FAQs
My child has been diagnosed with ASD. What is the best treatment for this?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science of human behavior. It is the scientifically validated approach to understanding how human behavior is affected by the environment. Research in this area started in the early 1950s with the work of B.F. Skinner (Verbal Behavior, 1957). Thus, ABA is the only therapy with more than 60 years of research demonstrating its various techniques and effectiveness in increasing socially significant behavior, while decreasing disruptive behaviors for children that have been diagnosed with developmental diagnoses, including but not limited to: Autism, PDD-NOS, Aspergers, Mental Retardation, Down Syndrome, and related disorders.
However, ABA therapy for children with autism is not and should not be approached as a “cookie cutter” method. On the contrary, a successful ABA program is one in which the behavior analyst customizes the intervention to each child’s age, skills, interests, and family goals, as each program is tailored to meet each child’s needs. Children typically require anywhere between 10-40 hours of therapy per week, depending on the skill level of the child. Additional therapies that can be implemented in combination with ABA therapy include, but are not limited to, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.
Do you only work with children who have an ASD diagnosis?
No, our treatment is effective with children with and without formal diagnoses who are exhibiting disruptive behaviors as well as those that are experiencing language and social delays. However, most insurances do require a diagnosis of ASD in order for ABA therapy to be covered for.
What kind of services do you offer?
Heal the World Behavioral Services provides quality ABA therapy to children diagnosed with Autism and related disorders. We work on different ABA principles and techniques during our one-on-one therapy sessions in order to foster basic skills such as language skills, academic skills, social and play skills, as well as self-help skills.
We also offer parent training on ABA principles, toilet training, as well as feeding programs for children with very limited food intake. Make sure to check our “Services” tab to learn more about the types of services that we offer.
How is the child’s progress evaluated?
We utilize the VB-MAPP (the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program) as our curriculum guide to develop individualized Verbal Behavior programs for each child’s skill level. We define every skill being taught and the criterion for mastery of each skill using program objectives and data sheets. Data on each skill is taken on every session and marked as independent or prompted by the child’s therapist. Once a skill is learned/mastered, those skills are moved into maintenance and/or generalization goals. Program goals are updated at least every other week and the overall progress of the child is re-assessed every 6 months.
What do I need to do to enroll my child?
The first thing that you should do is contact our office so that we can schedule our “free consultation” to fill out the intake packet. We will then schedule an assessment for your child in which the Behavior Analyst will evaluate your child’s skill levels. Once this is completed, we will decide on a therapy schedule and will begin your child’s program development.
*If your insurance offers coverage for your child’s therapy and we are an in-network provider for that insurance company, we will need your insurance information so that we can schedule an authorization prior to performing the assessment and beginning the therapy sessions.
What is the cost of therapy?
The cost of therapy varies according to the child’s specific needs and the location of the service desired. Please contact our office for our current fee schedule.
What age group do you work with?
We work with children varying in ages from 12 months to 12 years of age.