Intervention Plan Creation
Prior to starting services with SBS, one of our BCBAs will schedule an intake meeting to assess your child’s current skills, guide our treatment and identify target development areas. This is usually done over a series of appointments and involves a caregiver interview as well as observation of your child either in the home or center setting. After these meetings, the BCBA submits their findings and recommendations in a report which includes goals for behaviors targeted to increase, to decrease, and the recommended number of therapy hours per week required to address these goals. The assessing BCBA will discuss the proposed therapy schedule and the number of hours being requested prior to start of services
Attentive and Responsive Behavioral Consultants
As is required by the ethical and scientific principles of the discipline of behavior analysis, SBS’ practitioners frequently review data, provide consistent case consultation and supervision of direct staff, perform new assessments and data-based changes, and are communicationally responsive.
Parent Training
As your child’s caregiver, you are an essential member of the ABA team. Your participation and input are crucial to your child's success in therapy. The more involved you are in the process the more progress your child is likely to make. Your contributions to the therapy include:
Sharing your insights and goals for your child.
Being consistent with strategies recommended by your child's BCBA at home.
Attending parent training and consultation sessions.
Communicating openly about your child's progress, challenges, or changes.
You will have the opportunity to provide input on your treatment goals and the interventions used, regardless of your abilities or how you communicate. Your clinician will explain, in a way you can understand, that while we will work toward your goals, we cannot guarantee specific outcomes. Your involvement in the development of your child's treatment plan is an important and required part of receiving our services. Clinicians will collaborate with you and gain your consent before making any significant changes to your treatment programming.
Parent / Guardian Involvement and Evidence-Based Practices Policy
Therapeutic Impact of Parent/Guardian Involvement:
Your involvement in your child’s treatment has a significant impact on their progress. Participating in sessions, supporting practice at home, and collaborating with clinicians enhances skill acquisition and treatment outcomes.Expectation of Involvement:
Parents and guardians are expected to be actively involved in treatment whenever deemed appropriate by the treatment team. Your engagement is an essential part of effective therapy.Risks of Non-Evidence-Based Practices:
Using interventions that are not based on scientific evidence can interfere with your child’s progress and may be ineffective or harmful. Our team will educate you on the risks of such practices and provide information about research-supported, evidence-based methods.Making Informed Decisions:
We provide data and research to help you make informed decisions about your child’s care. Evidence-based practices are proven to be effective, whereas non-evidence-based practices have not been validated and may negatively impact outcomes.Organizational Commitment:
Our organization does not implement non-behavior-analytic or non-evidence-based interventions. We cannot support practices that interfere with your child’s programming or progress.Conflict Resolution:
If disagreements arise regarding the use of non-evidence-based practices, our team will address the issue collaboratively, using data, research, and professional guidance to reach decisions that prioritize your child’s best interests and treatment goals.
Collaboration, Coordination of Care and Advocacy
Our BCBAs work alongside influential parties in our clients’ lives. With the caregiver’s permission, we value coordinating care with family members, caregivers, medical professionals, other psychological practitioners, educators, social workers –anyone affecting the development of the child. SBS advocates for client need and well-being. As much as SBS collaborates with these influencing parties, our policy is to serve the needs of the client before other matters.
Reassessment
Reassessment of your child is required every six months. Reassessments are done by the supervising BCBA and a report is developed with ongoing treatment recommendations. This can include updates to current goals, creation of new goals, and removal of mastered goals. Occasionally, reassessment can include an increase or decrease in the prescribed therapy hours. Any recommendations to change the number of hours prescribed to your child will be discussed with you prior to the next treatment period.