Ongoing therapy at Behavior Consultants is individualized to meet each person’s needs.

Our experienced clinicians are ready to address whatever areas of the Core Deficits of Autism that are in need.

Social skills may be assessed and targeted during BC organized social groups or in the child’s natural environment (school, child care settings, after school activities, church groups, organized play-dates, etc.). Behavioral challenges or idiosyncrasies that interfere with the individual’s ability to participate in life at their highest potential, as well as communication skills, can be assessed and addressed in a 1:1 therapeutic environment, as well as during organized social groups, or through activities in the child’s regular daily schedule. Areas outside of the core deficits are important too, challenges in completing daily routines or life skills impact a person’s ability to fully participate in their environment and we are able to address these in both our clinic as well as in each person’s homes, resulting in truly generalized skills!

Our clinicians have experience and training in the use of several assessments. Through discussion with the family, the most appropriate assessment will be chosen based on each person’s needs.  Assessments frequently used include the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP), Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS), PEAK (Promoting Emergence of Advanced Knowledge) Relational Training System, Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS-R), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and Functional Behavior Assessments.

Treatment plans and goals are individualized and developed based on the results of the chosen assessments as well as the learning needs of the individual. Teaching procedures may include:

Discrete Trial Training (DTT): DTT is a one-to-one instructional approach, using the principles of ABA, to teach skills in a planned, controlled, and systematic manner. DTT is used when a learner needs to learn a skill best taught in small, repeated steps. Positive praise and/or tangible rewards are used to reinforce the targeted skills or behaviors.

Natural Environment Teaching (NET): NET is all about naturalistic learning through play, or in the natural setting, so that teaching is not just occurring while sitting at a table, but across a variety of environments. Using a child’s interests and motivation, the therapist will look for opportunities to contrive “teachable” moments targeted toward their goals. Using the principles of ABA, this type of teaching allows for skills learned to be more readily generalized to different environments, stimuli, and people.

Verbal Behavior Therapy: Verbal Behavior therapy uses the principles of ABA to focus specifically on teaching communication and language. Founded on BF Skinner’s analysis of language and language development, rather than simply teaching a child language by having them name items in their environment, language is taught, and separated, by it’s function and in a purposeful sequence using the child’s motivation as the basis for beginning language development.