"Does my child need ABA, speech therapy, or occupational therapy?" It is one of the most common questions we get — and the honest answer is that they treat different things, and many children benefit from more than one at the same time.
🧩 ABA therapy
What it treats: behavior and learning as a whole — communication, social skills, daily living, independence, and behaviors that interfere with learning or safety.
Who provides it: an RBT works directly with your child, supervised by a BCBA who designs the plan.
Intensity: the highest — from a few hours a week to 30+ for intensive early intervention.
Best when: your child needs to build many skills at once, or challenging behaviors are getting in the way of everything else.
💬 Speech-language therapy
What it treats: the mechanics and structure of communication — articulation, language comprehension, sentence building, fluency, voice, and sometimes feeding and swallowing.
Who provides it: a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).
Intensity: typically 1–3 sessions a week, 30–60 minutes.
Best when: the main difficulty is producing or understanding language itself, or your child needs an AAC device set up.
✍️ Occupational therapy (OT)
What it treats: the physical and sensory side of daily life — fine motor skills, handwriting, dressing, feeding mechanics, sensory processing and regulation.
Who provides it: a licensed Occupational Therapist.
Intensity: usually 1–2 sessions a week.
Best when: sensory sensitivities or motor difficulties are limiting what your child can do independently.
Side by side
| ABA | Speech | OT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Behavior & learning | Language | Motor & sensory |
| Hours/week | Few to 30+ | 1–3 sessions | 1–2 sessions |
| Where | Home, school, community, clinic | Clinic or school | Clinic or school |
| Parent training | Built into the program | Varies | Varies |
| FL Medicaid | Covered with medical necessity | Covered with medical necessity | Covered with medical necessity |
Can my child do more than one?
Yes — and it is very common. Many children receive ABA plus speech, or ABA plus OT. The therapies do not compete; they work on different things. What matters is that the teams talk to each other so goals and strategies stay consistent instead of pulling in opposite directions.
With your authorization, our BCBAs coordinate with your child's other providers and with the school. In our experience that coordination is what makes the difference between "some progress" and real change.
What about the school's services?
School services under an IEP are educational and usually a fraction of the hours. They do not replace medical therapy, and the school does not decide medical necessity — your doctor and your health plan do. Read the full comparison →
Not sure what your child needs?
A BCBA assessment tells you exactly which skills to prioritize. We will also tell you honestly if what your child needs most is not us.
❓ Does my child qualify? 🛡️ Free insurance check 📚 ABA glossary