| Abstract: As a large number of individuals who had been receiving ABA services since early childhood grow into adulthood, the need for quality ABA services extends to the residential area. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles in establishing and maintaining a solid ABA residential program that school and day programs might not encounter. The following panel discussion will introduce the audience to potential issues in opening and running a community- based ABA group home. The presenters will provide the audience with helpful suggestions for overcoming some of these issues. All four presenters are administrative-level employees with an agency that has over 30 years experience in providing ABA services to individuals with autism and over 15 years experience maintaining a quality ABA residential program. Some issues discussed will include staff training, philosophical differences between educational and residential programs, accuracy of behavioral data collection, maintaining treatment integrity, securing staffing ratios, accessing funding streams, acculturating parents, developing instructional goals, and conducting functional assessments. Audience participation and open discussion will be encouraged throughout the presentation. Objective data will be presented to the audience where applicable. |