Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatment Services

We understand the challenges that exist across school districts due to resources (budget limitations, staffing, training, materials, physical space, time) and incorporate this information when evaluating and treating individuals and their respective programs. Our goal and focus are to always act in the best interests of the individual student, recommending what is appropriate and necessary regardless of the referral source or who is the financially responsible party. We recognize the importance of a student making meaningful educational progress, developing appropriate goals and objectives within an Individualized Education Program (IEP), including attainable criteria for mastery, outlining strategies and supports to address the student’s needs, maximizing meaningful and beneficial time with typical-developing peers, and providing programming in the least restrictive environment.

Independent Expert Evaluations are provided to determine if the child’s educational program (school- and or home-program) is appropriate, if the child is making progress, and what modifications may be necessary. Such evaluations may be initiated following a referral from parents, school district personnel, attorneys, advocates, and/or following legal proceedings. Our integrity, objectivity, and professionalism are maintained regardless of the referral source. Issues of confidentiality, sharing the findings with other parties, anticipated results, and specific procedures are discussed in each case. When necessary, we may be asked to be included in mediation, due process or other legal-related proceedings. Our staff also has experience with facilitating a problem-solving approach among the parties involved in an attempt to minimize or avoid any of these legal proceedings.

Behavior Therapy Associates will develop an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program for an individual classroom and/or an individual child within the school and/or home setting to improve skill areas within any and all developmental areas, as well as to address challenging behaviors. We incorporate data collection procedures, develop operational definitions of target skills / behaviors, and monitor progress via graphs. Any staff member working directly with a child (e.g., ABA therapist, school-based paraprofessional, teacher, parent) can be trained to implement treatment procedures. ABA training will be provided on a 1:1 basis or, when necessary, a workshop will be provided to all staff members who interact with the child. When developing a school and home program, our primary goal is to help a child become as independent as possible within his or her own natural environment.

We will provide on-going consultation to both the school and home ABA programs and make appropriate treatment changes when necessary. This can include developing a new program or modifying an existing program. There is open communication between our professionals and the school district Child Study Team (i.e., personnel working on the child’s behalf) to promote consistency and treatment integrity. When a child is receiving both school and home ABA programs, there is an emphasis placed on parent training and addressing any areas of difficulty that the child may be experiencing during the school day.

Behavior Therapy Associates provides weekly social skills groups at our office and can help schools develop and implement comprehensive social skills programming in the school following best practices in the field. Our sister company, HI-STEP® also provides intensive summer treatment programming for social skills, which has provided Extended School Year (ESY) services for hundreds of children through the years. We also run an intensive weekend overnight program during the summer (Weekend for Improving Social Effectiveness – WISE). Additional services include individual psychotherapy and behavioral parent training to foster social skills. The goal of programming is to assist children to improve their social skills acquisition, performance, generalization and fluency (accuracy and speed).

Supervision is provided on an on-going basis to ensure ABA best practice. Any ABA therapist working directly with a child can be supervised by a qualified Behavior Therapy Associates BCBA. The BCBA will observe the ABA therapist interact with the child and provide constructive feedback to the therapist at the conclusion of the visit. Oftentimes, our staff will model appropriate interactions with the child to train the ABA therapist in various treatment procedures. Reliability data also are collected to promote treatment integrity.

We can provide supervision of individuals pursuing the requirement to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA). We are familiar with the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) standards and regulations for supervision. Depending upon individual needs, supervision may include in-person supervision and/or distance supervision (e.g., telephone / video conferencing). Candidates are encouraged to review the BACB website, specifically the section on Supervised Experience for further information.

Behavior Therapy Associates conducts numerous workshops throughout the year on a variety of topics, including at least the following: Developing an ABA/Autism Classroom in District, Understanding and Treating Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Family Support for Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parents and School Personnel Working Collaboratively, Best Practices for Social Skills Training, Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans, Behavioral Parent Training, Anxiety Disorders, Developing Play Skills, etc. Trainings are provided in various ways: local, national, and international conferences; local and state wide support groups; parent-teacher associations; to personnel at individual schools and throughout a school district; and in other forums depending upon your individual needs.