Behavioral Services

Behavioral Services

Comprehensive Assessments and Treatment Options

Our Board Certified Behavior Analyst, behavior therapists and psychologists can provide assessments and individual treatment/interventions for children with behavior challenges and/or autism spectrum disorder and other special needs.

Behavioral Consultation

We provide behavioral consultation in homes and schools to children of all ages and varying diagnoses.  Our BCBA consults with school staff and/or families around behavioral issues and conduct direct observations of the child in the school/home setting in order to make appropriate service recommendations.

Functional Assessment

Functional behavioral assessment is generally considered to be a problem-solving process for addressing student problem behavior. 

It relies on a variety of techniques and strategies to identify the purposes of specific behavior and to help IEP teams select interventions to directly address the problem behavior. Functional behavioral assessment should be integrated, as appropriate, throughout the process of developing, reviewing, and, if necessary, revising a student’s IEP.

A functional behavioral assessment looks beyond the behavior itself. The focus when conducting a functional behavioral assessment is on identifying significant, pupil-specific social, affective, cognitive, and/or environmental factors associated with the occurrence (and non-occurrence) of specific behaviors. This broader perspective offers a better understanding of the function or purpose behind student behavior. Behavioral intervention plans based on an understanding of “why” a student misbehaves are extremely useful in addressing a wide range of problem behaviors.

Early Intervention (18 months – 3 years old)

Our psychologists and/or behavior analysts conduct a comprehensive assessment to identify functional skills across a variety of domains (e.g., communication, social, play, etc.), and supervise our behavior therapists (who provide the direct services), and collaborate with other early intervention professionals and parents to provide an individualized client-centered treatment.  Our team also provides parent training and supports children in accessing the community.

ABA Therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis)

Applied behavior analysis is a science based on Skinner’s theory of learning that uses behavior techniques to help individuals acquire new basic/complex skills while decreasing/eliminating problematic behavior. The skills we target to help children with behavioral issues, ASD, and other special needs are focused on the following areas: communication, social, self-help, visual/perceptual, gross/fine motor, and play.

Our ABA services include initial assessment, development of treatment plan, behavior assistants/caregivers training, implementation of intensive therapy (1:1 ABA therapy), data collection, treatment review, progress report, transitional support and generalization of learned skills across people and settings.

The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) defines behavior analysis as follows:

“The field of behavior analysis grew out of the scientific study of principles of learning and behavior. It has two main branches: experimental and applied behavior analysis. The experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) is the basic science of this field and has over many decades accumulated a substantial and well-respected research literature. This literature provides the scientific foundation for applied behavior analysis (ABA), which is both an applied science that develops methods of changing behavior and a profession that provides services to meet diverse behavioral needs. Briefly, professionals in applied behavior analysis engage in the specific and comprehensive use of principles of learning, including operant and respondent learning, in order to address behavioral needs of widely varying individuals in diverse settings. Examples of these applications include: building the skills and achievements of children in school settings; enhancing the development, abilities, and choices of children and adults with different kinds of disabilities; and augmenting the performance and satisfaction of employees in organizations and businesses.”

Endorsement of the ABA

Surgeon General Endorses Behavioral Intervention for Autism

United States Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, has endorsed intensive behavioral intervention for individuals with autism. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General states:

“Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior.”

The report is available on the world wide web here.

School Shadow

Our behavior therapists under the supervision of a BCBA provide individualized assistance in the classroom in order to help the child improve attention span and on-task behavior for a more productive and positive school experience. Our BCBA consults with classroom staff and provides training and specific recommendations to help the child decrease behaviors that may interfere with learning.

Behavior Management Plan

Our Behavior Specialist or Psychologist will meet with the family to discuss the child’s behavior challenges and will observe the child in the setting where the behavior occurs.  Once the observation and intake with the family is complete, the clinician will make recommendations to begin interventions so that the inappropriate behavior can be addressed.   Services will take place at the child’s school, or home as recommended.

Parents and/or teachers are required to participate in implementing the strategies and recommendations so there is consistency in treatment.

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