What is ABA?

  • Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA is a type of therapy that focuses on improving specific behaviors, such as social skills, communication, hygiene, grooming, etc. ABA is effective for children and adults in a variety of settings, including schools, workplaces, homes, and clinics.

  • assesses what motivates each client, prioritizes their needs across several categories (e.g., communication, problem behavior, social behaviors, safety, etc.), plans how to teach skills in a way that the client understands and then teaches those skills over and over, in frequent sessions designed to be enjoyable for them.

  • it’s meant to be significantly helpful to someone in everyday life. It’s not just something found in a laboratory that may or may not be put to use.

  • which means it targets observable, measurable actions. It doesn’t deny the importance of our feelings or memories or thoughts, it simply says that we can’t reliably measure things we can’t see, so they’re not good targets.

  • refers to the notion that behavior can be understood when the interaction between the environment and the person is understood. By understanding what leads to a particular behavior and what keeps that behavior going, ABA therapists are able to teach new skills and decrease those behaviors that are getting in the way of success.

  • Success is based on actual experience, not on beliefs or impressions. If objective measurements show something is not working, the intervention is changed until the desired results are clearly demonstrated.

  • relies heavily on Natural Environment Teaching which uses the child’s interests and natural motivation to help them learn.

  • We are certified via the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, which requires education, training, supervision, and testing for each of several levels of certification. Virginia also requires behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts to be licensed through the Virginia Board of Medicine.

  • implement the treatment plan by conducting sessions with your child, at your home and/or a chosen community setting, which typically last a couple of hours and occur several times per week. They develop materials and activities to set up teaching opportunities and take data throughout their sessions.

  • They are responsible for conducting assessments, analyzing data, creating and modifying treatment plans, and training and guiding RBTs.

What ABA is not…

child interactive learning

  • Although our clients have some things in common, each individual, family, and environment is unique, so each treatment plan is individualized.

  • ABA therapy is endorsed by the US Surgeon General as one of the most effective treatments of Autism Spectrum Disorder. And a standard of any ABA intervention is that we should be able to demonstrate its effectiveness to you.

  • ABA principles are used in education, business, public health, economics, substance abuse, ecology, and many other areas.

  • Behavior modification (“b-mod”) refers to the outdated practice popular in the 1960s and 70s that used interventions without necessarily doing behavior assessments first. ABA heavily emphasizes the need for understanding the reason for the behavior before trying to change it.

Service Definitions

  • Parent Training

    We educate parents and empower them with tools and strategies they can implement in response to their child’s behaviors and needs.

    Parent participation and feedback are paramount to the success of our work, and we rely on their input for goal selection, monitoring progress, and maintaining consistency. Our clinicians offer guidance and consultation to parents throughout every step of therapy.

    With integrating therapy goals in the home, parents create stability for their child and maximize the opportunity for long-term success.

  • School Consultation and support

    Our experienced clinical team will partner with your child’s school/daycare to develop effective programs that incorporate the methodologies of ABA.

    Our clinicals develop comprehensive plans that target social integration and challenging behavior in the academic environment. We collaborate with teachers and support staff to assist with and monitor your child’s development to ensure an optimal learning experience.

  • Early Intervention

    At Bloom & Thrive ABA we believe that working with children with autism and other developmental disabilities in the earliest years (ages 12 months – 6 years old) needs to focus on strong foundations that impact the whole self. For us this means all of the early skills like language, communication, independent play, and social skills. By structuring our program around these foundation elements, children are set up for success both in the classroom and out.

    Early intervention (EI) is the process of providing services and support to infants, toddlers, and their families when a child has, or is at risk for, a developmental delay, disability, or health condition that may affect typical development and learning. The goal of EI is to lessen the effects of a disability or delay by addressing identified needs of young children across five developmental areas:

    ● Cognitive development

    ● Communication development

    ● Physical development, including vision and hearing

    ● Social or emotional development

    ● Adaptive development (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA], 2004)

    The earlier that services are delivered, the more likely children are to develop effective communication, language, and swallowing skills and achieve successful learning outcomes (Guralnick, 2011).