A peer-reviewed study from Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Catalight Research Institute found that higher applied behavior analysis therapy hours were not associated with improvements in communication, socialization or daily living skills in children with autism. The findings challenge standards recommending 30 to 40 hours of ABA therapy per week, according to a Jan. 16 news release from the nonprofit organization.
Researchers analyzed clinical data from 725 children with autism who received ABA therapy across the U.S. over a one-year period. They assessed treatment hours against adaptive behavior, communication, goal attainment and dangerous behaviors.
- Children who underwent more hours of therapy tended to start with lower baseline adaptive scores and showed slower improvement compared to peers undergoing fewer hours.
- Reductions in dangerous behaviors occurred over time regardless of the number of ABA therapy hours, suggesting the improvements were not driven by treatment dosage, the release said.
- A child’s baseline communication ability was a stronger predictor of long-term progress than the number of hours of therapy provided.
- Although more therapy hours appeared to support the achievement of short-term, specific goals, they did not lead to meaningful gains in broader, long-term functioning.
“These results reinforce the idea that autism care should be individualized, not driven by one-size-fits-all hour recommendations,” Doreen Samelson, EdD, Catalight’s chief clinical officer and lead author of the study, said in the release. “For some children, increased hours may support short-term learning of specific skills. But more hours alone do not guarantee broader adaptive gains.”
