Services We Offer

ABA

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a type of therapy that is scientifically driven to promote change in the lives of individuals. 

ABA helps us understand how behavior works, how the environment affects our behaviors and how we learn to engage in specific types of behavior.

ABA can help with:

• language and communication delays
• improving attention
• social skills
• self-help skills (dressing, cooking, bathing, toileting, etc.,)
• play and leisure
• decreasing maladaptive behaviors

The therapeutic techniques used to help patients are individualized to their needs.  This means that no patient’s therapy program will be exactly alike.  Our type of therapy can be applied in any setting where there is a clinical need.  This can include but is not limited to; the home setting, the school setting, the grocery store setting, any other areas in the community.  Skills can be taught 1:1 (one to one) where the child is taught individually by their therapist.  Clients can also be taught in a group setting when there is a need for the child to improve in their social skills.

ABA uses positive reinforcement to motivate behavioral change.

Every ABA program will be designed and supervised by a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA).  The BCBA will do on-going program supervision and make individualized changes as needed for the benefit of the client. Only scientifically validated clinical techniques will be used to help all clients. 

ABA uses a collaborative approach to help all clients reach their full potential.  A collaboration between other professionals, and the client’s family will be done.  Families will be taught the therapeutic techniques to be implemented outside of session to keep clinical interventions consistent during therapy hours and outside of therapy hours. 

Each client’s progress will be monitored through the collection of on-going data.  This data will be the evidence to showcase the clinical improvement of each client.  Once the client shows consistent improvement, the BCBA and family can discuss the potential to begin the process of fading clinical services.

 

FBA

A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) is a process in which maladaptive behaviors are identified as well as interventions for helping improve the identified maladaptive behaviors.  Each FBA is individualized and tailored to the needs of each client.

Information will be gathered to help identify the function of the behavior.  Antecedents (what happens before the behavior), and consequences (what happens after the behavior) will also be documented to help identify what is maintaining the maladaptive behavior.

Once the maladaptive behaviors are documented, and the function of the behavior is determined replacement behaviors will be recommended to help decrease the maladaptive behaviors. Other clinical goals will also be recommended to aide in skill deficits.   

An FBA process can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks, but it can vary depending on the insurance. Other factors that can be an influence can be family limited appointment availability, or insurance approval delays.

Typical recommendations that are usually given in an FBA can include:

• 1:1 direct services
• Supervision
• Parent Consultation
• Social Skills Group

Please note that as much as Vivid Minds Therapy would love to help everyone, not all FBAs will result in a recommendation for clinical services.

1:1

1:1 (Direct) therapy will be provided to all clients on an individual basis by a trained Behavior Interventionist (BI).  The behavior interventionist will have the responsibility to implement therapeutic techniques designed by the BCBA to bring about behavioral modification.  The behavior interventionist will also be responsible for collecting data to monitor each client’s on-going clinical progress. All behavior interventionists will receive on-going supervision by a board certified behavior analyst. Direct therapy can help with different skill deficits such as:

 

• language and communication delays
• improving attention
• social skills
• self-help skills (dressing, cooking, bathing, toileting, etc.,)
• play and leisure
• decreasing maladaptive behaviors

 

1:1 therapy can be conducted in different settings such as:

• Home setting
• School setting
• General community areas

 

Parents are required to be present for the entire time that direct therapy takes place. Parent participation is also required so parents can acquire the clinical skills to be implemented outside of session.

 

Supervision

Program supervision will be done by a board certified behavior analyst for all clients.  The BCBA will ensure all programs are being implemented with high fidelity by all behavior interventionists and parent consultants.  On-going supervision will also ensure clients are being taught optimal learning techniques to reach their full potential. BCBAs will have the responsibility to make any necessary program modifications for the benefit of each client.  Supervision services can be conducted in different environmental areas such as (but not limited to):

• Home setting
• School setting
• General community areas

 

Parent Consultation

Parent Consultation (PC) is a therapy service given to all caregivers with the purpose of helping them learn clinical strategies to implement outside of session.  All caregivers are required to participate in parent consultation to ensure the consistency of clinical implementation outside of session.  Parent consultation can be done by either a Master’s level professional or a BCBA.  All Master’s level PCs will be supervised by a BCBA to ensure high quality clinical services are being conducted. PCs are required to collect on-going data as evidence of parent participation and skill acquisition level.  PC services can be conducted in different environmental areas such as (but not limited to):

• Home setting
• General community areas

 

Community Outings

Although most direct services will be conducted in the client’s home, community outings will be required once the client has mastered skills in the home setting.  Conducting direct 1:1 therapy out in the community will ensure the client can generalize learned skills across different environments.  This will help ensure the child can use their learned skills independently across different environments.  Community outings will only be conducted upon the approval of the case supervisor. Caregivers must be present for the entire duration of the community outing. 

 

Social Skills Groups

In order to help children acquire the necessary social skills, clients will be required to attend a social skills class at least twice a month.  Clients must first meet the behavioral and skill requirements to qualify to attend the social skills classes.  Social skills classes will be taught in the presence of other children receiving services who also meet the prerequisite skills to attend.  Social skills classes will be supervised by a board certified behavior analyst.  All classes will be structured with a learning theme for each class to teach a variety of important skills. Caregivers can wait for their children while they attend each class.  Caregivers can also choose to drop off their children during a social skills class, but must first sign a liability waiver.

 

Summer Camps

During the summer, clients can attend camps where they will gain the opportunity to put all of their learned skills into practice.  Other children will be present to promote socialization skills, as well as targeting communication skills.  Clients will also benefit to attend different locations every day for an entire week to learn to tolerate different environments.  Each class will have a different learning theme to maximize learning opportunities in a fun filled way!

Camps will be announced at least 2 months in advance and clients will be required to register in advance.  There will be limited availability so camp sign-ups will be done on a first come first serve basis.

Caregivers will be required to drop off and pick up their children at specific locations and times. Caregivers can wait for their children while they attend each camp, or may choose to drop off their children during camp but must first sign a liability waiver.