If your child is already receiving Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, you may be wondering whether speech therapy is also necessary. It’s one of the most common questions families ask, especially when communication is already being addressed in ABA sessions.
The short answer: ABA therapy and speech therapy both support communication, but they approach it from different angles. When Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and ABA professionals work together, children often benefit from a more consistent and comprehensive approach to learning communication skills.
ABA and Speech Therapy Bring Different Expertise
Although both disciplines may work on communication, each professional brings a distinct lens.
What a Speech-Language Pathologist does
SLPs specialize in evaluating and treating communication. That includes language development, speech sound production, social communication, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Some SLPs also specialize in feeding and swallowing.
What a BCBA does
A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) specializes in how children learn new skills. BCBAs use evidence-based teaching strategies to help children develop a wide range of developmental skills, communication included, and to use those skills successfully across daily routines. You can read more about how BCBAs and RBTs work together to support a child’s progress.
Rather than replacing one another, the two disciplines complement each other by working toward shared communication goals.
| Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) | Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Communication and language development, speech sounds, social communication, and AAC | How new skills are taught, learned, and carried over across settings |
| Example goals | Expanding vocabulary, improving speech clarity, selecting and supporting an AAC system | Teaching a child to request help, building tolerance for waiting, generalizing skills to home and community |
| Where they overlap | Helping a child request, protest, comment, and connect with the people around them | Helping a child request, protest, comment, and connect with the people around them |
Why Collaboration Between ABA and Speech Therapy Matters
Communication doesn’t happen only during one therapy session. Children communicate while eating meals, playing with siblings, getting dressed, going to school, and spending time with their families.
When everyone supporting a child is working toward the same communication goals, that child gets far more opportunities to learn and practice throughout the day.
What collaboration looks like in practice
Working together allows providers to:
- Use consistent communication strategies across settings
- Reinforce the same language goals during therapy and daily routines
- Share observations about what motivates the child and how they communicate best
- Adjust strategies together as communication skills develop
- Give families one consistent set of recommendations instead of two competing ones
This teamwork helps children practice communication more naturally and confidently in the environments where they spend most of their time.
Supporting Every Form of Communication
Communication is much more than spoken words. Some children communicate using gestures, facial expressions, signs, vocalizations, pictures, or AAC. Others use a combination of methods depending on the situation and that’s typical.
If you’re not sure how to recognize your child’s current communication, our guide to how children communicate before they use words walks through what to look for.
When ABA providers and SLPs collaborate, they can make sure everyone is recognizing, responding to, and encouraging communication in consistent ways.
Why Consistency Across Settings Makes a Difference
Children learn best when they have many opportunities to practice new skills. When speech therapists, ABA providers, caregivers, teachers, and other members of a child’s team use similar communication strategies, children receive repeated practice in meaningful, everyday situations.
That consistency makes it easier for children to carry communication skills from one setting to another, a key part of becoming a confident, independent communicator.
Questions to Ask Your Child’s Team
If you’re deciding whether to add speech therapy, these questions can help you get a clear answer:
- What communication goals is my child currently working on in ABA?
- How will the SLP and BCBA share information and align their goals?
- How often will the two teams meet or communicate about my child?
- How will progress be measured, and how will I hear about it?
- What can we practice at home between sessions?
For more, see our list of 5 questions every caregiver should ask their ABA provider.
How Let’s Play N Grow Coordinates ABA and Speech
Every child has unique strengths, challenges, and communication goals. That’s why collaboration between professionals plays such an important role in meaningful progress.
At Let’s Play N Grow, our ABA team works closely with an in-house Speech-Language Pathologist to create coordinated, individualized support for each child. Together, we help children build communication skills across play, daily routines, and natural environments while honoring each child’s unique communication style.
Because both teams work under the same roof, goal alignment happens in conversation, not in reports emailed weeks later. Whether a child communicates through spoken language, gestures, signs, or AAC, our goal is to help them connect, participate, and be understood.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my child receive ABA and speech therapy at the same time?
Yes. Many children receive both, and the two services are designed to complement rather than duplicate each other when goals are coordinated between providers.
Won’t speech therapy just repeat what ABA is already doing?
Not when the teams are aligned. ABA and speech therapy approach communication from different angles; a BCBA focuses on how skills are taught and generalized, while an SLP focuses on the mechanics and structure of language itself. Overlap becomes reinforcement rather than repetition when both teams share goals.
Do we have to choose between ABA and speech therapy?
No. The question is usually not which service, but how the two work together to support your child’s specific communication goals.
Does my child need to be enrolled in ABA at Let’s Play N Grow to receive speech therapy?
Families who are currently enrolled in our ABA services and families who are not can both express interest in speech therapy. Our speech therapy inquiry form asks about your current enrollment status and a member of our team will follow up with next steps.
See Coordinated Care in Action
The easiest way to understand how our ABA and speech teams work together is to walk through the center and watch it happen. Tour our Dallas center or Farmers Branch center, meet the team, and ask the questions above in person.
Ready to talk specifics? Start the speech therapy inquiry form, explore our ABA therapy program, or browse our FAQ.