Choosing a Provider

The Questions to Ask on a Clinic Tour

You have a clinic tour tomorrow, you are a little nervous, and you want to walk in looking prepared instead of blank. The problem is you are not sure what to actually ask, so you worry you will nod through it and figure out too late what you missed.

I have finished a tour, gotten to the car, and realized I forgot to ask the three things I most wanted to know. That is exactly why I now walk in with the questions already written down, and why I want to hand you the same list.

This is a script you can bring. It is grouped by what matters, and it tells you how to read the answers, not just what to ask.

The short version

• Bring your questions written down. You are allowed to, and it helps.
• Ask about four things: credentials and supervision, how they measure progress, how they treat your child, and how they bill.
• Notice how they answer, not just what they say.
• Ask the same questions at each clinic you visit, and compare.

A quick, honest note. I am a fellow autism parent with an insurance and benefits background, not a clinician. Nothing here rates or reviews any clinic, and nothing here is medical or legal advice. These are general questions for you to ask and answers for you to weigh yourself, specific to Florida and current as of the date shown; verify anything time-sensitive with the source I point to.

Walk in with the questions already written down

Please do not try to hold this in your head. Print the list or keep it on your phone, and it is completely fine to say, "I jotted down a few questions, do you mind?" A good clinic will be glad you did.

Having the questions written down does two things. It makes sure you actually ask what matters, and it quietly signals that you are an engaged parent who will pay attention, which is not a bad thing for a clinic to know.

The core questions, grouped by what matters

Here are the questions worth asking at any clinic, grouped into the four things that actually tell you about quality. Ask what fits your situation; you do not need every single one.

Credentials and supervision

• Who will work directly with my child day to day, and what are their credentials?
• Which Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will oversee my child's program, and how often are they involved?
• How are the Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) supervised?

How they measure progress

• How will you know whether my child is actually benefiting?
• How often do you review and update goals, and how are we involved in that?
• Can you show me, in general terms, how you track and report progress?

How they treat my child

• What do you do when my child does not want to participate or gets upset?
• How do you individualize the program to my specific child?
• How would you describe your approach: what does a typical session look like?

How they bill

• How does billing work here, and what would I be responsible for?
• Will you verify my insurance, and how do you handle authorizations?
• How is supervision billed?

In one breath, the questions that matter most are: who works with my child and who supervises them, how you will measure progress, what you do when my child is distressed, and how billing works. Ask those four and you have covered the core.

The questions people forget to ask

These are the ones that slip your mind in the moment and matter more than you would expect.

• Staff turnover. "How long do your RBTs typically stay?" Frequent turnover means your child keeps starting over with new people.
• A hard day. "Walk me through what happens if my child has a really rough session." The answer reveals a lot about the culture.
• Parent involvement. "How will you keep me in the loop, and how can I be involved?"
• Billing specifics. "Is there anything I might be billed for beyond my copay or coinsurance?" You are asking so there are no surprises later, not putting anyone on trial.

How to read the answers

The words matter less than the manner. A confident, well-run program tends to answer directly, specifically, and without getting defensive, even when the question is pointed. That ease is itself a good sign.

Watch for the opposite too. Vagueness, deflection to a brochure, or a flash of irritation when you ask about supervision or billing is worth noticing. I am not going to tell you a specific clinic is good or bad, because that is a call I am not licensed to make and you are the one in the room. What I can tell you is that how a clinic handles your questions is real information, and you are allowed to trust what you observe.

How to run the tour so you can actually compare

Do one thing above all: ask the same questions at every clinic. When each program answers the same list, the differences jump out in a way they never would from a single visit.

Take a few quick notes right after each tour, while it is fresh, because tours blur together fast. Then set them side by side. Pair this script with the what-good-looks-like framework and the green-flag and red-flag checklist, and you will be comparing substance, not vibes.

Frequently asked questions

What questions should I ask on an autism clinic tour?
Ask about four things: who works with your child and how they are supervised, how the clinic measures progress, how they respond when your child is distressed, and how billing works. Ask the same questions at every clinic you tour, and pay attention to how directly they answer.

What should I ask about ABA billing?
Ask how billing works, what you would be responsible for beyond your copay or coinsurance, whether they verify insurance and handle authorizations, and how supervision is billed. You are asking to avoid surprises, not to accuse anyone. Clear, specific answers are a good sign.

Should I tour more than one clinic?
Yes, if you can. Touring more than one is the single best way to evaluate, because the same question asked at several clinics makes the differences obvious. A concern you might have shrugged off at one place often stands out once you have seen it handled better elsewhere.

Is it okay to ask about staff turnover?
Absolutely. Ask how long the RBTs typically stay, because high turnover means your child keeps rebuilding trust with new people. It is a fair, practical question, and how openly they answer tells you something too.

Your next step

Grab the free First 90 Days checklist for Florida families to keep the whole season organized while you tour. Then, for the tours themselves, the Clinic-Vetting Toolkit ($29, or $69 for the bundle of three) gives you this tour-questions script in printable form, plus the green-flag and red-flag checklist and the credentials-to-verify list, so you walk in fully equipped.

If cost is the only thing between your family and this help, ask. Every parent should get to walk into a tour prepared.

Sources, verified July 2026. The credential and supervision terms behind these questions (BCBA, RBT, how an RBT is supervised) are grounded through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board; Florida behavior-analysis provider enrollment sits with Florida Medicaid. These are questions to ask and answers for you to weigh, not a rating of any clinic; confirm anything time-sensitive directly with the source.