There is no fixed number. In Washington, the Health Care Authority states that ABA goals, settings and hours depend on each person's needs. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst recommends hours after an assessment, the insurance plan authorizes them, and the number is reviewed as the child progresses. Hours are expected to decrease as skills grow.
How a BCBA decides
The recommendation follows the assessment: how many skill areas need work, how often challenging behavior happens and how serious it is, the child's age and stamina, what the family can sustain, and whether school or other therapies already fill part of the week. A plan for a three-year-old learning first words looks nothing like a plan for a sixteen-year-old practising bus routes.
Focused versus comprehensive ABA
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board's practice guidelines describe two broad models. Focused treatment targets a limited number of goals, such as one behavior or a specific skill, at a lower weekly intensity. Comprehensive treatment addresses many developmental areas at once at a higher intensity, most often for younger children. Which model fits is a clinical decision made with the family, not a default.
What the hours look like at home
In-home ABA hours are spread across the week in sessions that fit around naps, school and family routines. A technician works directly with your child inside those routines: play, snack, getting dressed, a walk to the park. The BCBA's supervision hours and parent coaching are part of the plan too, not extras.
How hours change over time
Plans are re-authorized on a schedule, usually every six months, based on progress data. When a child meets goals, hours typically come down and more of the plan shifts to parent coaching and school coordination. A plan that never changes is a plan nobody is measuring.
Common questions
Is more ABA always better?
No. The right intensity is the one that matches the assessment and that the child and family can sustain. Overloading a young child or a working family leads to missed sessions and burnout.
Can hours be split between home and telehealth?
Often, yes. Parent coaching and supervision work well by video. Direct therapy with a young child usually happens in person. Your plan's authorization lists what is approved in each setting.
- Washington Health Care Authority, Applied Behavior Analysis
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board
- CDC, Treatment and intervention for autism spectrum disorder
This article is general information for families in Washington State, not medical advice or a promise of coverage or outcomes. Rules change; check the linked sources and your plan.
Talk to Evergreen Pathways
In-home ABA for ages 2 to 22 across King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Kitsap counties.
Call (206) 796-4797