New Study: More ABA Therapy Hours May Not Mean Better Outcomes

A recent study of 725 autistic children has found that receiving more hours of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy doesn't necessarily lead to better overall outcomes. This challenges the common recommendation of 30-40 hours of ABA therapy per week.

What the Study Found

Researchers from the Catalight Research Institute discovered that:

• Children who received more therapy hours often started with greater challenges
• Higher therapy hours helped with specific goals but didn't improve broader life skills
• Reductions in dangerous behaviors happened regardless of therapy hours
• Children getting more hours actually showed slower improvement in some cases

Why This Matters for Autism Families

Many families feel pressure to maximize therapy hours, believing more is always better. This study suggests that autism care should be more individualized rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment hours.

Practical Takeaways

While ABA therapy can be helpful, parents should consider:

• Focusing on quality over quantity of therapy hours
• Working with therapists to create personalized plans
• Not assuming more hours automatically means better results
• Considering their child's individual needs and responses to therapy

Study Limitations

While this was a large study (725 children), it's important to remember:

• Every child with autism is unique
• The study looked at broad patterns, not individual cases
• More research is needed to understand optimal therapy approaches

As researcher Doreen Samelson noted, these findings reinforce that autism care should be individualized rather than driven by rigid hour recommendations.

Read the original study summary (Published Jan 16, 2026)