Meeting the Mark: Writing Medically Necessary ABA Goals That Get Approved belongs in serious BCBA study because it shapes whether behavior-analytic decisions stay useful once they leave a clean training example and enter clinic sessions and day-to-day service delivery. In Writing Medically Necessary ABA Goals That Get, for this course, the practical stakes show up in service continuity, accurate reporting, and defensible clinical decisions, not in abstract discussion alone.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Florida Association of Behavior Analysis
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →In the world of ABA service delivery, one word can make or break a treatment plan: medical necessity. As payers tighten requirements and increase scrutiny, behavior analysts must learn how to clearly demonstrate that their services address clinically significant impairments, not just educational or developmental delays. Using real-world examples, policy excerpts, and case studies, this workshop will demystify what "medical necessity" really means in the context of ABA. Participants will learn how to align treatment plans, goal writing, clinical documentation, and assessments with the specific language and expectations used by payers and policymakers. Special emphasis will be placed on interpreting Clinical Diagnostic Evaluations (CDEs), extracting meaningful clinical data, and writing goals that clearly tie back to functional deficits. We will also explore how to respond when services are denied, how to frame effective appeals, and how to identify when payer decisions may violate state law or policy. Understanding your rights as a provider and your clients' rights to care is essential for ethical and sustainable practice. This interactive session will provide attendees with practical guidance to confidently navigate insurance systems and ensure continuity and integrity in service delivery. Whether you're a newer BCBA or a seasoned clinician, you will leave with actionable tools to improve your documentation, advocate effectively, and protect client access to care.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 3 | General |
| COA | 3 | — |
| FL MH/PSY | 3 | — |
Michelle Castanos is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 19 years of experience in Applied Behavior Analysis. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in special education from the University of North Florida. Her journey into ABA was inspired by her cousin, Miguel, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 1997. Michelle began her career as a technician in 2004, starting at the age of 18. By 2007, she founded a company offering behavioral-based babysitting services for children with Autism. Over time, this venture has grown into what is today South Florida Behavior, a comprehensive pediatric ABA center with locations in Miami, FL, and Weston, FL. In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavors, Michelle is one of the founders of THRIVE, the first post-secondary college support program for degree-seeking students with ASD in Florida, situated at the University of North Florida. She has also worked on mobile crisis teams and in institutional settings for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and dual diagnoses. Presently, Michelle serves as the President of SOFABA, the South Florida Chapter of FABA. She is also the founder and moderator for the Florida Medicaid ABA Facebook forum and is an elected Member-at-Large on the FABA board, completing her final year of her three-year term.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
You earn CEUs from a dozen different places. Upload any certificate — from here, your employer, conferences, wherever — and always know exactly where you stand. Learning, Ethics, Supervision, all handled.
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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.