Around 22% of people residing in the United States speak a language other than English at home. That’s millions of people who likely speak English as a learned language. In general, those people often find it difficult to get full access to healthcare resources. Language can be a barrier to proper healthcare, and especially when it comes to kids, we need to take that barrier down.
That’s why ABA Engine has designed an automated scheduling and intake platform that does the translation work to improve accessibility for ABA clinics. You should never have to turn clients away because of a language barrier.
ABA therapy is difficult enough for English-speaking households to access. Parents need to recognize signs of autism and related behavioral disorders. They need to get a diagnosis from a pediatrician or specialist. Then, they need to know about ABA therapy and find a clinic. This process becomes all the more difficult when English is a learned language.
Non-English-speaking parents will have to find someone who can explain ABA therapy and its benefits. They’ll also have to get help finding a clinic that can help them.
Why is this a problem?
Language barriers impact therapy effectiveness because communication is the central element of clinical progress. If the child and parent don’t understand what is happening, it will be challenging to move forward. Engagement levels will be low, and productivity will follow.
Further, it’s difficult to impossible for the clinic to run efficiently if intake forms and schedules cannot be properly managed because of a language barrier.
For this reason, it’s critical to have ABA therapy language translation. This includes a therapist on hand who can communicate effectively with clients. It’s also necessary to have multilingual ABA intake forms and messaging systems that can translate between clients and the clinic.
That’s where ABA Engine comes in. Founder Erica Kinnebrew understands on an intimate level the importance of communication in ABA clinics. Having spent time on the front lines, she saw the powerful progress that can happen when a therapist, a client, and a parent work well together. And she realized how important language is in that communication progress.
For this reason, she ensured ABA Engine would have the capacity to translate languages for clients. Here’s how the language translation feature works:
In the parent portal, parents and clinic staff can communicate in their own languages. For example, if an admin speaks English and a parent speaks Spanish, each can message in their own language, and then the recipient can translate the message into the language they can read.
A therapist can send an extensive therapy plan to a parent in English. Upon receiving the plan in the parent portal, the Spanish speaking parent can simply hit the “translate” button, and the entire plan will convert to Spanish. That way, there will be no misunderstandings, and everyone is on the same page.
ABA patient communication tools are key to better relationships between clinics and clients.
Intake forms, permissions, authorizations, and more are all a critical piece of a functioning ABA clinic. Without the proper forms, authorizations can be withheld, and the wait for therapy can be extended.
ABA Engine closes these gaps by ensuring all forms and documents are easily translatable to the client’s language preference. Families can complete the forms in their native tongue, and the client can see a therapist at a streamlined pace.
Scheduling and reminders are pretty much useless if the client doesn’t understand the message they receive. These critical updates can save time, money, and headaches by ensuring both the client and the clinic are on the same page.
That’s why ABA Engine allows the client the option to choose their language preference in their portal. When an ABA clinic sends out an appointment reminder or any other update about an appointment, it will arrive in English, but can be quickly translated to the client’s preferred language.
The benefits of language translation are plentiful, across the board, for multiple reasons. There are few to no downsides to being able to communicate with others. In ABA clinics, it’s even more beneficial because of the positive impact ABA therapy can have on clients. Here’s how ABA multilingual software benefits everyone involved:
When clinics understand clients and can communicate with them in their own language, it expands the clinic’s reach. You can have an even greater impact because you can target any and all children with early diagnoses of autism and related behavioral disorders for therapy.
When you do have clients who speak another language, you’ll reduce miscommunication and misunderstandings. This facilitates a stronger relationship with your clients and builds trust in your community.
These benefits will enhance efficiency and improve accessibility for ABA clinics.
When parents can communicate and complete forms, they can feel confident they’re in the right place. There’s a natural feeling of loss and confusion when you don’t understand part or all of what’s happening. This is especially true in a healthcare setting.
When you can improve accessibility for ABA clinics to non-English-speaking families, you provide a tremendous benefit to parents seeking help for their children.
Finally, when clients can communicate with their therapists in a language they understand, they are more likely to make progress. Even if it’s just a matter of forms, messaging, and updates, the child will feel their parents' relief and trust, and they will feel safer and more secure in your clinic. This facilitates a better experience overall, and the client will feel like they are in a more inclusive and supportive environment.
That kind of ease is essential to productive ABA therapy.Of course, there are even more benefits to ABA clinics when you offer ABA clinic language support.
From a financial perspective, you can expect to save money, time, and energy through:
Each of these benefits creates a streamlined process in the clinic and a better working environment for your staff. You can expect greater staff satisfaction alongside greater client satisfaction. Revenues will go up, and financial losses will drop or go away entirely.
The United States is only becoming increasingly multicultural, which means increasingly multilingual. Plus, the rise of autism and related behavioral disorder diagnoses is only going to continue. This means it is going to become even more important to provide language-accessible ABA services as demand grows.
You can put your clinic at the forefront of helping early diagnoses and ABA therapy to kids with autism and the families who love them.
Integrating ABA Engine’s language translation can make your clinic more accessible, which will make it more competitive. Clients will be clamoring to get the ABA therapy they need from your clinic because you are eager to meet them where they are, in whatever language they might speak.
Ready to improve your clinic’s efficiency and streamline your scheduling process? ABA Engine is here to help!
Clear communication between clinics, parents, and clients directly impacts therapy success. Parents need to understand treatment plans, complete forms, and engage with their child’s care. When language barriers exist, misunderstandings can delay therapy, reduce engagement, and limit progress. Clinics build trust and ensure every family receives the help they need by offering language accessibility.
Parents and clinic staff can communicate in their preferred languages. Through the parent portal, messages, documents, therapy plans, and intake forms can be translated at the click of a button. Nothing gets lost in translation.
Multilingual support helps ABA clinics reduce cancellations and misunderstandings. This leads to smoother operations and better patient retention. It allows clinics to reach more families, improve community trust, and increase efficiency. Clinics can eliminate the need for manual translations. In the end, clinics can grow their client base, boost revenue, and deliver more inclusive care.
Yes! Parents can easily select their preferred language in the ABA Engine platform. While all communication is initially in English, parents can quickly translate messages and forms with a simple button click. This helps parents stay informed and confident throughout their child’s therapy journey.
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