FOR REGIONAL CENTERS

When a regional center determines that a child requires intensive behavior intervention (IBI), such as when a child has significant developmental delays or engages in dangerous behaviors, Behavior Frontiers is able to provide an applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment program to support these children and their families. Our ABA programs are designed to help individuals and their parents develop positive relationships and increase the whole family’s quality of life within natural settings.

Evidence-Based
We are committed to using evidence-based ABA techniques, such as discrete trial teaching (DTT) and naturalistic teaching strategies (NATS), so that families are empowered by learning effective and positive strategies to improve their child’s behaviors.

Developmentally Appropriate
Our behavior supervisors design ABA program and treatment goals that are appropriate for each child’s age and developmental level. Also, these goals are introduced in developmentally appropriate sequences.

Professionally Trained Staff
At Behavior Frontiers, we believe in providing extensive training to our own staff members, so that they have the skills they need to effectively help families with a range of behavior challenges. Our bachelor’s level behavior instructors receive initial, in-office instruction and practice in autism, ABA methods, data collection, and ethical issues. They also receive trainings in specialized topics, such as social facilitation, play skills training, toilet training, Picture Exchange Communication System, Non-violent Crisis Intervention, and more.

Additionally, our behavior instructors have completed competency-based training in which they accurately and independently implemented these ABA methods with individuals with autism and other special needs. All our behavior instructors have also passed both written and field evaluations demonstrating their proficiency with understanding and using these techniques.

Furthermore, our senior behavior instructors and our master’s level behavior supervisors have completed advanced competency-based trainings related to their positions.

Parent Involvement
We collaborate with each family to develop treatment goals for their child based on their child’s individual needs as well as each family’s priorities. Also, parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in their child’s ABA treatment programs so that they can learn research-based strategies to confidently and effectively interact with their child.

Collaborative
Behavior Frontiers collaborates with all professionals and agencies involved in the child’s treatment plan in order to promote appropriate and consistent ABA methods. Through frequent communication and collaboration with related funding sources and service providers, we strive to enhance the overall quality of each child’s treatment program.

ABA TRAINING PROGRAM SOLUTION
Our goal is for the children and families in our ABA treatment program to receive the highest quality behavior services possible. We specifically use proven methods and highly trained staff members to give each child the best chance to have a successful future.

Treatment Delivery Model
We deliver our ABA treatment program through a team-based approach, in which behavior supervisors and instructors work together with families and other professionals to help each child reach his or her goals.

Services Provided by Our Behavior Supervisors:

• Assessment
Our behavior supervisors conduct functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) of problem behaviors through direct observation of the child and through interviews with caregivers. Behavior supervisors also use standardized assessments of adaptive behaviors to guide the design of developmentally appropriate treatment objectives, which are individualized to meet the family’s unique needs.

• Designing
Using the information from the assessments, our behavior supervisors design a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) describing the ABA interventions necessary to increase the child’s appropriate behaviors and reduce the problem behaviors.

• Training
Behavior supervisors provide parents, caregivers, and all other members of the child’s behavior intervention team with initial and on-going training regarding how to deliver the child’s BIP.

• Monitoring
Also, the child’s behavior supervisor monitors the accurate and consistent delivery of the child’s BIP in order to ensure that each child is making optimal progress to reach his or her goals.

• Updating
Our behavior supervisors incorporate feedback, observations, and data regarding each child’s progress in order to update the child’s BIP as necessary.

• Reporting
Each child’s behavior supervisor writes reports to document progress on established goals and objectives of the child and involved family members.

Services Provided by Our Behavior Instructors:

• Implementation
Our behavior instructors implement the behavior treatment program and include parents and caregivers in the intervention in order to help the child to function more independently in a variety of settings, while providing parents and caregivers with strategies to effectively engage with their child on an ongoing basis.

• Data Collection
Also, our behavior instructors collect systematic data and teach parents and caregivers how to collect data regarding progress toward goals. Instructors use this data to modify the treatment program.

Comprehensive Treatment Methods
Behavior Frontiers uses a wide range of ABA methods so that we have many options to find the treatment that works best for a child’s individual needs. The following are some of the behavior change techniques we use:

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)
This method involves presenting each child with distinct learning opportunities in which his or her correct responses will be rewarded. For example, a parent could present a learning opportunity by saying, “Come here,” and when the child correctly comes over the parent could reward the child with praise and a favorite toy. This simple interaction would likely increase the child’s ability to follow the instruction to come here. DTT can be used to teach countless adaptive behaviors that can then be built-up into more complex and functional behaviors. A benefit of using DTT is that it allows the child to experience frequent success because the tasks are simple and clear. Also, with DTT the child receives a great deal of reinforcement to strengthen new skills.

Naturalistic Teaching Strategies (NATS)
Naturalistic teaching strategies, such as incidental teaching, use each child’s current interests and activities to guide instruction. These techniques involve either capturing or contriving learning opportunities that arise in the child’s natural, and oftentimes play-based, environment. For example, while playing with the child, a parent might notice the child reaching for a preferred toy, such as a book. The parent could capture this learning opportunity by giving the instruction, “Say, ‘Book’.” Once the child attempts to say the word book the parent could reward the child with praise and by reading the book with the child. An advantage of this technique is the child may display very few negative behaviors since the child’s current motivation is used to teach new skills. Additionally, since NATS occurs in the natural context, it promotes generalization of appropriate behaviors.

Verbal Behavior (VB)
A verbal behavior approach views language as learned behavior that involves social interaction between speakers and listeners. Specifically, it describes how people communicate with each other for a variety of different reasons. For example, a child may say the word, “Cookie,” in order to get a cookie, or because he or she sees a cookie, or because a parent asked the child, “What is your favorite food?” By understanding this verbal behavior framework, parents and their child’s behavior intervention team can use ABA methods to teach their child to communicate with others in a variety of situations.

Other Treatment Methods:

• Prompting & Fading
• Discrimination Teaching
• Shaping, Chaining, & Task Analysis
• Generalization
• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
• Interventions to Reduce Problem Behaviors
• And More!

Treatment Curriculum
Behavior Frontiers treatment curriculum includes interventions to increase behaviors in the areas of learning, communication, self-care, self-direction, and the capacity for independent living. At the same time, our treatment program includes interventions to reduce or eliminate problem behaviors, such as self-stimulatory behaviors, preoccupations, non-compliance, tantrums, running away, self-injurious behavior, aggression, property destruction, and more.

LOCATIONS OF ABA TREATMENT PROGRAM
We provide regional center funded ABA treatment to children and their families in natural settings, such as in the home and community.

GET STARTED
Please contact us to learn more about how Behavior Frontiers’ ABA treatment program can improve the quality of life for children with autism and their families.