Yes my son's ABA therapists were able to teach him to label colors, numbers, animals, shapes, and intraverbals (still working on this). Once they got the basic skills such as eye contact, requesting for things, etc., they added more topics to his binder. They would reward his good behavior with goldfish. He started out at 2 with maybe 8 words and now he is well over 150.

Our ABA therapist started our daughter on PECS and sign language because she was non verbal. If I were you I would get another therapist or company. Yes their main goal is behavior but in the lack of communication is causing the bad behavior then it needs to be addressed. That being said you still need speech therapy along with ABA because the speech therapist can refine things.

ABA is for EVERYTHING!!! Literally EVERYTHING and especialyl communication!!! Most (if not all) inappropriate behaviors are communication, so the new skill to be taught to replace the behaviors is communication.

Hi Emily,
By definition, ABA is designed as a behavioral therapy, not a communication therapy. Is your kiddo non-verbal? We used a technique called PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System). What the ABA company can do is work with your son and encourage him to "use his words" or use DDT (or Drill and Kill as I call them) help expand his language. Social skills are a bit harder. Not only is this a core area of deficiency, but even "Social Groups" are hit and miss. The best way we have found to teach social skills is to get your kiddo around and playing with typical kids. By explaining to the typical kids that your son has Autism and needs help to understand how to play with others, helps the typical kids understand why our kiddos act the way they do. The most important aspect of this is "asking the typical kids for their help to teach our kids how to play and how to act". Believe it or not, kids learn better from other kids, so getting the typical kids to help show our kids how to play a game or act when playing a game has a huge impact and is longer lasting.

Thats really strange. ABA should cover a wide range of issues including speech and social skills. Half the reason a lot of ASD kids are aggressive is because they can't effectively communicate. How can you work on behavior without addressing the underlying issue? And yes, ABA techniques can be used very effectively to help promote communication whether verbal or another form like PECS.
Do you think that your insurance is telling her that she can only work on very narrow issues or it won't be covered? I just don't get why she would tell you that. If it were me, I think I would be looking for a different therapist.