ASK ARIA
Advice
Letters from families.
July 2026
My Child Lost His Therapist, Then Another, Then Another. Why Did He Learn So Little After a Year of ABA?
A family asks Aria whether an ABA program marked by hundreds of therapy hours, constant staff changes and little meaningful progress represents good clinical care—or warning signs that something is fundamentally wrong with the services being provided. Is this what ABA should look like?
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July 2026
When is my appointment? We wait and we wait. I am tired of waiting on the waitlist.
A family asks Aria what to do while stuck on autism service waitlists—exhausted by referrals and paperwork, worried about lost time, and searching for ways to help their child now instead of only waiting.
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July 2026
My 10-Year-Old Is Well Below Grade Level. What Should I Do?
A family asks Aria what can help their 10-year-old child, who is functioning below grade level and has limited verbal communication, catch up academically and become more successful in school.
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May 2026
My school-age child is struggling academically—where do we start?
A family asks Aria about how to help their school-age child become more successful academically after years of therapies that did not feel very helpful, while now focusing mainly on tutoring, schoolwork, and helping their child catch up in academics.
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May 2026
Why does my child resist schoolwork—and is he just being defiant or lazy?
A family asks Aria why their autistic child resists schoolwork and whether defiance, laziness, or stricter parenting is the answer—thoughtful guidance on motivation, neurodivergence, and school success.
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May 2026
When public school with an IEP isn't meeting my child's needs—what alternatives can we explore, including homeschooling?
A family asks Aria whether their child's IEP school is meeting his needs—and what to explore when resource-room placement isn't working, from placement reviews and advocates to homeschooling and other alternatives.
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May 2026
When you're angry and frustrated with schools and therapists—who can you trust anymore?
A family asks Aria who to trust after years of IEP meetings, therapists, evaluators, and ABA—feeling angry that schools and professionals aren't truly helping their child and exhausted by systems that keep making excuses.
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May 2026
When you've lost trust in the systems that are supposed to help—how do parents keep moving forward?
A family asks Aria how to keep going after years of fighting healthcare, special education, therapies, insurance, and social services—and feeling discouraged, disillusioned, and emotionally exhausted by systems that seem focused on compliance and profits rather than care.
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Have a question of your own?
Families are welcome to submit honest letters about anything that keeps them up at night—including difficult experiences with schools, therapy, ABA, or special education.
Submit a letter to Ask AriaColumns offer general, educational guidance. They are not individualized medical, psychological, diagnostic, educational, or legal advice.
