If your child sometimes hits, bolts, bangs their head or throws things, one of your first questions about any ABA provider is: what will staff do when that happens? This page explains Hope Center's safety approach in plain terms: we do not use restraint, we use the least intrusive and safest strategies, and we have a clear plan for the rare times a child cannot be kept safe. It also compares common approaches, so you can ask any provider the right questions.
Does Hope Center use restraint?
No. Hope Center does not use restraint. Our guidance to staff is direct: do not try to restrain. Instead, staff use the least intrusive, safest strategies that keep everyone safe, and they work to understand why the behavior is happening so it can happen less over time.
That fits how we run ABA in general. Our approach is trauma-informed, assent-based and play-based. Tasks are presented in a fun, non-forceful way, and when a child is upset we use therapeutic calming. Our clinical director, Aisha Albright-Jourdan, MSW, LCSW, BCBA, describes our centers as "full of laughing and singing, not crying". More about our philosophy is on our approach page.
What do staff do when a child's behavior becomes unsafe?
When a behavior could hurt the child or someone else, staff move through the least intrusive, safest steps first:
- Remove hazards. Moving dangerous objects out of reach so no one gets hurt.
- Brief response interruption and redirection. Briefly interrupting the behavior and guiding the child toward something safer, such as a calm space, a preferred activity or a way to ask for a break.
- Therapeutic calming. Helping the child settle with calming techniques, using what the team knows works for that child.
The specific steps for your child are written by the BCBA, based on the assessment. If behavior is a concern, the plan usually includes understanding what triggers it and what it does for your child, then teaching safer ways to meet the same need. See what a functional behavior assessment is.
What happens if a child cannot be kept safe?
If a child cannot be kept safe with these strategies, the step is to call 911. Then the situation is reported to the child's behavior analyst, who returns the call within 24 hours. The same applies at home: if your child cannot be kept safe, call 911, then report it to your behavior analyst.
That callback is the start of a review: what happened before, what helped, what did not, and whether the plan needs to change. For planning at home, read a home safety plan for aggression.
Under Florida's Baker Act, "mental illness" does not include a developmental disability, so autism by itself is not a basis for an involuntary examination (Fla. Stat. 394.455). If you call 911, tell the dispatcher your child is autistic and how they communicate.
How do different safety approaches compare?
Providers and programs handle unsafe behavior in different ways. This table compares common approaches, so you know what to ask:
| Approach | What it means | At Hope Center |
|---|---|---|
| Prevention | Changing the environment and the demands so unsafe behavior is less likely, and teaching replacement skills | Yes: built into the plan, with tasks presented in a fun, non-forceful way |
| Least intrusive response | Therapeutic calming, removing hazards, brief response interruption and redirection | Yes: our first and main response |
| Physical restraint | Using physical force to restrict a child's movement | No: we do not use restraint |
| Emergency services | Calling 911 when a child cannot be kept safe | Yes: call 911, then report to the behavior analyst, who calls back within 24 hours |
What do the rules say about restrictive procedures?
Florida does not license behavior analysts; the credential is BACB certification. The BACB's Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts sets the standard every BCBA and RBT follows:
- Interventions must "prioritize positive reinforcement procedures" (Code 2.14).
- Restrictive or punishment-based procedures may be recommended "only after demonstrating that desired results have not been obtained using less intrusive means", or when the team decides the risk of harm from the behavior outweighs the risk of the procedure (Code 2.15).
- Behavior analysts must obtain assent from clients when applicable, and informed consent before assessments or interventions and before substantial changes (Code 2.11).
Florida public schools have their own law. Fla. Stat. 1003.573 bans seclusion of students with disabilities in K-12 public schools, limits physical restraint to imminent risk of serious injury, and requires the school to notify parents in writing before the end of the school day when restraint is used. That law applies to schools, not to private ABA providers, but it is a useful benchmark. If your child's school uses restraint, read Florida's restraint rules in schools and the seclusion ban.
Why not use restraint at all?
Restraint can stop a moment of danger, but it does not teach a child anything they can use next time, and it carries a risk of injury to the child and to staff. For a child who has been through hard experiences, being held down can also be frightening in ways that last. A trauma-informed program takes that seriously.
The alternative is not doing nothing. It is planning ahead: knowing the early signs that a child is getting overwhelmed, changing what is around them, offering a way to ask for a break, and teaching skills that make the unsafe behavior less needed. The BACB Ethics Code points the same way, asking behavior analysts to focus on minimizing risk of harm to the client. When something does go wrong, the 24-hour callback from the behavior analyst means the plan is reviewed, not just the incident.
A checklist: questions to ask any ABA provider about safety
- Do you ever use physical restraint or seclusion? If yes, when, and who decides?
- What do staff do first when my child becomes unsafe?
- Will my child's plan include a written safety or crisis section I can read before services start?
- How will you find out why the behavior happens, and how will you teach safer ways to meet that need?
- How quickly will I hear about any incident, and from whom?
- What happens if my child cannot be kept safe?
- How are RBTs trained and supervised for these situations? At Hope Center, BCBAs supervise RBTs weekly.
- How do you respect my child's "no"? (Assent-based ABA)
A provider should answer all of these clearly. Our guide to red flags in an ABA provider lists other warning signs.
How are parents involved in safety?
You get weekly parent training with your child's BCBA, where goals and plans are discussed, including what to do at home when behavior becomes unsafe. You can text or call the RBT, the BCBA or the front desk with questions. If you have a concern about how something was handled, you can raise it with the BCBA first, then the assistant clinical director, then the executive director.
When the time comes to end services, discharge planning starts 3 to 6 months ahead, with a gradual step-down, so safety skills carry over.
Want to talk about your child's safety needs?
If your child has unsafe behavior, tell us on the first call. It helps us plan the assessment. Request a free consultation, call 561-337-8865 or email office@hopecenteraba.com. Our new families page explains how intake works.