ABA Therapy in St. Louis
AB Spectrum provides evidence-based ABA therapy for young children with autism across Greater St. Louis, delivered through Reggio ABA, our child-led approach with clinical goals guided by BCBAs. Speech therapy and autism evaluations are available alongside ABA.
What is ABA?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a research-based approach to understanding how behavior works and how learning happens. It uses positive reinforcement and data to teach new skills and reduce behaviors that get in the way.
The CDC describes ABA among widely used autism treatments, and Autism Speaks provides an overview for families. Learn more in our guides on ABA therapy for autism and ABA techniques for children.
Clinical precision, delivered with curiosity and respect.
Each plan is written by a BCBA and carried out by trained RBTs who work closely with families.
How Reggio ABA shapes therapy
Reggio ABA blends structured ABA techniques with the Reggio Emilia view of children as capable learners. Learning is sparked by a child’s interests and environment while BCBAs track every goal.
Children practice requesting, sharing needs, and expressing ideas through speech, gestures, pictures, or devices.
Routines such as dressing, toileting, and transitions are taught in small, practical steps.
Turn-taking, group activities, and peer interaction build confidence with others.
Consistent, positive strategies teach safer replacement skills for behaviors that interfere.
Problem-solving and adaptive skills help children do more on their own.
Caregivers learn strategies that fit home and community routines.
A day at AB Spectrum
Sessions take place in warm, natural studios designed as the third teacher. An RBT works 1:1 with your child using Natural Environment Teaching, while multiple BCBAs supervise daily.
Children can be verbal or non-verbal; each plan is tailored to the child’s current skills and needs.
Reggio ABA
Child-led ABA informed by the Reggio Emilia approach, offered at our St. Louis-area clinics.
Starting ABA
Ask about BCBA supervision, how families help set goals, and which clinic is closest. At AB Spectrum you can:
Talk with care coordination about your child and goals.
We work with Medicaid (MO HealthNet) and major plans and verify your benefits.
Tour one of five clinics in the St. Louis area.
Getting started
Starting ABA therapy at AB Spectrum begins with a Welcome Call, then benefit verification, and then an assessment that shapes your child’s plan. A lead Board Certified Behavior Analyst reviews documentation, completes the assessment, and builds the plan with you. Therapy starts after any required authorization is in place and you have reviewed the plan. The assessment may include tools such as the VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R, and a Functional Behavior Assessment when that is appropriate. Your lead BCBA will explain what is being used and why.
Sessions are one-to-one. A Registered Behavior Technician works with your child in studio-style spaces, using Natural Environment Teaching so goals are practiced in everyday moments. Board Certified Behavior Analysts supervise the work and use data to update goals. Children may be verbal or non-verbal; each plan is tailored to current skills and needs. Most children at AB Spectrum receive 30 to 40 hours of ABA therapy per week. The exact hours are set by your child’s BCBA after assessment, based on clinical need and what insurance authorizes.
Families are part of care, not visitors to it. You help set goals, review progress, and learn strategies that fit home and community routines. We do not promise a particular outcome. Progress varies, and plans change as your child grows.
If you are choosing a clinic, West County families often start in Chesterfield, North County in Florissant, South County in St. Louis, St. Charles County in St. Peters, and Warren County or Wentzville in Wright City. You can visit a clinic and ask about supervision, how families help set goals, and how progress will be shared before you begin. Speech therapy and autism evaluations are also available to families of all five clinics, and speech-language pathologists can collaborate with the ABA team when communication support is also needed. We welcome Medicaid (MO HealthNet) families and work with most major insurance plans. Your out-of-pocket cost is typically your deductible and copays under your plan. Coverage varies, and our intake team verifies benefits before care begins. Schedule a meeting to talk about your child and the clinic that fits your family best. We’re here for you.
Starting ABA therapy is a beginning, not a handoff. After the Welcome Call, assessment, and authorization, your child will have a plan designed and supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. The hours in that plan are based on clinical need and what is authorized. Families should still feel that they understand the goals and can ask why a goal was chosen.
Reggio ABA is our approach to ABA therapy. Sessions are one-to-one. The BCBA and the behavior technician follow your child’s interests and use the studio-style environment as part of teaching, rather than asking a child to sit through a long drill that has nothing to do with what they care about. Data is still taken, and goals are still reviewed. Child-led does not mean unplanned.
You can ask to see how a goal is taught and how progress is recorded. If a teaching method does not sit well with you, say so. We would rather adjust a procedure than have a caregiver feel left out of decisions that affect their child.
Most children who receive ABA therapy at AB Spectrum have a weekday clinic schedule, often in the range of 30 to 40 hours per week when that is what the plan and authorization support. Drop-off and pick-up routines, along with a consistent way to get session notes, help the week feel predictable. If transportation or a sibling schedule makes a certain window hard, tell care coordination early so we can look at options at the clinic you chose or at another of our five locations.
Caregiver involvement can include brief check-ins, scheduled reviews with the BCBA, and practice of selected skills at home when that is helpful and realistic. We will not assume every family can take on the same home practice. Tell us what your days actually look like.
To talk about ABA therapy for your child, schedule a meeting or read more about Reggio ABA and getting started.
We’re here for you.
Five clinics nearby
Reggio ABA is AB Spectrum’s child-led approach that blends evidence-based ABA with the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Children learn through exploration, relationships, and their own interests, with clinical goals guided by ABA.
Chesterfield (14733 Clayton Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63011), Florissant (11753 W Florissant Ave, Florissant, MO 63033), St. Louis / Mehlville (2338 Lemay Ferry Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125), St. Peters (1421 Triad Center Dr, St. Peters, MO 63376), and Wright City (312 Warren Ave, Wright City, MO 63390).
Schedule a meeting for a Welcome Call. Our intake team will talk with you about your child, insurance, goals, and the best location, then help with next steps.
AB Spectrum welcomes Medicaid families and works with most major insurance plans. Coverage depends on your benefits; our intake team helps with verification and authorizations before care begins. See plans we work with.
Yes, reach us at info@abspectrum.org.
Schedule a meeting or find the clinic closest to your family.