How much does ABA therapy cost, and why prices differ tenfold
One of the most common reasons parents put off starting sessions is a confusing, wildly inconsistent price. One place quotes something around 100–150 euros a month, another quotes 1,000 or more, and it starts to feel like either someone is charging way too much, or someone is cutting quality way too much. How much ABA therapy actually costs, and where that spread comes from, is a question worth answering concretely rather than with general phrases about an "individual approach".
What actually makes up the price
The price of ABA therapy is almost always the price of a specialist's time, not some abstract "cost of the method". It can include:
- an initial skills assessment (VB-MAPP/ABLLS-R);
- building an individual program;
- the number of session hours per week;
- supervision — quality control of the program by a more experienced specialist;
- feedback between sessions — video review, answering the parent's questions.
A tenfold spread is almost always explained by the fact that cheaper options simply leave part of this list out — not because it isn't needed, but because it wasn't included in the price.
Why the cheaper option isn't always cheaper
There's a trap here that's easy to fall into: a program without a proper initial assessment and without supervision costs less right now, but more often ends up going nowhere — because no one regularly checks whether the plan is working and adjusts it in time. As a result, families end up paying for months for sessions that are broadly safe but don't move the child toward specific goals — and after a year with no measurable progress, they have to start over, from the assessment they could have done from the start.
A cost analysis of early intensive behavioral intervention shows the other side of the question: even though an intensive program costs more up front, according to a Dutch study's calculations it can lead to substantial long-term savings — through reduced later costs for special education and adult support services. That doesn't mean any expensive program is automatically effective, but it does confirm that saving money up front isn't always saving money in the end.
What to look at besides the number on the price list
- Whether the skills assessment is included in the price or sold separately.
- Who supervises the program and how often — once a month or never at all.
- Whether there's feedback between sessions, or you're only paying for the specialist's hours of presence.
- The specialist's certification — BCBA or equivalent, not just "completed a course".
If there's no clear answer to these four questions, you're probably comparing the price of sessions, not the price of a program, and the comparison will be misleading regardless of the final number.
Payment formats you'll find on the market
Hourly payment for individual sessions — flexible, but hard to estimate the month's total cost, and easy to end up without supervision. A monthly subscription with a fixed set of services — predictable, but you need to clearly understand what's included. A multi-month package at a discount — usually implies a more serious commitment from both family and specialist to a long-term plan, rather than one-off sessions.
How much support costs at Sense Behavior
A month of support is 450 euros: skills testing, weekly online meetings with a specialist, video review of sessions with feedback, a team chat with a response within 24 hours, and a monthly progress report. A 3-month full-support package is 1,090 euros instead of 1,350 for paying each month separately: the same components, plus an individual development program for 3 and 6 months and a monthly report with skill charts.
In both formats, supervision and video feedback are included in the price from the start, rather than sold separately — exactly the elements whose absence most often explains why a cheap program doesn't move forward.