Behavior & Beyond offers individualized, 1:1 ABA therapy.  These therapy sessions typically take place in the learner’s home and occasionally in the learner’s school.  The Program Director will write a comprehensive program to meet the individual needs of your child.  The skills targeted in the program will be taught by trained ABA therapists.

What is ABA?

Applied Behavior Analysis is the teaching method derived from the principles of behavior and positive reinforcement.  Teaching sessions are conducted on a 1:1 (learner:therapist) ratio in the learner’s home.  The learning goals, individualized for your student’s needs, are broken down into small, achievable steps.  This allows the learner to feel success and gain access to reinforcement consistently.  Data is taken throughout every session and graphed to allow the Program Director to continually monitor progress.  This teaching method has proven beneficial for many learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD, Autism, Aspergers, ADHD), mental retardation/MR , Down Syndrome, and developmental disabilities.

ABA is used to teach a broad range of skills.  Behavior & Beyond categorizes these teachable skills into six domains – communication, self-management, play, social, academics, and motor.  Please refer to the Programs tab for example skills taught within these domains.  The comprehensive program, written specifically for your child, will have the penultimate goal of teaching your learner “how to learn,” thus allowing for a decrease or termination of specialized services in the future.

Behavior & Beyond utilizes the verbal behavior approach to ABA.  This approach is based on B.F. Skinner’s theory of language and teaches form through function.  In this way, learners are taught to use language to gain access to desired things, people and social satisfaction.  The naturally occurring motivation to communicate is relied upon to teach the learner the functionality of communication.  When communication becomes functional and immediately reinforcing for the learner, he or she will be able to utilize these skills across various settings and people.

How many sessions will my child need?

An individual recommendation will be made to your family based on your child’s age and current skill level.  Typically, learners receiving early intervention under the age of three will benefit from 20-25 hours of ABA per week.  Learners in the three to five age range will benefit from 30 hours or more per week.  Keep in mind that parents and caretakers of the family’s choosing can be trained to provide a portion of these weekly hours.

What are your hours?

We provide ABA therapy sessions Monday through Friday 8:00am – 5:30pm.

How long is a session?

ABA therapy sessions are scheduled in two or three hour increments.  The therapists incorporate language, play, social skills building, self-management, daily living skills and academics into every session.  This keeps the learner engaged and allows for a gradual building of his or her attention span.

Who will provide the therapy sessions?

The Program Director will supervise at least one session every other week so that your child’s progress can be monitored consistently and updates can be made to accommodate that progress.  The other weekly sessions can be provided entirely by Behavior & Beyond’s Interventionists, or your family can work with the Program Director to train people of your choosing.

What ages do you work with?

Behavior & Beyond provides therapeutic solutions to toddlers, children and adolescents.

What are your rates?

Please contact Behavior & Beyond for the current therapy rates of the Program Director and the Line Therapists.

What assessments do you use?

Behavior & Beyond will assess your child quarterly utilizing one of the following assessments:

VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program) assessment by Mark L. Sundberg.  This assessment is a criterion-based assessment that compares your child’s communication and play progress to developmental milestones of typically developing peers.  The VB-MAPP assesses developmental milestones, barriers to learning, and transitions to less restrictive environments and less intensive teaching environments. There is also a more detailed skills assessment and tracking assessment if necessary.

The AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills) is a new assessment to help plan learners of all ages and functioning levels for independent living.

How much progress will my child make?

No one can quantify the amount of progress your child will make.  We will be knowledgeable and flexible when creating and updating your child’s individualized curriculum.  We will maintain high expectations for your child, and we will communicate with your family consistently regarding progress.