Improving Session Flow, Reducing Materials Costs, and Protecting BCBA Time With FirstWork
How ABS Kids modernized 2D teaching and DTT lesson delivery by replacing the print, laminate, cut workflow with a tablet-based system.
FirstWork allows my team to focus on what's most important, supporting their clients and RBT's. It allows for better allocation of time and a quicker turnaround for programming development, training, and implementation. Clients benefit from this tool by being exposed to various stimuli to improve generalization, increased willingness to learn, and decreased prompt dependencies.
Results at a glance
Overview
ABS Kids adopted FirstWork to modernize 2D teaching and DTT lesson delivery by replacing the traditional print, laminate, cut workflow with a faster, more consistent, tablet-based system.
This case study is based on an interview with Lisa, Director of ABA Services for ABS Kids, responsible for overseeing ABA services at the Camino Del Rio center in the San Diego region. Her perspective reflects both day-to-day clinical realities and the operational requirements of supporting a large, multi-team organization.
In the conversation, the biggest theme was clear: when you remove materials friction, you unlock better session flow, protect BCBA time, and create a smoother learner experience without disrupting existing data workflows.
Materials Prep Was a Hidden Tax on Clinical Time
Before FirstWork, ABS Kids relied on the standard physical materials workflow. BCBAs and other clinical staff were responsible for sourcing stimuli, building teaching sets, and coordinating printing and lamination, often with support from floaters or technicians.
But even when others helped, the workload still landed back on the BCBA team. When you multiply that workflow across a large caseload, the operational drag becomes significant.
Lisa described the core problem simply: materials prep consumed time that clinicians did not have.
“Sometimes it was up to two hours just to create materials for one program, and kids could have 20 to 25 programs at a time in their book.”
With that many programs active at once, the prep demand never really stopped.
What broke in the workflow was not effort or intent. It was capacity. With billing expectations, the amount of time available for workflows outside direct services was too limited to accommodate material preparation time demands.
BCBA Time and Burnout
When asked what internal cost mattered most, BCBA time, RBT time, engagement, fidelity, or supply spend, Lisa was direct: BCBA time was the biggest lever.
Not just because time equals money, but because time equals sustainability. Lisa framed it as a burnout issue as much as an operational one. When non-billable time is limited, every repetitive task competes with higher-value clinical work and with basic recovery time.
The goal was not to make teams work harder. It was to make it easier to spend time where it matters most: clinical initiatives, supervision quality, and avoiding burnout.
What Changed With FirstWork
Improved Session Flow: Faster Pacing and Less Downtime
One of Lisa’s strongest and most consistent points was that FirstWork improved session flow.
With physical materials, learning can become stop and start. Set things up, run a few trials, reorganize, find the next set, reset the field, repeat. That creates downtime between trials that is hard to avoid, especially with larger arrays or complex programs.
With FirstWork, sessions felt faster and smoother, with less friction between trials. In practice, that can mean:
- Less between-trial setup
- Fewer pauses to manage materials
- Better momentum throughout the teaching block
For large ABA teams, this matters because flow is a performance multiplier. When technicians can keep pace steady, sessions tend to feel easier to run, more consistent, and more productive.
Learner Experience: Stronger Motivation to Engage and Easier Transitions
Lisa highlighted learner-facing impact, especially around motivation and engagement.
She shared an example of a learner who struggled with motivation during certain programs.
“He had the skill set, but it wasn’t meaningful for him. When I tested it out with him, he was asking a friend to come over and look at what he was doing.”
Her takeaway was that the format can increase willingness to engage, and it can make transitions into learning easier because the learner is more motivated to start.
For large organizations, smoother transitions reduce the start-up cost of learning. If the learner is motivated to begin, the technician spends less time coaxing and more time teaching.
Trial Delivery Improvements: Pacing and Prompt Support
When asked what improved most in trial delivery, Lisa again returned to pacing, but also noted something clinically relevant. Certain on-screen visual cues can support fading away from reliance on in-person gestural prompts.
In other words, it was not only faster. It supported more consistent instructional delivery in ways that can help learners who become prompt dependent.
“Some kids are motivated just by the ding. They’re motivated to keep going and don’t need that additional secondary reinforcement, and that lets them get more trials in because there isn’t a pause to reinforce.”
Works With Existing Data Workflows, Including CentralReach
A common concern with any new clinical tool is whether it creates friction with documentation and data workflows.
Lisa described this as one of her initial concerns, specifically whether technicians could comfortably view data and move information into CentralReach (CR). During the pilot, she checked directly with technicians about the data piece and the response was straightforward: it was easy and not a barrier.
For large organizations, this is a key point. FirstWork can fit into an established data ecosystem rather than requiring a full rebuild of systems.
Adoption and Training: Minimal Lift for Technicians
ABS Kids did not need heavy or formal training sessions to get staff onboard.
Lisa described onboarding as simple and quick, typically done one-to-one by a BA or BCBA in the natural flow of supervision. The training focused on basic access and how to pull up programs and presets.
“It just takes the BCBA a few minutes. I did it once while supervising a kid. Everything is accessible and user friendly.”
This matters because large ABA providers are constantly training new technicians. If adoption requires a major operational rollout, it can stall. ABS Kids’ experience suggests the opposite. Technicians could get up to speed quickly without slowing down operations.
Cost and Time Impact
Materials cost reduction
ABS Kids measured a 16% reduction in materials-related costs over a 3-month pilot at the Camino Del Rio center, net of software. This reflects decreased reliance on printing and lamination and a reduced need for physical materials production and maintenance.
BCBA time savings
The Camino Del Rio center estimates approximately 2 hours per week saved per BCBA, and approximately 5 hours per week for lead BCBAs. The time impact comes from reduced materials preparation and fewer logistics steps needed to run and maintain 2D programming at scale.
A More Streamlined Way to Implement 2D Programs
FirstWork replaced a workflow that required ongoing materials sourcing, printing, laminating, cutting, and organizing. By moving 2D programs into a digital format, ABS Kids reduced prep steps and made program access more consistent, helping sessions start faster and run with less friction.
Big Takeaways for Large ABA Organizations
Improved session flow
FirstWork reduced downtime between trials and made session pacing feel smoother and easier to maintain, especially in high-volume programming environments.
Cost-positive adoption
ABS Kids achieved measurable savings in materials-related spend, with a 16% reduction in materials-related costs net of software.
Works with existing systems
Technicians could view and use data and maintain existing workflows, including CentralReach practices, without major friction.
Meaningful impact on BCBA admin time and burnout
The largest internal cost ABS Kids cared about was BCBA time. By removing materials friction, FirstWork helped protect limited non-billable time and reduce burnout pressure, with approximately 2 hours per week saved per BCBA.
Better learner experience
Lisa observed improved motivation and willingness to engage for some learners, along with easier transitions into learning and a smoother overall session experience.
“If we were to go back to our previous programming development, our team may have some frustration and certainly need more time to make manipulatives. It would be hard to transition back.”
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