Both can work. At home, your child practices in everyday routines and the family can learn the techniques right there. A center offers peers, structure and more professionals nearby. The right choice depends on your child's goals, schedule, transportation and what the BCBA recommends after the assessment. Many children get therapy in more than one place.
Home and center, point by point
- Where: at home, skills are practiced where they are used, like the table or bedtime; a center is a more controlled space with fewer distractions.
- Family: at home you can watch sessions and learn the techniques. The BACB says training caregivers helps skills carry over outside therapy.
- Peers: a center may have other children to practice social skills with. Florida Medicaid covers group ABA, up to six children, when it is in the plan.
- Supervision: a center usually has more professionals nearby to spot problems; at home there are fewer (Child Mind Institute).
- Travel and schedule: at home there is no driving; a center means drop-off and pick-up on its schedule.
What does research say?
Little research compares the two settings with the same treatment. A 2017 study of records from 313 children at one agency found they mastered more learning targets per hour at the center than at home. The authors note that parents chose the setting, children were not randomly assigned, and the results may not apply to other agencies.
What does Florida Medicaid say?
Florida Medicaid's policy asks the behavior plan to name the treatment setting or settings, so it can include more than one, and asks providers to make every effort to let parents take part. In the policy, a request for ABA at school includes the child's IEP, a 504 plan or an explanation if there is neither; your plan may have its own rules.
If you choose therapy at home
- A quiet, safe space with few distractions.
- A plan for siblings during the session.
- Who will be home: ask the agency. In Medicaid, session notes must explain when a parent or guardian is not present.
- The credentials of whoever comes into your home: see our page on checking them.
Paramount Behavior
Paramount Behavior provides ABA at home and at school in Palm Beach County, in English and Spanish. We have no waitlist: we have openings and schedule the initial consultation as soon as you call. After that, the pace is usually set by paperwork (the doctor's order, the diagnostic evaluation and the insurance or Medicaid authorization) and your family's schedule. Call (561) 421-0047.
Does Medicaid cover ABA at home?
Florida Medicaid's policy does not require a center: it asks the plan to name the treatment setting or settings. Ask your plan and the agency what was approved for your child.
Do I have to be home during sessions?
Ask the agency and your plan. Florida Medicaid asks parents to take part when possible, and session notes must explain when a parent or guardian is not there.
Can therapy combine home and school?
Yes, if the plan says so. For school, the Medicaid policy asks for the child's IEP, a 504 plan, or an explanation if the school has neither.
General information, not advice for your child. If there is serious self-injury or aggression, call your child's doctor, or 911 in an emergency.
Sources
- Florida Medicaid Behavior Analysis Services Coverage Policy (Rule 59G-4.125, F.A.C.), December 2024. Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), accessed October 30, 2026.
- Cómo saber si está obteniendo un buen ABA. Child Mind Institute (last reviewed 2025-08-06), accessed October 30, 2026.
- A Program Evaluation of Home and Center-Based Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (Dixon et al.). Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2017, via PubMed Central, accessed October 30, 2026.
- Clarifications Regarding Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Practice Guidelines for Healthcare Funders and Managers (2nd ed.), February 2019. Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), accessed October 30, 2026.