What Should a Written ABA Contingency Contract Include?

Build a complete clinical agreement

Use plain language and an accessible format. Name the response or task, context, start and end, supports, number or schedule of opportunities, partner action, outcome, measurement, and review date. Include what happens after errors, missed partner steps, unavailable materials, withdrawal, or a setting change.

Write both sides of the arrangement

A one-sided list of client duties hides the system. Record what caregivers, clinicians, teachers, employers, or other partners agree to provide, including cues, materials, time, privacy, communication access, feedback, and the stated outcome. Assign an owner and timing to each commitment.

Keep professional scope clear

The BACB outline lists contingency contracting as examination content and also covers measurement, client-informed goals, risk, and evaluation. The Ethics Code addresses understandable communication, client involvement, consent and assent when applicable, service agreements, and documentation. Neither source turns a clinical plan into a universal legal contract.

Protect communication and individualized care

The ASHA AAC portal supports continuous access to communication tools. The CASP public summary supplies high-level individualized ABA treatment scope for autistic people. It does not prescribe this template. The person needs an accessible way to ask questions, revise a term, pause, or leave the arrangement.

A practical example

Sora wants a smoother museum-volunteer setup. The agreement names three setup steps and the coordinator's duty to have the labeled cart ready. After each complete setup, Sora chooses the first exhibit task. Across six shifts, the cart is ready five times; Sora completes all steps on those five and asks to pause on the sixth.

Questions families can use

Whose goal is named? What does each person do? Which support stays available? What follows the action? Are missed partner steps visible? How can the agreement change or end?