Show Your Work: Why it Matters to Make Your ABA Session Notes Count

Short Title:  Why it Matters to Make Your ABA Session Notes Count

Original Air Date: June 1, 2026

CEU offered: 1.0 BACB Learning CEU

Webinar Duration: 60 minutes

Instructors:

  • Mariel Fernandez, MS, BCBA, LBA
  • Heather O'Shea, Phd, BCBA-D


Abstract:

In an era of heightened scrutiny from payors, regulators, and oversight bodies, high-quality session note documentation is no longer a routine administrative task—it is a critical component of ethical, clinical, and operational integrity in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Show Your Work: Making ABA Session Notes Count examines how session notes function as the primary narrative linking assessment, intervention, and outcomes, and why incomplete or poorly constructed documentation can jeopardize client care, provider credibility, and organizational sustainability.

This session will explore the essential elements of effective ABA session notes, emphasizing the need to clearly reflect medical necessity, demonstrate active treatment, and align with individualized treatment goals. Participants will learn how to move beyond templated or checkbox-style documentation to produce meaningful, data-informed narratives that accurately capture clinical decision-making, client progress, and any barriers to treatment. The presentation will also highlight common documentation pitfalls identified in audits and investigations, including overgeneralization, lack of individualized detail, and inconsistencies between data and narrative.

Grounded in current compliance expectations and real-world audit trends, this session will provide practical strategies to ensure documentation is both clinically meaningful and audit-ready. Attendees will leave with actionable guidance to strengthen their documentation practices, reduce organizational risk, and ensure that session notes truly “show the work” behind the services delivered.

Learning Objectives

  1.  Identify the core components of high-quality ABA session notes, including elements necessary to demonstrate medical necessity, active treatment, and alignment with individualized treatment goals.
  2. Analyze common documentation pitfalls and audit findings to distinguish between compliant, clinically meaningful session notes and those that present risk.
  3. Evaluate practical strategies to develop clear, data-informed narratives that accurately reflect clinical decision-making, client progress, and barriers to treatment while meeting compliance expectations


Instructor(s)

Mariel Fernandez, LBA, MS, BCBA

Mariel Fernandez is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) licensed in Texas. She earned her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis (ABA) from Auburn University in 2004.  A passionate advocate for improved access to care, Mariel actively supports advocacy, public policy, and legislative initiatives at both the state and federal levels. Since 2008, Mariel has served TRICARE beneficiaries, navigating multiple TRICARE contract and operation manual changes. She draws on these experiences and the relationships she has built through federal advocacy to assist ABA providers in managing T-5 transition challenges across the country. Mariel serves on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) Behavior Analyst Advisory Board and is the President of the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis Public Policy Group (TxABA PPG). In these roles, she played a crucial part in the successful passage of behavior analyst licensure and the inclusion of autism services, including ABA, as part of the Texas Medicaid benefit.

PhD, BCBA-D Heather O'Shea

Dr. Heather O’Shea has spent over 20 years working with families and children with special needs. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology, specializing in services with children and families in the educational, medical, and legal systems. She started her career in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2004 and enrolled in the very first BACB Course Sequence ever offered in California. She left her role as the Chief Clinical Officer at a large national organization in 2020 to join Verbal Behavior Associates (VBA) as President. She is proud to oversee an organization committed to providing evidence-based intervention and specializing in serving clients with profound needs. Her commitment to quality service delivery, ethics, training and mentorship have driven her dedication to the field. Her mission is to impact the field and leave a lasting positive impact on all of those impacted by and committed to improving the lives of those touched by autism. She is also known for creative ways to encourage community. After winning the Spirit Award (aka giant stuffed pickle) at the Autism Law Summit, she traveled the country with it, promoting autism awareness.