Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy

ABA Services at Thrive (Applied Behavior Analysis) :

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• Early Intervention Programs

• Functional Living Skills

• Parent Training

• Social Skill Groups

• School Support

• ARD Advocacy

• Individual Programs to meet your needs

• In a Clinical or In-Home setting

• School Consulting

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What is ABA? 

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ABA is the applied use of behavioral principles that are used to make changes in everyday lives, either to increase or decrease behavior.  ABA is not a therapy; it is the applied use of a science. With over five decades of research behind the application of ABA, it is the most widely used treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders and related disabilities.  Most recently, ABA has been recognized as a treatment for autism under the Affordable Care Act. This has allowed many families to access services that were not previously covered by their insurance.

Although there is not currently a cure for Autism Spectrum Disorders, ABA is the gold standard treatment provided to individuals with ASD and related disorders because of it’s proven effectiveness in improving the quality of life of those with ASD and the families that support them.

What does ABA look like at Thrive Therapy?

ABA programs at Thrive Therapy capitalize on the child’s natural strengths and preferences to learn more skills. We have programs to fit the needs of every child’s level, and serve children ranging from ages 18 months to 18 years. Services with Thrive Therapy always begin with a thorough, comprehensive evaluation and assessment of your child’s strengths and deficits across all developmental domains. Upon completion of the evaluation and assessment process, a treatment plan is developed specifically addressing any and all areas of concern, including problem behavior for reduction and skill acquisition targets. When appropriate and necessary, behavior intervention plans are developed to address serious problem behavior by conducting a functional behavior assessment to determine the function of behavior. 

We apply the principals of ABA utilizing different service modalities including Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Verbal Behavior (VB), and Natural Environment Training (NET). Specifically, we use teaching methods including prompting, shaping, and errorless teaching. Teaching your child HOW to learn is the most valuable skill they will acquire and will become the backbone to any therapeutic approach we employ at Thrive Therapy.

What are Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA’s), Board Certified Behavior Assistants (BCaBA), and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT’s)?

Sometimes the lingo in ABA can get a bit confusing. Let us explain who we are. Board Certified Behavior Analysts, known as BCBA’s, are Masters level professionals that complete vigorous coursework specific to ABA in addition to supervised training by other BCBA’s before becoming eligible to sit for their initial certification. On-going continued education is a part of every BCBA’s certification process and BCBA’s follow the guidelines set forth by their governing body, the BACB. You can find more information about the BACB credentialing process here.

Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts, known as BCABA’s are Bachelor level professionals who also complete course work in ABA and supervised training before becoming eligible for certification.

Registered Behavior Technicians, known as RBT’s complete 40 hours of training coursework in ABA, including on-the-job training, before working with individuals with autism and related disabilities.  BCaBA’s and RBT’s are supervised by BCBA’s. 

In addition to the training and certification requirements set forth by the BACB, we continue to seek additional trainings and continued education opportunities to grow professionally.

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Programs and services Thrive Therapy offers:

Early Intervention
Programs are developed based on assessments by our skilled BCBA’s to assess and treat early and emerging learners. All our programs include natural environment training to focus on generalization of skills learned within our sessions.

Functional Living Skills
Skill deficits are identified and addressed through individualized treatment plans and based on ongoing assessment. All treatment plans are updated continuously, and any changes made are done using data based decision-making.

Parent Training
We believe that the best and most long lasting results are found when parents and professionals work collaboratively as a team.  We strongly encourage parent training as an integral part of your child’s therapy and recognize parents as the first and primary teacher of their child. 

Social Skills
Social skills deficits are often a concern for parents and professionals alike. We offer structured social skills groups to target these deficits as well as continued assessment of social performance as compared to same aged peers. Our social skills groups offer a mix of typical developing children along side those diagnosed with disabilities to offer a truly social environment in which to learn new skills. 

School support/advocacy
Are you finding it difficult to navigate through your child’s educational process for any reason and need a helping hand from a knowledgeable professional? We offer custom services tailored to your needs including IEP consultation or attending IEP/ARD meetings. 

Have a concern that isn’t addressed? Just ask us, we will design a program to meet your child’s needs!