A free, independent directory to help New Jersey families find ABA providers — and what I’ve learned about the search along the way.
Over the past several years, I’ve talked with hundreds of parents in the weeks right after their child’s autism diagnosis. The room always had the same feel: love, exhaustion, and a list of new terms that nobody had explained.
And almost every time, one of the first practical questions was some version of: “The doctor said we should look into ABA. Where do we even start?”
I never had a good answer. Not because the providers didn’t exist — New Jersey has hundreds of them — but because there was no single, trustworthy place to see who they were, where they worked, and how to reach them. So I built one.
The problem: a search that shouldn’t be this hard
Here’s what a family typically faces when they start looking for ABA therapy:
- Insurance directories that are out of date, list providers who aren’t taking new clients, or bury ABA among hundreds of unrelated listings.
- Google searches dominated by paid ads and by large national companies, which can crowd out the smaller local practices that might be a better fit.
- Lead-generation sites that look like directories but exist mainly to collect your phone number and sell it — or that list providers in states halfway across the country under your town’s name.
- Word of mouth, which is valuable but uneven. It depends on who you happen to know.
Meanwhile, parents are doing this search at the most stressful moment of their lives, often while waiting lists grow longer by the week. That’s not a fair setup.
What ABAOptions.com is
ABAOptions.com is a free directory of ABA providers in New Jersey. Right now it lists about 250 providers across the state, and families can search by county to see who actually serves the area where they live.
A few principles guide it:
- It’s free for families. No sign-up, no form to fill out before you can see results, no one calling you afterward.
- It’s local. Every listing is a provider serving New Jersey families. If a provider is in the directory under your county, it’s because they serve your county.
- It’s built by a person, not a scraper. My team and I research and review the listings, and we keep in contact with providers to keep information current.
- It’s independent. I’m not an ABA provider, and I don’t refer families to any particular agency. My job is to help you see your options clearly.
A note on ABA itself
I want to be honest here, because families deserve honesty. ABA is the most widely covered autism therapy in New Jersey, and many families find it helpful. It’s also the subject of real debate, including criticism from autistic adults about older, more rigid approaches.
I don’t think a directory should settle that debate for you. What I do think is that if you’re considering ABA, you should be able to compare providers and ask good questions — because the quality and philosophy of ABA programs vary enormously from one agency to the next.
Questions worth asking any provider
When you call a provider you found on ABAOptions.com (or anywhere else), here are some questions I’d encourage you to ask:
- Who will supervise my child’s program? Ask about the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) — their experience, and how often they’ll actually see your child.
- What does a typical session look like? Listen for play, choice, and your child’s interests — not just drills.
- How do you set goals, and how am I involved? Good programs build goals with families and teach parents strategies to use at home.
- How do you handle distress or refusal? A provider should be able to explain clearly how they respect a child’s signals.
- Do you take my insurance, and is there a waitlist? Confirm directly with the provider — and with your insurer — before you start.
- Where are services delivered? In-home, in a center, at school, or some combination.
- How will we know it’s working? Ask how progress is measured and how often it’s reviewed with you.
If a provider is vague or defensive about any of these, that tells you something too.
Why this matters to me
I’ve spent my career at the intersection of autism, education and families — as a special education teacher in the South Bronx, as a professor, as a writer, as someone who built family programs at the Cope Center, and as an autism mom. Again and again, I’ve seen that the hardest part for families often isn’t the decision itself. It’s getting enough clear information to make the decision at all.
ABAOptions.com is one small way to fix that. It’s the first step for a lot of families, and I want that first step to be a good one.
What’s next
ABAOptions.com is growing. We’re continuing to add and verify New Jersey providers, and I’m exploring expansion to neighboring states. If you’re a parent, I’d love to hear what would make the site more useful to you. If you’re a provider in New Jersey and you aren’t listed yet, please reach out.
And if your family needs more than a directory — help thinking through services, school, or what comes after — that’s the work I do at McKenna Autism Consulting. You can book a free 30-minute intake call any time.
Start your search at ABAOptions.com.
— Laura McKenna
