This same first-month process runs the same way no matter where in Colorado your family is located.

That includes Denver, Aurora, and Colorado Springs.

It’s the same in Lakewood, Fort Collins, Pueblo, Thornton, Arvada, Westminster, and Centennial.

And whether you’re in Boulder, Greeley, Longmont, Loveland, Broomfield, Castle Rock, Parker, or Englewood, the same team and the same process apply, typically with no waitlist to begin.

See our full list of service areas or reach out to schedule your family’s first visit.

The Bottom Line on Your Child’s First Month of ABA Therapy

The first month of ABA therapy is quieter than most parents expect, and that’s by design. Pairing and baseline data aren’t a delay before the real work starts; they are the real work, just at the very beginning.

By the time week four arrives, you should have a clear plan, a therapist your child is starting to trust, and a real role in the process yourself.

Have questions about ABA therapy hours or getting started? Our team can help you understand the next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon after intake does ABA therapy actually start?

Most families begin the first in-person visit within one to two weeks of completing intake, though insurance authorization timelines can shift this slightly.

Why isn’t my child being taught anything yet?

Early sessions focus on pairing and baseline data because teaching without that foundation tends to be less effective and can damage trust between your child and their therapist.

Is it normal for my child to cry or resist the first few ABA sessions?

It’s common, especially with a new person and a new routine. This is exactly why pairing is prioritized before any structured demands are introduced.

How much am I expected to be involved in the first month of ABA?

More than you might expect. Parent training typically begins within the first few weeks, and your observations about your child are treated as clinical information, not just background context.

When will I see a real treatment plan?

Most families receive a finalized treatment plan by the end of week three, once baseline data collection is complete.

Will the same therapist see my child every ABA session?

Consistency is prioritized, especially in month one, since pairing depends on a stable, trusted relationship. Occasional scheduling adjustments can still happen.

What if I don’t think it’s going well after the first month of ABA?

Say so. A month-one check-in exists specifically to surface concerns early, before a full formal review, so adjustments can be made quickly.

Sources:

The IRIS Center. (2009, 2025). Functional behavioral assessment (elementary): Identifying the reasons for student behavior. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fba-elem/

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2017). Parent-mediated therapy in autism. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/autism/conditioninfo/treatments/parent-mediated

Council of Autism Service Providers [CASP]. (2024). Applied behavior analysis practice guidelines for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Guidance for healthcare funders, regulatory bodies, service providers, and consumers [Clinical practice guidelines]. https://www.casproviders.org/asd-guidelines

Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. (2016). Colorado Medicaid criteria for behavioral therapies. https://hcpf.colorado.gov/sites/hcpf/files/Colorado%20Medicaid%20Criteria%20for%20Behavioral%20Therapies%20May%202016.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Treatment and intervention for autism spectrum disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/autism/treatment/index.html