During intake at Hope Center, you will be asked to complete some questionnaires online about your child. Parents often wonder why they are needed, how long they take and how to answer when the honest answer is "it depends". This page explains where the questionnaires fit, why your answers matter so much, and practical tips for filling them in accurately.
Where do the questionnaires fit in intake?
Our intake has a set order: you return the initial documents and complete intake, we verify your benefits, there is an initial assessment, you complete parent questionnaires online, and then the plan goes for authorization. The questionnaires are also part of our diagnostic evaluations, which are performed by our clinical director with a supervising licensed psychologist. For an evaluation, the report is usually ready within about a week once you have finished all of the questionnaires.
You can see every step, with timing, on our intake timeline. The questionnaires are one of the steps you control, so finishing them promptly is one of the simplest ways to help your child start sooner.
Why does Hope Center ask parents to fill them in?
You know your child better than anyone. A BCBA or evaluator sees your child for a few hours; you see your child at breakfast, at bedtime, at the grocery store and on hard days. Questionnaires collect that knowledge in a structured way, so it can be compared with what the clinician observes.
Insurers expect caregiver input too. Some examples:
- Cigna (Evernorth) says the ABA assessment must use a current standardized instrument and must involve the primary caregivers.
- Aetna asks for impairment shown on a standardized scale, such as the Vineland-3 or ABAS, within the past 12 months, and expects parent engagement in treatment.
- TRICARE's Autism Care Demonstration requires baseline outcome measures before ABA starts, including a parenting stress index, and repeats them during treatment.
Which questionnaires your family receives depends on your child and the purpose (an ABA assessment, a diagnostic evaluation or both). Ask us which ones you are being sent and what each is for.
How long do they take?
It varies with the questionnaires and with your child. Ask us when they are sent, so you can plan. Some general tips:
- Set aside a quiet block of time, ideally when your child is asleep or with someone else.
- Have your child's reports and your notes nearby.
- If you have to stop, check whether your progress saves before closing the page.
- Do not leave them for weeks. Intake moves on once they are back.
How do I answer accurately?
There are no right or wrong answers. The goal is an accurate picture, so the plan fits your child.
- Describe a typical week, not your easiest or hardest day. If your child can do something only sometimes, choose the answer that says "sometimes", and add a note if there is a space.
- Answer what your child does, not what they can do with help. If your child dresses only when you hand over each item, that is different from dressing on their own.
- Do not soften it. Parents sometimes underreport hard behavior because it feels like a judgment. It is not. Accurate answers help the team plan the right support, and insurers look for evidence of need.
- Do not exaggerate either. Overstating makes progress harder to see later.
- Think across settings. Ask daycare, school or a grandparent what they see if you are unsure.
- Answer in the language you know best. We offer services in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Bengali and Russian. If a question is unclear, call us, and ask whether help is available in your language.
- If both parents fill them in, it is fine for your answers to differ. Children often act differently with different people.
What if a question does not fit my child?
Standardized questionnaires are written for many children, so some questions will not fit. Answer as closely as you can and add a note if there is a comments box. If a question upsets you, that is understandable, especially if it touches on things your child cannot yet do. Remember that the questionnaire measures where your child is today. It is a starting point for goals, not a verdict.
You can also bring questions to the assessment or to weekly parent training, where goals and plans are discussed.
When should I call instead of guessing?
Call us before you submit if:
- You are not sure which child or which age range a form is asking about.
- Your child's behavior changed recently, for example after a move, a new sibling, an illness or a change of school, and you are not sure which period to describe.
- Your child has a medical condition, such as seizures or a hearing problem, that affects how you would answer.
- The link does not work, or you cannot see your saved answers.
A short call now saves a correction later.
Who sees my answers?
Your answers are part of your child's record. Families receive a privacy statement in the intake package, and our clinical director is responsible for privacy. Ask us if you want to know who will see your answers and how they are stored. Florida law also gives parents the right to access and review their minor child's medical records, with narrow exceptions (Fla. Stat. 1014.04).
Insurers may receive information drawn from assessments as part of the authorization request. That is how they decide medical necessity.
What else should I have ready?
The questionnaires go faster if your documents are already together: the diagnostic report, both sides of every insurance card, any doctor's prescription, and any IEP, IFSP or therapy reports. Use our documents checklist. To understand the assessment the questionnaires feed into, see ABA assessments.
Need help with the questionnaires?
If you get stuck, call 561-337-8865 or email office@hopecenteraba.com. If you have not started intake yet, request a free consultation and benefits check, or read our new families page for the full path.