This comparison draws in part from “Raven Health Presents: [ABA Startup Success 101] How to Get Your Practice Started” by Tim Crilly, BCBA (BehaviorLive), and extends it with peer-reviewed research from our library of 27,900+ ABA research articles. The decision framework, BACB ethics code references, and cross-links below are synthesized by Behaviorist Book Club.
View the original presentation →One of the most consequential decisions a behavior analyst makes is not just what intervention to use, but how to approach the clinical question in the first place. For raven health presents: [aba startup success 101] how to get your practice started, the difference between an evidence-based, individualized approach and a traditional, protocol-driven one can significantly impact outcomes.
This guide lays out the key factors side by side to support your clinical decision-making.
| Factor | Evidence-Based Approach | Traditional Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Startup Capital Required | Home-Based Practice: Minimal facility costs — no lease, no buildout, no center infrastructure. Primary startup costs are insurance, licensing, technology, and initial staff compensation. | Center-Based Practice: Significant facility costs — lease deposit, buildout for therapy rooms, observation windows, waiting area, and sensory-appropriate spaces. Total startup costs can range from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. |
| Clinical Programming Options | Home-Based Practice: Best suited to parent training, naturalistic environment teaching, and individualized skill acquisition programs. Limited group instruction and peer interaction programming capacity. | Center-Based Practice: Full range of clinical programming including group instruction, structured peer interaction, school-readiness programming, and controlled naturalistic environment design. |
| Staff Model | Home-Based Practice: Staff travel to client homes — higher transportation costs, geographic constraints on scheduling efficiency, and supervision that requires travel or remote oversight. | Center-Based Practice: Staff are in one location — supervision is more efficient, group programming is feasible, and staff can cover for each other more easily during absences. |
| Family Accessibility | Home-Based Practice: Higher accessibility for families with transportation barriers, families of young children who need nap schedules, or families in rural and suburban areas without nearby center access. | Center-Based Practice: May present transportation barriers for some families; families must travel to the center, which affects who can realistically access services. |
| Scalability | Home-Based Practice: Scales through hiring additional staff and expanding geographic reach, but scheduling efficiency plateaus as travel time increases. Natural ceiling on caseload density per geographic area. | Center-Based Practice: Scales through optimizing scheduling density within the facility and expanding to additional sites. Center capacity is defined by space, which creates a planning horizon for when expansion is needed. |
| Clinical Quality Control | Home-Based Practice: Treatment integrity monitoring requires in-person supervisor visits to client homes or remote monitoring technology — both have logistical and cost implications. | Center-Based Practice: Treatment integrity monitoring is easier because sessions occur in a shared facility where supervisors can observe directly, review data in real time, and respond immediately to implementation concerns. |
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ on-demand CEUs including ethics, supervision, and clinical topics like this one. Plus a new live CEU every Wednesday.
Use this framework when approaching raven health presents: [aba startup success 101] how to get your practice started in your practice:
Does the data support a need for intervention? Is there a meaningful impact on the individual's quality of life, safety, or access to reinforcement?
YES → Proceed to assessment NO → Document reasoning, monitor
A functional assessment should guide intervention selection. Avoid defaulting to standard protocols without individual analysis. Consider environmental variables, setting events, and private events.
YES → Select evidence-based approach matched to function NO → Complete assessment first
Goals should be co-developed. Assent and informed consent are ethical requirements. The individual's preferences and values matter in selecting both goals and methods.
YES → Proceed with collaborative plan NO → Engage in shared decision-making
This course covers the clinical and ethical dimensions in detail with structured learning objectives and CEU credit.
Raven Health Presents: [ABA Startup Success 101] How to Get Your Practice Started — Tim Crilly · 0.5 BACB General CEUs · $0
Take This Course →We extended this decision guide with research from our library — dig into the peer-reviewed studies behind each approach, in plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
0.5 BACB General CEUs · $0 · BehaviorLive
Research-backed educational guide
Research-backed answers for behavior analysts
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.