Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior.
Behavior analysis helps us to understand:
- How behavior works
- How behavior is affected by the environment
- How learning takes place
ABA therapy applies our understanding of how behavior works to real situations. The goal is to increase behaviors that are helpful and decrease behaviors that are harmful or affect learning. ABA therapy programs can help:
- Increase language and communication skills
- Improve attention, focus, social skills, memory, and academics
- Decrease problem behaviors
Learn More & Get Started
Our experts are eager to cater to your requirements and are available to address your inquiries through phone, email, or face-to-face meetings, should that be your preference. Rest assured, you will always be in the capable hands of one of our professionals.
Who is ABA therapy for?
Most of the children we see have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, but ABA also helps children with developmental delays, ADHD, or behavior that is making home and school difficult. Some families come to us the week after a diagnosis; others have been waiting months for a service that never started. Either way, the first step is the same: a conversation about what your child can do today and what you want to change.
Children and teens who benefit most from our ABA programs usually need help in one or more of these areas:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – from early intervention with toddlers to school-age children and teens.
- ADHD-related behavior – attention, impulse control, finishing tasks, following routines and self-regulation.
- Developmental, speech and language delays – communication, requesting, play, imitation and social skills.
- Behavior that interferes with learning – tantrums, aggression, self-injury, elopement, rigid routines and difficult transitions.
- Daily living and school readiness – toileting, feeding, dressing, sleep routines and taking part in a classroom.
We serve families throughout Hillsborough County (Brandon, Valrico, Riverview, Seffner, Dover, Plant City and Tampa) and Polk County (Lakeland, Winter Haven, Auburndale, Bartow, Haines City, Mulberry and Lake Wales). If you are not sure whether ABA therapy is the right fit for your child, call (813) 655-8159 and a BCBA will help you decide.
What a typical ABA program looks like
- Assessment. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) observes your child, talks with you, and measures current skills across communication, play, social interaction, self-help and behavior.
- Goal setting. Together we choose goals that matter in real life — asking for what he wants, tolerating a haircut, sitting for a meal, playing next to a sibling.
- Direct therapy. A Registered Behavior Technician works one-to-one with your child, following the plan and recording data every session.
- Supervision. The BCBA reviews the data regularly and adjusts the plan when something is not working.
- Caregiver training. You practice the same strategies so that gains carry over to home, the grocery store and the playground.
- Reassessment. Formal progress reviews show what has changed and what comes next.
Skills ABA commonly targets
- Requesting and communicating — with words, signs, pictures or a device
- Following directions and staying with a task
- Play and social skills with peers and siblings
- Toileting, dressing, eating and other daily routines
- Coping with transitions and changes in routine
- Reducing aggression, elopement, self-injury and severe tantrums
- School readiness and classroom behavior
Where we provide ABA therapy
ABA does not have to happen in one single place. We choose the setting — or the combination of settings — based on your child’s therapeutic needs and on the particular circumstances of your family, and we review that decision as those needs change.
- In our centers. Each of our clinics offers a little over 2,000 square feet of therapy areas on average, with space for one-to-one work, peer and group play, daily-living routines and gross motor activities.
- At school. We can deliver therapy in private and public schools, so the skills your child is working on are practiced in the classroom where they are needed.
- At daycare. For younger children, sessions can take place at their daycare, using the peers, routines and transitions that already fill their day.
- At home. When the conditions for safe and effective sessions are in place, we can provide therapy at home, where everyday family routines happen.
Many children do best with a combination — for example center hours plus school support, or center hours plus caregiver training at home. Your BCBA recommends the setting during the assessment and revisits it at every progress review. Call (813) 655-8159 if you would like to talk through which option fits your family.
Parent and caregiver training is part of the program
Children spend far more hours with their families than with us. Research on autism intervention is consistent on this point: outcomes improve when caregivers use the same strategies at home. We teach you what the technician is doing and why, so you are not left guessing between sessions.
Frequently asked questions about ABA therapy
How many hours per week does my child need?
It depends on the assessment. Some children do well with focused programs of a few hours a week aimed at specific behaviors; others benefit from a more comprehensive schedule. The BCBA will recommend a range and explain the reasoning before you decide.
How soon will we see progress?
Small, measurable changes usually appear within the first weeks — a new request, fewer meltdowns at bedtime. Bigger goals take longer. Because everything is measured, you will see the data rather than a vague reassurance.
Do you have a waitlist?
No. Call (813) 655-8159 and we will tell you the earliest start date at your preferred clinic.
Does insurance cover ABA therapy in Florida?
Many commercial plans and Florida Medicaid plans cover ABA for children with an autism diagnosis, but the requirements differ from plan to plan. Tell us which plan you have and our team will verify your benefits before anything begins.
Do you provide services in Spanish?
Yes. This page is also available en español, and we support Spanish-speaking families throughout intake and caregiver training.
ABA therapy in Brandon, Lakeland and Winter Haven
We provide ABA at three clinics in Central Florida: Brandon, Lakeland and Winter Haven. Between them we serve families across Hillsborough and Polk counties, including Riverview, Valrico, Plant City, Bartow, Auburndale and Haines City.
Related therapies
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Pediatric Occupational Therapy
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- All therapies we offer
Talk to us about your child
Call (813) 655-8159 or request a consultation. We will listen first and explain your options in plain language.
Coverage, hours and starting without a waitlist
We accept Simply Healthcare, TriCare, Humana, Sunshine Health, Sunshine Health CMS, Florida KidCare, Step Up For Students, Ambetter and Molina Healthcare for ABA therapy, plus private pay. Children’s Medical Services members move from Sunshine Health to Molina Healthcare on October 1, 2026; we accept both, so treatment continues without a gap. The full list is on our insurance we accept page, and we run the benefits check for you before you commit to anything.
All three clinics — Brandon, Lakeland and Winter Haven — are open Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and there is no waitlist. Call (813) 655-8159 during business hours and a real person will answer; we are a family working for families, and this October we complete five years of doing it.
Do I have to wait months to start ABA therapy?
No. Hopeful Therapies does not keep a waitlist. Once benefits are verified and the plan authorizes the assessment, we schedule you — typically within days.
Can my child receive more than one therapy at the same time?
Yes, and it is usually the better choice. ABA, speech-language, occupational and physical therapy are delivered by one coordinated team sharing a single treatment plan, which is the fastest path to reaching therapeutic goals.
Your child’s BCBA
Every ABA assessment and treatment plan at Hopeful Therapies is completed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and every technician is supervised by that same BCBA. Our board certified clinicians are Ashley Filipek, BCBA; Ayendi Polite, BCBA; Gilda Perez, BCBA; Cristabel Rodriguez, BCBA; Domanik Brack, BCBA; Nadine Perez, BCaBA; and Destinee Nash, BCaBA. Because we keep five BCBAs and two BCaBAs on staff across three clinics, we are able to schedule new assessments without a waiting list. Meet our team.
