Starting ABA means sharing a lot about your child: a diagnosis report, insurance details, questionnaires about behavior and daily life, sometimes school records. It is reasonable to ask where all of that goes. This page explains what Hope Center for Behavior Change asks for and why, what privacy documents you receive, who sees your child's information, and the rights Florida and federal law give you over your child's records.
What does Hope Center ask for, and why?
We ask for information at three points, and each has a purpose.
| Step | What we ask for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Website form or first call | Your name, phone, email, insurance, whether your child has a diagnosis, how soon you want to start, and your location | To contact you, check whether we can serve your area, and start a free benefits check |
| Intake package | Initial documents, such as your child's diagnosis report and insurance cards | To complete intake and verify your benefits with your insurer |
| Assessment | Online diagnostic questionnaires you complete, and what the BCBA learns in the 2 to 4 hour assessment | To write your child's treatment plan and send it to your insurer for approval |
The website form is for first contact only. Please do not send medical records or detailed health information through the website; ask us how to send documents once intake starts. Our website privacy policy explains what the site itself collects, what it does not collect, and how to ask us to delete an inquiry.
What privacy documents will I receive?
- A privacy statement in your intake package. Every family receives it with the intake documents, before services start. Read it before you sign anything, and keep a copy.
- Our Notice of Privacy Practices, on request. This notice explains how health information may be used and disclosed and what rights you have. Ask for it by calling 561-337-8865 or emailing office@hopecenteraba.com, or ask during intake.
Under the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR 164.520), a health care provider that treats you directly must give you its notice no later than the first day of service and make a good faith effort to get your written acknowledgment that you received it. You can ask us for a copy at any time. If anything in the privacy statement or notice is unclear, ask us before you sign.
Our clinical director, Aisha Albright-Jourdan, MSW, LCSW, BCBA, is responsible for privacy at Hope Center. Send privacy questions to office@hopecenteraba.com.
Who sees my child's information?
Here is who typically sees your child's information, and why.
- Your child's care team. The RBT who delivers sessions, the BCBA who writes the plan and supervises, and the clinical director, who reviews every plan before it goes to insurance.
- Your insurer. To verify benefits and approve the treatment plan, your insurer receives the plan and supporting documents such as the diagnosis report.
- School, doctors and others, with your consent. If you want our staff to join an IEP meeting or talk with your child's pediatrician, you will be asked to sign a release first.
The BACB Ethics Code, which every BCBA follows, says behavior analysts protect confidentiality across sessions, documentation, data and every kind of communication (Code 2.03). They share confidential information only with informed consent or in limited situations, such as protecting someone from harm or when the law or a court requires it, and even then they share only what is needed (Code 2.04). RBTs follow similar rules, including not sharing photos, videos or other identifying information about clients on social media or websites (RBT Ethics Code 2.09). On our website, images are stock or AI-generated unless a parent has given written consent for a real photo.
What rights do I have to my child's records?
Several laws give parents rights over a child's records. They overlap, and which one applies can depend on who wrote the record and what kind of record it is. In plain terms:
- Florida's Parents' Bill of Rights. Parents have the right to access and review all medical records of their minor child, unless the law prohibits it or a law enforcement agency asks that records be withheld because the parent is being investigated for a crime against the child (Fla. Stat. 1014.04(1)(f)).
- Florida's patient records law. A practitioner licensed by the Florida Department of Health must give copies of records to the patient or their legal representative on request, in a timely manner and without delays for legal review. For psychotherapy records under chapter 491 (which covers licensed clinical social workers), the practitioner may provide a report instead of copies. Copies cannot be held back because a bill is unpaid (Fla. Stat. 456.057).
- Federal HIPAA right of access. You have a right to inspect and get a copy of health information in a provider's designated record set, with exceptions such as psychotherapy notes. The provider must act on your request within 30 days, with one extension of up to 30 more days if it explains the delay in writing (45 CFR 164.524).
- Divorced or separated parents. Under Fla. Stat. 61.13, either parent may access a child's medical, dental and school records, including talking in person with providers, unless a court order restricts it. Your parenting plan may also say who makes health care decisions. See co-parenting and ABA consent in Florida.
This is a general explanation, not legal advice. For questions about your family's situation, such as a custody order, talk to a Florida family law attorney. Our guide on your right to your child's ABA records and data goes deeper, and Florida's Parents' Bill of Rights and consent for therapy covers consent.
How do I ask for my child's records?
- Put the request in writing. Email office@hopecenteraba.com with your child's name, your relationship to your child, and what you need (for example, the current treatment plan, progress reports, or session data for a date range).
- Say how you want them. Paper or electronic, and where to send them.
- If you are sending records to someone else, such as a new provider, school or doctor, say so. You will be asked to sign an authorization.
- Ask about timing and any copy costs when you make the request.
If you share custody, have your parenting plan or court order ready in case we need to check who can consent or receive records.
What questions should I ask about privacy?
- Can I have a copy of the privacy statement and the Notice of Privacy Practices to keep?
- How should I send my child's diagnosis report and other documents?
- Who on my child's team will see my child's records?
- What will be shared with my insurer, and when?
- How do I give, or take back, permission to share information with my child's school or doctor?
- How do I request copies of my child's treatment plan, progress reports or data?
These are good questions to ask any provider. Our checklist of documents to start ABA lists what to gather before intake.
Ready to start?
If you have a privacy question before you share anything, call 561-337-8865 or email office@hopecenteraba.com. When you are ready, request a free consultation and benefits check. Our new families page explains each step from the first call.