BEHAVIOR THERAPY

Prior to beginning services, the BCBA will complete a functional behavior assessment (FBA) to identify the individual's behavioral challenges. The process spans across several days and includes a review of relevant medical records, a parent interview, an in-person observation, and various other assessment tools. After analyzing the results of the assessment, the BCBA will select goals that are socially significant to the client, recommend an appropriate number of hours per week to achieve these goals, and design a comprehensive program to support the client's needs.

The first few sessions will be dedicated to building rapport with the individual and conducting various forms of preference assessments to determine what items or activities they find interesting. Once the therapist has a good understanding of the client's likes and dislikes, they will begin presenting learning opportunities to the individual and enforcing reasonable boundaries. Acquisition data will be collected to track the client's progress on specific skills and reduction data will be collected to determine whether the intervention is reducing engagement in hazardous behaviors. In addition to the direct therapy sessions, the BCBA will supervise a portion of the weekly sessions and implement program modifications to further tailor the program to meet the client's ever-evolving needs. Also, the BCBA will schedule sessions with the guardians, siblings, or other caregivers of the client to ensure that everyone involved in the client's care understands how to support them through their program. 

The speech language pathologist (SLP) will complete an assessment to evaluate the individual's abilities across various areas including language, articulation, fluency, and voice. The assessment includes a parent interview, an in-person observation,  and formal and informal assessment tools. After analyzing the results of the assessment, the SLP will select goals and recommend an appropriate number of sessions a week to achieve these goals. 

The speech language pathologist (SLP) will work one-on-one with the individual in the clinic environment.  Play-based activities and structured speech/language activities will be utilized to target the individual's goals.  The family will receive guidance on implementation of strategies to carry over speech and language skills in the home environment.