behavioral center for collaboration and change

The Behavioral Center for Collaboration and Change (BCCC) is our new pediatric center specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services. ABA services are known as the “gold standard” for treating autism spectrum disorder. The BCCC will contain two separate programs for children: the Applied Behavior Analysis Program and the School Support Program. Both programs use strategies derived from the science of Behaviorism, and involve careful data collection on an ongoing basis to monitor your child’s progress towards goals and outcomes. Our goal is to help your child to be as successful in their environment as possible! We serve children with autism and with a variety of diagnoses, needs, and goals. Services are carried out by a team of professionals under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). In addition, our team will consult with parents, schools, and other professionals to ensure your child is getting their needs met.

what to expect from the Applied Behavior Analysis Program?

Our ABA program serves children up to 18 years of age (for adults, see our Entrepreneurial Advancement Center). After contacting our office, you will be asked to provide information and complete paperwork as part of the referral process. If services are determined to be appropriate, a behavior analyst will contact you to schedule a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), which will consist of interviews with parents, the child, and other important people in the child’s life; observations of your child’s behavior; completion of rating scales; and direct testing of your child’s skills to determine what their strengths and needs are. Sometimes, this assessment will include an experimental analysis of your child’s behavior under different environmental conditions. The purpose is to identify why your child’s behaviors of concern are happening, what the goals of you and your child are, and how we can best help. Once this process is completed, you will receive a report and your insurance or funding source will be contacted to approve of therapy hours. Once therapy hours are approved, it is time to schedule days and times for your child to start behavior therapy.

Services are carried out by our treatment team. Usually, your child will work directly with a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) one-on-one, under the supervision of the BCBA. The BCBA will work with you to create treatment programs for your child, take data on programs to monitor progress, and make changes as needed. Parents receive reports with graphs and updates on children’s goals on a monthly basis, or more often if requested. Parents are welcome to attend their children’s sessions, and we encourage parent training through learning the strategies implemented in sessions, as children tend to make the most progress when parents are involved in their treatment. While services are designed to be intensive and to catch your child up as quickly as possible, we believe, first and foremost, in building a relationship with the children we serve. Therefore, children have many opportunities to earn rewards, play time, and participation in a variety of fun activities during therapy. We want children to enjoy coming to therapy, and most of the children we serve look forward to therapy days! We will also provide additional parent training, or consultation with your child’s school or other professionals, if requested. It is our belief that children are best served when we work as a team!

what to expect from the School Support Program?

The School Support Program is designed for children of school age, between the ages of 6 and 18, who have difficulty keeping up in school. Your child will take part in a mock classroom, where they will learn academic skills and appropriate school behaviors in a group setting, using behavioral strategies for teaching and behavior management. This program will involve the use of Direct Instruction and Behavioral Skills Training to teach your child, with more modeling, direct feedback, and prompting than a typical classroom is able to provide. Classroom-wide reward strategies will be used to help motivate children to engage in positive behaviors. Your child’s instruction will be tailored to their ability level, and data on their progress will be collected on an ongoing basis. Instruction will be led by a BCBA, with the assistance of several Registered Behavior Technicians. This program is meant for children who are able to participate in a classroom throughout the day without severe problematic behaviors (children with more significant problematic behaviors at school are a better fit for the Applied Behavior Analysis Program).

Intensive Behavioral Intervention for School-Aged Children

Our intensive behavioral intervention program is designed to meet the needs of school-aged learners, typically between the ages of 7 to 12 years old, who would benefit from 15 to 30 hours of Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) therapy. IBI focuses on teaching skills that are vital for success in the school and community.

These include language and communication skills, social and play skills, pre-academic skills, daily living skills, and toilet training. There is also a strong focus on decreasing disruptive and maladaptive behavior by teaching functionally equivalent behaviors. This means we focus on determining the purpose of a child’s behavior and teaching them a way to meet their needs that are not harmful to themselves and others. We then work with the child to teach them an appropriate behavior to replace the maladaptive behavior to ensure they are able to independently access their wants and needs.

We believe the individual is always right. Our IBI therapy is all about listening to the individual and guiding them towards independence and growth.

Our program is designed to mimic a classroom environment with the added benefit of a 1:1 instructor for each child to ensure your child is acquiring skills necessary to learn in a school setting. Yep, we believe in mimicking natural environments. We want this experience to be true to life, so your child can live theirs to the fullest.

Your child will follow a schedule that balances social skills instruction, functional communication instruction, group instruction, and structured individualized teaching.

Two Options:

• Monday – Friday 12:00 – 6:00
• Monday – Friday 12:00 – 3:00

Here’s what activities might be included in an IBI day:

• Mock Classroom/Group Instruction
• Individual Instruction (This time is all about the individual and their needs.)
• Social skills activities (Let’s learn to build meaningful connections.)
• Community outings (Yes, we’re getting out of the clinic. Your child deserves to be in the center of things.)
• Adaptive/Daily Living Skills
• Snacks and social skills (Client provided snack)

Your child deserves the best. Contact us today to learn more about our Intensive Behavioral Intervention for School-Aged Children Program.

the Purposed Project

The Purposed Project is the adolescent-focused branch of the Behavioral Center for Collaboration and Change. It provides support required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at age 12.

The Purposed Project is an after-school program from 4-6pm that provides respite services for parents and uses the 11 Categories of Independence as the groundwork for the program.

If you have any questions or would like more information on the Behavioral Center for Collaboration and Change, please contact us!