Frequently Asked Questions

ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior. It helps children build essential life skills, improve communication, and reduce challenging behaviors by using positive reinforcement. Each program is personalized to fit your child’s unique needs, making learning fun and meaningful!

Yes! Early intervention is key to helping young children build important skills like communication, social interaction, and daily routines. Our ABA therapy programs are designed to support children as young as 18 months, using play-based and natural learning techniques to encourage growth in a fun and engaging way.

ABA therapy uses evidence-based techniques to understand and shape behavior. It breaks down complex skills into smaller steps, reinforcing desired behaviors to encourage learning. Therapists track progress through careful observation and data collection, making adjustments as needed to promote positive growth and improve quality of life.

ABA helps your child by teaching essential skills like communication, social interaction, and independence. It also reduces challenging behaviors by using positive reinforcement. Through personalized and fun activities, ABA therapy supports your child's growth, helping them succeed at home, school, and in the community.

A typical ABA session is personalized to your child’s needs. It includes a mix of structured activities, like working on specific skills and natural play to encourage learning in real-life situations. The therapist will use positive reinforcement to motivate your child, collect data on progress, and adjust the plan as needed to help them succeed. Sessions are designed to be fun, engaging, and supportive!

Sessions may take place in a variety of settings, such as the home, school, or clinic, and typically last anywhere from one to several hours, depending on the child's needs and attention span.

ABA therapy can address a wide range of behaviors, including challenging behaviors like aggression, tantrums, or self-injury, as well as social, communication, and daily living skills. It helps improve behaviors such as following instructions, making requests, and interacting with others, while also teaching positive alternatives to undesirable behaviors.

We provide ABA therapy services for individuals across a wide age range, typically starting as young as toddlers and extending through adolescence and adulthood. Our programs are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual, regardless of age, and are designed to promote skill development, independence, and overall well-being.

The duration of ABA therapy varies based on the individual's needs and goals. Some may benefit from short-term interventions, while others may require ongoing support over an extended period.

The intensity of services is assessed based on factors such as the child's age, developmental level, the severity of their behaviors, and the goals of the family. After a board-certified behavior analyst conducts an initial assessment, they develop an individualized treatment plan, which includes specific recommendations for service intensity.

Although ABA can address skills and behavior regardless of diagnosis, most insurance companies typically require an autism diagnosis for reimbursement of our services. However, we're open to discussing alternative payment options if you're interested in pursuing services without insurance coverage. (Note: In Florida, some plans also cover ABA for children with Down Syndrome).

We are currently in network with Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross, Magellan, Tricare, and United Healthcare. For more information, give us a call at 305-209-4321.

Yes. We accept private pay and scholarships.

A BCBA stands for Board Certified Behavior Analyst. They are professionals who have obtained a master's or doctoral degree in behavior analysis or a related field, completed specific coursework, supervised experience, and passed a certification exam. BCBA's are trained to assess, design, implement, and monitor behavior intervention and treatment plans using applied behavior analysis (ABA) principles.

An RBT stands for Registered Behavior Technician. RBTs are paraprofessionals who work under the supervision of a BCBA. They have received specialized training and have passed a competency assessment to provide direct behavior-analytic services. RBTs implement behavior intervention plans and collect data on client progress. Their role is crucial in delivering ABA therapy and supporting individuals with developmental disabilities or behavior challenges.

There are several indicators that parents, educators, and caregivers can observe to determine if a child warrants an assessment for Autism.

The following are prevalent cues that suggest further evaluation may be necessary:

• Fails to respond to their name
• Demonstrates limited eye contact
• Exhibits intermittent responsiveness to auditory stimuli
• Struggles to follow instructions
• Lacks the ability to articulate desires
• Shows delays in language acquisition or speech development
• Does not engage in gestures such as pointing or waving goodbye
• Walks on tiptoes
• Previously vocalized but now exhibits a regression in speech or language skills
• Displays a preoccupation with organizing objects or arranging them in specific patterns
• Becomes fixated on particular subjects or activities and finds it difficult to transition to others
• Exhibits severe outbursts
• Displays atypical motor movements
• Presents with hyperactive, defiant, or oppositional behavior
• Demonstrates unfamiliarity with toy play
• Fails to reciprocate smiles
• Prefers solitary play
• Appears indifferent to social interaction
• Shows limited interest in peers
• Forms unusual attachments to objects, toys, or routines

By the age of 3 months, most infants typically exhibit the following developmental milestones:

• Orienting their heads towards auditory stimuli
• Producing cooing sounds
• Demonstrating neck strength by lifting their heads while lying on their stomachs
• Displaying social responsiveness by smiling

At this stage, they also commonly engage in:

• Reaching for objects and grasping them
• Engaging in bilateral coordination by transferring toys from one hand to the other
• Demonstrating recognition of familiar faces
• Initiating vocalizations
• Achieving the milestone of rolling over

By 12 months of age, the majority of infants typically reach the following developmental achievements:

• Attaining the ability to sit unsupported
• Exhibiting brief periods of standing without assistance
• Demonstrating locomotion through crawling
• Mimicking adult behaviors, such as using objects like cups or phones
• Displaying social gestures like waving goodbye
• Producing at least one recognizable word

Around the age of 18 months, most children can generally:

• Understand and comply with simple instructions
• Assist in the process of undressing
• Point to named objects or pictures in books
• Achieve independent ambulation
• Demonstrate communicative gestures, such as pointing to share interest
• Utter several single words to express basic needs or desires

By the time they reach 2 years old, most children typically demonstrate the ability to:

• Combine words to form 2-3 word sentences
• Engage in gross motor activities like kicking a ball
• Initiate running movements
• Feed themselves using utensils like spoons
• Identify facial features such as hair, eyes, ears, and nose by pointing
• Construct simple structures using building blocks

At 3 years of age, most children are typically capable of:

• Throwing a ball overhand
• Riding a tricycle
• Independently donning footwear
• Operating doors
• Manipulating pages in a book one at a time
• Engaging in short periods of cooperative play with peers
• Reciting familiar rhymes or songs
• Forming sentences consisting of 3-5 words
• Naming at least one color correctly

Between the ages of 3 and 4, most children typically achieve the following milestones:

• Maneuvering around obstacles while running
• Walking along a straight line
• Balancing on one foot momentarily
• Continuing to ride a tricycle
• Independently utilizing playground equipment like slides
• Engaging in imaginative play with construction toys
• Completing simple food-related tasks independently, such as spreading butter or pouring from a small pitcher
• Practicing personal hygiene tasks like handwashing and nose blowing with occasional reminders
• Participating in elaborate pretend play scenarios
• Identifying parts of a whole, such as slices of pie
• Asking questions to seek information and understanding
• Providing personal details like their full name and age
• Communicating with unfamiliar individuals using coherent sentences, with occasional pronunciation errors
• Demonstrating proficiency in more complex grammatical structures, including plurals and past tense
• Understanding temporal concepts and narrating past events
• Grasping comparative concepts such as size
• Following sequences of 2-4 related instructions

By the ages of 4-5, most children typically master the following skills:

• Executing forward jumps with repeated success
• Hopping and potentially skipping
• Performing somersaults
• Employing safety scissors for simple cutting tasks
• Printing a few capital letters
• Exhibiting rudimentary moral reasoning abilities, exploring concepts of fairness and ethical behavior
• Developing social relationships and recognizing gender differences
• Enjoying creative activities like singing, dancing, and role-playing
• Identifying and naming various colors
• Drawing detailed human figures and describing them
• Producing simple counts up to five
• Recalling personal information like their street and town name
• Retelling stories using complete sentences, occasionally with factual inaccuracies
• Expressing themselves clearly
• Utilizing modal verbs like "can," "will," "shall," "should," and "might"
• Explaining causality using words like "because" and "so"

The Voluntary Prekindergarten Specialized Instructional Services (VPK-SIS) program is a Florida initiative designed to provide specialized services to children with disabilities who are eligible for the state’s VPK program. Instead of a traditional classroom, children receive individualized services that help prepare them for kindergarten.

Yes! We are proud to be affiliated with the VPK-SIS program. We offer specialized instructional services to children with disabilities.