The Next COVID-19 Wave May Be Here but the Applied Behavior Analysis Industry Will Navigate through Successfully
It’s been such a long time since I last wrote an article but I was compelled to as more and more states invoke stricter protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19. The rise in cases and deaths is heartbreaking and these precautionary restrictions are meant to stop those numbers from accelerating and help us get out on the other side of this thing safely.
As scary as more precautionary shutdowns might be for the Applied Behavior Analysis industry, the good news is, the industry as a whole will navigate through this next wave just as successfully as it did the first.
Here’s how I know.
As any good market leader would, CentralReach — the leading provider of ABA software and services — has taken a very data-driven approach to understanding how the ABA market and our customers are navigating through the pandemic holistically, and thanks to author, Dr. Kerri Milyko, BCBA-D, LBA (LV), we recently published a State of the Industry report on our findings.
Stay at Home Orders March & April 2020 — US | CentralReach
While there was an initial panic when states first began closing down in March/April, the ABA industry quickly got creative by establishing a hybrid model and offering both telehealth and in-person services, adjusting in-center and at-home protocols, refocusing employee time on virtual learning objectives to ensure continued (but safe) productivity, and more much. The result? A checkmark recovery. The industry came back stronger in many cases even beyond the August 2020 data and it further cemented the essential nature of ABA and related services for autism care at a time when behavioral health patients were and are constantly weighing the benefits of services against the risks of COVID-19.
In closing, while I recognize that getting through the first wave wasn’t easy and getting through the next one won’t be either, if practices stay focused on the data and trends, apply past learnings around business and care continuity, stay smart, and be agile, then navigating through this next COVID-19 wave will be manageable and most practices will likely come back even stronger when all is said and done. You’ve got this.
Stay safe, healthy, and sane!
This article is my opinion and my opinion alone. The findings in this article and related reports are applicable to the Applied Behavior Analysis industry but the concepts can be transferable.
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