Client Informed Intervention

Individualized Services
When you choose to work with us, that choice is an honor and we take our role seriously.  We make every effort to identify the primary caregivers, clinicians, and educators currently in your child’s life, as well as the environments in which they live, learn, and play, to create a right-fit intervention that makes sense and fits your child’s needs as well as your family culture. 

The Role of the Family
Families have a wealth of input that can be invaluable in selecting from the range of possible interventions.  You have seen your child through assessments and over obstacles, and you have a rich picture of what interventions have worked and what have not.  Consulting with you as parents and caregivers allows us to be efficient and effective in our problem solving process.  Additionally, it is critical to understand the cultural values and preferences that inform the way each individual is situated in the world, and it is essential that we acknowledge the importance of supporting the child in the context of the world in which he or she will live.  

The Role of the Child
It is beneficial to the whole team when the child herself can have a role in the process.  At the very least, the client can help us understand her preferences, but at the most, the child can be an active member of the team, helping direct goals and objectives and opinions related to which approaches would be preferred, and therefore more likely to succeed.

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Initial Assessment

We begin with an initial consultation that involves:

• interviews with key stakeholders, including family members, school personnel, and outside care providers and clinicians 
•  a preliminary assessment of the environment to identify strengths, available resources, and areas of need
•  a direct observation of the child in a variety of environments, which may be brief or may span several sessions
• a comprehensive file review to gain an understanding of the child’s history, to identify what interventions have been implemented and to what level of benefit to the client 
• identification of key target behaviors, which may be skills to increase or behaviors to reduce
• a review of any data collection systems that may already be in place and the results of that data 
• gathering, collecting, and interpreting data of our own if necessary

Functional Behavior Assessment

An FBA includes a detailed write up of our observations, as well as a summary of the child’s history, and relevant information gathered from interviews, assessments, and available data. We present an analysis of current adaptive functioning, hypothesized function(s) of the target behavior(s), and we offer initial recommendations for immediate treatment goals across a range of adaptive domains.  The recommendations include both generalized strategies for overall success, as well as specific recommendations related to target behaviors.  

We submit our assessment to your insurance provider requesting approval to provide intensive ongoing ABA based services to you and your child in your home and in the community.  Some families receive approval for an hour or two per week, and others qualify for up to 30 combined hours weekly, to be divided between direct BCBA supports and intensive individualized instruction and support from a Behavior Therapist.

Once we are approved to provide services, we offer a comprehensive plan that includes prevention strategies to set the occasion for learning and success, as well as response strategies designed to address interfering behaviors effectively if and when they occur.  We teach functional replacement strategies in a relationship and motivation based model.  These recommendations are based on an understanding of the strengths and available resources within the child’s environment, as well as suggestions for modifying the environment for greater outcomes.​

The Program Book

Once the number of hours of service and the treatment model is agreed upon, each child receives a comprehensive treatment plan, including programming for acquisition of skills across a variety of domains, including :

• communication 
• community use 
• pre- or functional academics 
• home living 
• health and safety
• leisure skills 
• self-care
• self-direction 
• social skills
• motor skills

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The teaching model is a combination of highly structured table based sessions, as well as play based intervention styles, to take place in a variety of settings, including the home, the center, and ultimately, the community.  Each program begins with positive relationship building and a preference assessment to identify each child’s likes and dislikes, so we know how to motivate them and reward positive efforts in ways that are meaningful and highly individualized.  We provide data collection systems based on ease of use and quality of information gathered.  We review data regularly, make recommendations, and adjust the plan as necessary.  ​

Caregiver Training and Collaboration with Schools, Centers, and other Providers

We believe strongly that collaboration is the key to success, and we like to work honestly and closely with the team in order to formulate the logical next steps.  The result of this collaboration is a “right-fit” intervention that meets the needs of the client and fits the capabilities of the environment.  
 If needed, we provide tools to support skills acquisition and enhance motivation, both for the child as well as the support team.  We also offer classroom or home based general positive behavioral support strategies, and the ability to model, train, and support the implementation of such strategies.
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Caregiver trainings and supervision are available related to ABA, including DTT (discrete trial training), PRT (Pivotal Response Training), incidental teaching, understanding and identifying functions of behavior, and social skills and emotional regulation training.  We are able to attend team meetings, and collaborate with outside organizations and service providers.  We pride ourselves in a flexible model that allows for the right level of support for the child, the family, the environment, and the funding model.  
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