What We Took Away From the Malaysia ABA Conference 2025
Written by Eugene Tng, QASP-S, Programme Director at ABA LABS
In February 2025, our founder Eugene Tng attended the Malaysia ABA Conference 2025 at Sunway University, organised by MABA. Over two days, behaviour analysts, therapists, educators and service providers from across the region came together under the theme Connecting the Past, Present, and Future of ABA in Malaysia.
Why We Make Time for Conferences
Applied Behaviour Analysis is a science, and like any science it keeps moving. Research is updated, practices are refined, and what we understood about supporting children five years ago is not always what we know today.
Running a home-based practice means most of our days are spent in living rooms, at kitchen tables and in schools. Conferences like this one give us a chance to step back, hear how others in the region are approaching the same challenges, and bring fresh ideas home to our team and families.
Proud to Be a Sponsor
ABA LABS was one of the conference sponsors, and we're grateful to have supported an event that brings the ABA community in the region together. We also couldn't resist leaving a small "ABA LABS was here" on the signing wall.
The Session That Stayed With Us
One panel discussion focused on how professionals from different disciplines should work together, instead of working independently, because the child's needs have to come first.
It sounds simple, but it is one of the most common gaps families run into. A child might see a behaviour therapist, a speech therapist and an occupational therapist, alongside teachers and doctors. Each professional sees a different part of the child. When everyone works in their own lane, parents end up carrying the load: repeating the same history, juggling separate goals, and trying to make sense of advice that doesn't always line up.
What Working Together Looks Like
When professionals work as one team around a child, a few things change:
Shared goals. Everyone is working towards the same priorities for the child, instead of each setting their own.
Consistent strategies. If a child is learning to ask for help, the same words and approach are used at home, in therapy and at school, so the skill builds faster.
Less pressure on parents. Parents stop being the only bridge between providers and can focus on being parents.
Clearer progress. When information is shared, it's easier to see what's working and adjust what isn't.
What This Means for Your Family
This is how we aim to work at ABA LABS. Where we can, we coordinate with your child's other therapists and school, and we keep parents at the centre of every decision. Your child is one person, not a set of separate referrals.
If your child is seeing more than one professional, here are a few questions worth asking:
Do my child's therapists know what each other are working on?
Are the goals across therapies aligned, or pulling in different directions?
Is there a simple way for providers to share updates and assessment reports with each other?
Are the strategies used in therapy something I can use at home too?
If you're still working out which support your child needs, our guide on ABA, speech therapy or OT is a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Malaysia ABA Conference?
The Malaysia ABA Conference is a gathering for the Applied Behaviour Analysis community, organised by MABA. The 2025 conference was held on 15 and 16 February 2025 at Sunway University, under the theme Connecting the Past, Present, and Future of ABA in Malaysia.
What does a multidisciplinary approach mean in early intervention?
It means the professionals supporting a child, such as behaviour therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers and doctors, work as one team. They share information, agree on common goals and use consistent strategies, so the child's needs come first instead of each discipline working on its own.
Can my child do ABA alongside speech therapy and occupational therapy?
Yes. Many children benefit from more than one type of support. ABA, speech therapy and occupational therapy each focus on different areas, and they tend to work best when the goals across therapies are aligned and the strategies used are consistent.
How can I help my child's therapists work together?
Share reports and progress updates with each provider, ask whether goals across therapies are aligned, and give consent for providers to speak to each other if you are comfortable. Ask each therapist which strategies you can use at home so your child hears the same approach everywhere.
Does ABA LABS work with my child's school and other therapists?
Where we can, and with your consent, we coordinate with your child's other therapists and school so everyone is working towards the same goals. Get in touch with the ABA LABS Therapy Team to talk about your child's support plan.
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