Starting ABA therapy comes with a mix of hope and uncertainty for most families. Parents often want to know what is going to happen and when, whether their child will adjust, and how they will know if things are going in the right direction. The first 90 days rarely look like full-speed intervention. They are foundational, and understanding what that phase involves makes it easier to move through it with realistic expectations.
The Assessment and Planning Phase
The first weeks are typically anchored by assessment. Before any skill targets can be written, a BCBA needs to understand where the child is currently functioning across a range of areas: language, social behavior, daily living skills, and any behaviors that are getting in the way of learning. Tools like the VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R are commonly used to create a structured baseline. These assessments are not tests in the pass-or-fail sense. They map what a child can already do and identify what to build from there.
During this period, the therapist assigned to the child is also building rapport. This matters more than many families initially realize. A child who does not yet trust or feel comfortable with their therapist is not a good candidate for productive learning, regardless of how well-designed the program is. Early sessions often look deceptively low-key because so much of what is happening is relational rather than instructional.
From the assessment data, a BCBA develops a written treatment plan with specific, measurable goals. Families typically have a planning meeting to review these goals, ask questions, and align on priorities before intensive work begins.
What the Active Phase Looks Like
Once programming begins in earnest, the first 90 days still involve a lot of calibration. Therapists are learning what motivates the child, how they respond to different kinds of prompting, and which reinforcers are actually reinforcing versus simply preferred. These early adjustments are expected and reflect good clinical practice, not instability.
Early skill targets are usually chosen because they are foundational. Communication, attending, and learning-to-learn skills tend to come first because they unlock progress on almost everything else. Parents may not see the specific goals they had in mind immediately, and it helps to understand that this sequencing is intentional.
The Rising Above ABA team and programs like theirs typically include parent training check-ins during this phase. These are not just updates. They are working sessions where caregivers learn the strategies being used in therapy and how to carry them through the rest of the day. Families who engage with this component tend to see more meaningful carryover outside of sessions.
Data collection is happening throughout, and by the end of the first 90 days, there should be enough information to see early trends. Which targets are moving? Where has the child needed more time? What needs to be adjusted? These questions get answered through the data, not through gut feeling, and a well-run program will share that data with families in a way that is readable and meaningful.
It is worth keeping in mind that the first 90 days are not where dramatic transformations happen for most children. They are where the conditions for meaningful progress get established. Families who understand this tend to feel less anxious during a phase that can otherwise feel slower than expected. The assessment, the rapport-building, the program development, and the early parent training are not delays. They are what makes everything that comes later possible.
Progress will look different for every child, and that variability is appropriate given how different children are from one another. What a strong first 90 days does guarantee is a foundation built on real data rather than assumptions.
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