Frequently Asked Questions
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based approach to changing behavior. Our approach combines years of research and the principles of our field to change behavior in the following ways:
1. increase skills to promote independence, andThe use of ABA for individuals with behavioral health conditions has been supported by many national and governmental agencies, including the U.S. Surgeon General.
2. decrease any behaviors that are a safety risk or interfere wth learning and/or social opportunities.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) focuses on increasing socially important skills while decreasing behaviors that interfere with learning, social interactions, or those that are a safety risk. Behavior change is accomplished by making changes to one’s environment, taking data, and analyzing the results. How does this work?
First, we look at the ABC’s of behavior
• Antecedent: anything that happens right before the behavior
• Behavior: anything a person does
• Consequence: anything that happens directly after the behavior
Then, we use this ABC information to change behavior. We do this by applying different ABA approaches along the A-B-C chain.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can be applied to a wide range of skills, environments, and individuals. Since ABA is individualized based on each person’s needs, it looks very different from one situation to the next.
ABA is typically applied to the following skill areas:
•Communication - communicating one's wants and needs ( requesting help, expressing feelings)
•Social - interacting with others (eye contact, greetings, having conversations)
•Play - independent leisure skills that are functional and age-appropriate (pretend, imaginary)
•Behavior - reducing unsafe behavior, and/or behavior that interferes with learning and/or social interaction (aggression, self-injury, tantrums)
•Self-Help - independent care of oneself (dressing, eating, washing hand)
•Group Instruction - learning in a group setting (sitting in a group, paying attention)
•Safety - demonstrating safe behavior across environments and situations (crossing the street, identifying community helpers)
•Receptive - listening skills (following instructions, identifying items, responding to own name)
•Expressive - speaking skills (labeling items, labeling feelings)
•Imitation - copying other’s actions (saying "apple" after someone models the word, clapping after seeing someone clap)
ABA is typically used to support individuals in home, community or school settings. At Branch Out, we primarily cover ABA services in the home and community. School-based services are available on a case-by-case basis.
Involvement as a parent is extremely important to your child's success. Not only is it often required by insurance, we highly recommend it as part of the treatment process here at Branch Out. Our ultimate goal is for our clients and their families to no longer require ABA services and to have the necessary tools to live an independent life.
The degree of involvement will depend on your child’s needs, but typically ranges from 1-4 support meetings each month. Parent support meetings cover any goals set at the beginning of treatment and typically focus on teaching ABA methods that are relevant to your child and training you on how to use these methods to change behavior or teach skills. Some common topics addressed include (but are not limited to):
• Functions of behavior (why behavior occurs), which typically focuses on unsafe or interfering behaviors
• Function-based applications to change unwanted behavior (how to change behavior based on why it occurs)
• Feeding (expanding repertoire, increasing independence/compliance during mealtime)
• Communication
• How to carry over any teaching methods used during ABA sessions that would also benefit your child outside of session
These are formal titles provided to a Behavior Analyst by national and state certifying agencies who are in charge with ensuring the clinician has the necessary requirements for providing ABA services. Each of our Behavior Analysts holds both titles.
BCBA stands for Board Certified Behavior Analyst. This is a supervisory-level ABA clinician who has been certified through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), which is the national certifying agency for ABA. All BCBAs have the following:
•Master’s level education
• 1500 hours of individual, applied experience in the field of ABA
• Passing score on the national certification exam
LBA stands for Licensed Behavior Analyst, which means this clinician is licensed to practice ABA in the state of New York. All LBAs have the following:
• Passing status on a state-level exam in ABA
• Completed a graduate program specifically in ABA, Psychology, or Education
• A good moral character as determined by the state
When you start services, one of our Behavior Analysts will join your team and his or her primary rold will be the management and supervision of your child’s treatment.
The Behavior Analyst will complete the initial assessment, use the assessment results to develop a treatment plan, create programming to target goals outlined in the treatment plan, train all clinicians on the programs, provide ongoing supervision to direct care clinicians, provide parent support, update programming as needed, and much more.
Typically, a Behavior Analyst will visit your home 1-2 times per week to supervise the Behavior Technician and/or meet with you for a parent support meeting.
In New York, your child needs a written prescription from their primary care provider and a have a behavioral health condition listed in the DSM-5 to receive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services.
There are many options for how to approach treatment. First, you may want to consider if ABA is a good fit for your child and your family. We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Second, there are numerous payment options you may want to consider. We accept private payments and are in-network with the following insurance providers:
• Empire Blue Cross Blue ShieldIf your child does not yet have a behavioral health diagnosis but you have concerns, please consult with your child’s primary care provider. More information on how to address any concerns you might have can be found under our ‘Resources’ tab.
• Northwell Health
• Optum-United Health Care
• Aetna