Helping Your Family Is Our Passion
Our Approach
Personalized Guidance
Compassionate Care
Celebrated Achievements
What is ABA?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior. The “Applied” means we apply our understanding of how behavior works to real life situations. The goals of ABA are to increase behaviors that are helpful and lead to a more fulfilling life and to decrease behaviors that prevent positive outcomes. It is not a one size fits all therapy; it is personalized to each individual and incorporates social validity to ensure the outcomes are advantageous to everyone involved. Some potential outcomes may be:
- A child communicates what they need
- A child makes a friend
- A teen participates in a club or on a sport’s team
- A child develops new things they enjoy
- An adult learns to read
The results are endless!
In Home ABA Therapy
Our RBTs (Registered Behavior Technicians) work directly with your child under the direction of a supervisor (BCBA). Treatment begins with the BCBA assessing your child and writing a treatment plan with the input of the family. Next, services are delivered in your home, the community, and sometimes school and daycare settings. Progress is constantly assessed by the BCBA to ensure the treatment is effective. In Home Therapy is especially beneficial because we work on skills in the environment they will most likely take place. Some skills that may be targeted are:
- Communication
- Social skills
- Executive Functioning
- Safety Skills
- Challenging Behavior
- Potty Training
- Reading and other academic skills that will increase communication and safety
- Calming Techniques
Parent Partnerships
Partnering with parents and providing them the tools they need is important to our company. We teach practical strategies to handle problem behaviors, which empowers parents and gives them an increased understanding of their child. We provide tools and training that enables parents to continue our strategies when we aren’t there. Parent guidance leads to improved relationships in the family, lower levels of stress, and higher life satisfaction. Studies have shown greater outcomes for children when their parents are involved in their ABA therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
What problem behaviors can ABA address?
A non-exhaustive list includes:
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What training do ABA providers have?
ABA utilizes 2 types of providers: BCBAs (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) and RBTs (Registered Behavior Technicians). BCBAs are required to get a master’s degree, fulfill relevant coursework, have 1500-2000 hours of supervised experience, and pass a certification test. RBTs are required to take a 40-hour course, complete a competency test to demonstrate application of ABA procedures and take a written test to show understanding of ABA principles.
Why is ABA effective?
ABA is a rigorous and systematic method of teaching, using only research-based strategies that have been shown to be effective through peer-reviewed studies.
Which is better: Home or Center-Based ABA?
There are different strengths to both settings. The home environment is where the child spends most of their time and is engaged in family routines. Therefore, it’s more beneficial to learn skills in that environment, where they would typically need to demonstrate the skills taught. A clinic is more structured and may be better for a child whose home environment has too many distractions to learn. It may also provide more social opportunities with peers. At Snowflakes ABA, LLC we provide services in the home and community. This helps generalize skills and may provide social skills opportunities as well. Depending on insurance, we may also provide services in school settings.
How many hours a week should my child receive?
There are 2 delivery models for ABA: Comprehensive and Focused. If a child has multiple affected developmental domains, they will receive a comprehensive treatment plan. If a child only has a limited number of behavioral deficits, they will receive focused ABA. A comprehensive plan will typically need 30-40 hours of treatment per week while a focused plan may only need 10-25 hours. Treatment is usually delivered 5 days a week to achieve the best results. In addition to these direct hours of therapy, parent training will be required for an hour or more per week to ensure the parents are carrying over the treatments while staff are not present.
Are your employees screened with a background check?
Yes, all employees get fingerprinting and a background check before delivering services.
What skills do you work on?
We work on any deficits associated with the medical criteria for autism in the DSM-V.
These may include:
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In addition we may work on things that appear to be educational or occupational in nature but are needed to reduce behaviors and function well in society.
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How is ABA delivered?
A BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) evaluates your child and designs a plan based on the child’s unique needs. An RBT (Registered Behavior Analyst) or sometimes a BCBA delivers the treatment to the child throughout the week. The BCBA continues to supervise the RBT to ensure the plan is being executed correctly and data is collected and analyzed throughout the time your child is getting services to ensure progress is being made. The BCBA also meets with the parents once a week or more to help teach them how to deliver the treatment. ABA is most effective with family involvement.