1:1 ABA Therapy

Individualized Support. Meaningful Skills. A Therapy Experience Built Around Your Child.

1:1 ABA therapy at Social Connections is designed to help children build skills, confidence, independence, communication, and meaningful social connections, while making therapy an experience they can feel good about. We believe effective ABA therapy doesn't have to feel clinical, repetitive, or disconnected from a child's real life. Our approach combines evidence-informed ABA with a neuroaffirming, child-centred philosophy, creating opportunities for learning through play, connection, curiosity, and activities that are meaningful to each learner. Our goal isn't simply to teach a child to do more. It's to help them develop skills that increase their independence, communication, participation, and quality of life.

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Therapy That Starts With Your Child

No two learners are the same, and their therapy shouldn't be either. Before developing a treatment plan, we take the time to understand your child's strengths, interests, communication style, needs, goals, and the environments that are important to them.

We use this information to create an individualized program that meets your child where they are and builds from there. That might mean learning communication skills through a favourite game, practising social skills with a peer, building independence during everyday routines, or turning a child's special interest into an opportunity for learning.

We look for the learning opportunities already happening in your child's world, and build from there.

Neuroaffirming ABA, With Room to Be a Kid

We believe children should not have to hide who they are in order to learn. Our approach recognizes and respects differences in communication, movement, sensory processing, interests, regulation, and ways of interacting with the world.

We focus on teaching skills that are functional, meaningful, and supportive of your child's well-being.

We incorporate:

Choice and autonomy throughout therapy
Child interests and motivation as part of learning
Play-based and natural learning opportunities
Functional communication and self-advocacy
Strengths-based teaching
Positive reinforcement
Sensory and regulation needs
Assent and participation
Skills that support real-life independence

We want your child to feel safe, understood, successful, and excited to learn!

Learning Through Play, Connection & Real Life

Learning doesn't only happen at a table. Our therapists create opportunities to practise skills through games, movement, play, conversation, routines, social interactions, and everyday experiences. Depending on your child's goals, therapy may support areas such as:

Communication: Building functional communication, expanding language, expressing wants and needs, conversation skills, and self-advocacy.

Social Development: Developing social connection, play skills, perspective-taking, flexible thinking, friendship skills, and navigating social situations.

Independence: Supporting everyday skills such as dressing, toileting, organization, routines, safety, and completing activities more independently.

Emotional & Self-Regulation Skills: Building skills for identifying emotions, communicating when something is difficult, coping with changes, navigating frustration, and accessing appropriate supports.

Learning & Development: Supporting attention, learning readiness, problem-solving, cognitive skills, and other developmental goals identified through assessment.

Behaviour & Quality of Life: Understanding the reason behind behaviour and teaching meaningful, functional alternatives that help children communicate, participate, and have their needs met.

Evidence-Informed & Individualized

We use a variety of ABA teaching strategies based on the individual learner and their goals. Strategies may include:

Natural Environment Teaching (NET): Learning skills within play, routines, and naturally occurring opportunities.

Verbal Behaviour (VB): Supporting meaningful and functional communication.

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT): Breaking complex skills into manageable teaching opportunities when this approach is appropriate for the learner.

Behaviour Skills Training (BST):Teaching skills through instruction, modelling, practice, and feedback.

Precision Teaching & Direct Instruction:: Used when appropriate to support fluency and skill development.

Visual Supports: Helping learners understand expectations, routines, changes, and social situations.

Reinforcement & Motivation-Based Teaching: Creating meaningful reasons for learning and celebrating progress along the way.

Our clinical team continually considers what is working, what matters to the learner, and whether the goals remain meaningful, adjusting treatment as your child grows and changes.

More Than 1:1 Sessions

Our clinical team works collaboratively with caregivers and other important people in your child's life to help skills generalize beyond therapy and into everyday environments.

Depending on your child's program, services may include:

Individualized treatment planning
Caregiver coaching and training
Clinical supervision
Collaboration with schools and other professionals
Ongoing data collection and progress monitoring
Regular review and adjustment of treatment goals
Support with skill generalization across environments

Our goal is to help skills become part of your child's everyday life, not something they can only do during therapy.

How Many Hours Does My Child Need?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

The recommended intensity of therapy depends on your child's individual assessment, goals, support needs, developmental profile, and family circumstances.

For some learners, this may involve a higher number of weekly hours; for others, a more focused schedule may be appropriate.

Following an assessment, our clinical team will discuss recommendations with you and work collaboratively to develop a plan that makes sense for your child and family.

We believe the goal should be the right amount of support, not simply the most hours possible.

A Team That Gets to Know Your Child

At Social Connections, your child is more than a treatment plan or a collection of goals.

We want to know:

What makes them laugh?
What are they interested in?
How do they communicate?
What helps them feel safe?
What are they really good at?
What do they want to learn?
What matters to your family?

Those answers help shape therapy. Because when children feel connected, understood, and motivated, learning can happen in meaningful ways.

Ready to Explore Whether 1:1 ABA Is Right for Your Child?

Whether you're just beginning to explore ABA or you're looking for a different experience for your child, we'd love to learn more about your family. Reach out to our team to learn about availability, our assessment process, and whether Social Connections may be a good fit for your child. Let's build a therapy experience where your child can learn, grow, connect—and still be themselves.

905-321-6447

info@socialaba.com