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Can You Pause ABA Therapy?
September 2, 2025
Yes, families can pause ABA therapy, but it’s important to consider how it may affect progress. ABA therapy works best with consistency and repetition. When therapy is paused for long periods, children may lose momentum or regress in skills they’ve worked hard to gain.
That being said, life happens, so sometimes families may need to pause services for reasons like scheduling conflicts, health issues, or major life changes. Short breaks usually have less impact, especially if parents continue to reinforce learned strategies at home.
Longer pauses, however, may require re-teaching or adjusting treatment plans once therapy resumes.
If you’re considering a pause, it’s always best to discuss it with your child’s BCBA (Board-Certified Behavior Analyst). They can help create a plan to minimize setbacks, provide home scheduling strategies to maintain skills, and ensure a smoother transition when therapy restarts.
In short, while pausing ABA therapy is possible, open communication with your therapy team ensures your child continues to receive the support they need.
Need guidance about ABA therapy?
At Divine Steps ABA, we provide flexible, family-centered ABA therapy in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Contact us today to discuss how we can best support your child’s journey.
SOURCES:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/applied-behaviour-analysis-aba
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/questions-and-answers-about-aba
https://www.reddit.com/r/Autism_Parenting/comments/10g6n0c/quitting_aba_therapy/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8702444/
https://whyy.org/segments/how-a-therapy-once-seen-as-a-victory-for-autistic-kids-has-come-under-fire-as-abuse/
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