Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)

Contact Unlocking The Spectrum today to find out about enrolling your child in ABA therapy, the treatment that has been shown to be most effective for individuals diagnosed with autism through over 40 years of research.

ABA therapy, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is an intensive treatment program that is created with the goal of improving socially significant behaviors. Examples of socially significant behaviors that can be taught using ABA include social skills, language, communication, reading, academics, and adaptive living skills. This is done by systematically applying principles and techniques based upon learning theory. 

The principles of ABA can be used to help learners develop new skills, as well as to modify any problem behaviors. We do this by looking at the function, or the reason for, each behavior. The use of reinforcement is critical to ABA and allows us to make learning fun for your child.

At Unlocking The Spectrum we use a Verbal Behavior (VB) approach when developing individual treatment plans. This approach is based on B.F. Skinner’s book Verbal Behavior in which a full analysis of language was conducted. Essentially, it means that we help our clients use language to communicate rather than just knowing how to say words. For example, it is very common for a child with autism to be able to label an item (such as a cracker) but not know how to ask for one when they want it. In using a VB approach, we help them learn how to ask for the cracker.  

At Unlocking The Spectrum we use our extensive clinical experience and knowledge to create individualized programs for our clients AND their families. We are committed to doing all  we can to help client reach their maximum potential, while keeping the services accessible and affordable. We often go above and beyond the hours that are authorized by our clients’ insurance, at no extra cost to the client, to ensure that every child is receiving the programming they need.

We also know that we are just one part of your child’s journey and focus on making sure that skills are generalized at home and in the community, which just means that what your child is working on in a clinical setting will also help them reach their goals in other environments.

We have an excellent success rate for transitioning our clients into a school setting, and we are there every step of the way to make it as smooth of a transition as possible. We work closely with the next setting in your child’s journey and are always available for consultations after the transition is complete. 

Unlocking The Spectrum currently provides services in and around the follow cities in Indiana and Texas. 

Indiana:

  • Indianapolis
  • Plainfield
  • Danville
  •  Greenfield
  •  Westfield
  •  Fishers
  •  Greenwood
  •  Lafayette
  • West Lafayette
  • Terre Haute
  •  Rockville
  •  Bloomington
  •  Bedford
  •  Columbus
  •  Seymour
  •  Scottsburg

Texas: 

    • Houston
    • Spring
    • Forney
    • Kaufman
    • Terrell

*If the city you live in is not listed, please contact us as we are currently expanding our employee base in order to make high quality ABA services accessible to families throughout Indiana and Texas. 

ABA is driven by DATA! Data is taken daily for every program that a child does. Because we track and analyze this data we are able to respond to what is working best and quickly modify the procedures and techniques we are using to teach your child so that we can ensure maximum success.

Because ABA is supported by years of research, we also have knowledge at our fingertips that ensures skills learned through ABA are maintained and generalized in different situations. For example, if your child is working on cleaning up at home during ABA therapy, that skill will also improve at school.

When choosing an ABA provider you want to ensure that the individual overseeing your child’s program has both an educational and experiential background in applied behavior analysis. There should be a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) experienced in programming and behavior support supervising the program on a regular basis. The program should be reviewed and updated continuously to ensure progress is being made.

At Unlocking the Spectrum BCBAs consult with clients and families throughout the week. All of our clients receive a minimum of 2-4 hours of one-on-one time with our BCBAs.  In addition, all of our BCBAs are supported by our regional directors, who are also certified BCBAs, to ensure that the best program is in place for your child. Because, as we all know, two brains are better than one!

Our BCaBAs (Board Certified Assistance Behavior Analysts) and Team Leads have regular consultations with BCBAs and work throughout the week to support the programming needs of each of our clients. We also provide one hour a month of parent training, which is required by insurance, but we are always happy to arrange for more sessions if that is something you are interested in.

BCBA’s (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) are individuals trained in behavior analysis who can conduct behavioral assessments and develop behavior analytic interventions to increase adaptive behavior and decrease problem behavior. The BCBA trains caregivers to implement ethical and effective behavioral interventions that are based on sound research. BCBA’s must have either a Masters or Doctoral degree, over 200 hours of graduate behavior analytic coursework and 1500 hours of supervised independent fieldwork.

BCaBA’s (Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts) can also conduct behavioral assessments and train caregivers to implement behavioral interventions. They must be supervised by a BCBA and are typically bachelors level individuals with a minimum of 135 hours of behavior analytic coursework and a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised experience.

More information can be found at bacb.com

No! ABA can work for EVERYONE! We frequently encounter the use of ABA principles in our daily lives. Would you keep going to work if you stopped getting paid? Your paycheck is most likely what keeps you going back to work day after day… that’s positive reinforcement (a principle of ABA).

Thanks to the Autism Mandate in Indiana and Texas, ABA therapy is often covered by your health insurance. If the plan you have does not cover ABA therapy, we will work with you to secure an insurance plan that will. Contact us today and we will check to see if your plan covers ABA!

Absolutely not! There are many misconceptions about ABA therapy, and this is one of the most common. At Unlocking The Spectrum we use a variety of techniques and procedures to teach, including techniques that involve active play and spending time in different environments. We use NET (Natural Environment Training), IT (Incidental Teaching), DTT (Discrete Trial Training), TA (Task Analysis), FCT (Functional Communication Training), PT (Precision Teaching), and other data-based empirically validated treatment strategies.

The techniques and procedures we use will depend on your child’s needs, as each program is highly individualized. A child who is 2 1/2 will spend most of their day learning through NET, which we would use to teach a variety of early play and social skills in an age-appropriate setting such as a playroom. An 8-year-old who has a lot of academic needs will spend more time working at a table, where we would use techniques such as DTT and PT to increase the rate at which skills are acquired. However, they would be balanced with NET or IT to target additional functional skills

It doesn’t. ABA Therapy can work for EVERYONE! There is no age limit when it comes to the use of ABA Therapy. At Unlocking The Spectrum we have experience developing programs for individuals of all ages.

No, we do not. As long as we can support your child we are here to offer our services and love the long-term relationships that this allows us to build with our clients and their families. We consider this part of our mission of making the highest quality ABA therapy accessible to all children with autism. 

Yes we can! When developing a treatment plan for your child we will address both behaviors that we want to work on increasing and behaviors that we want to work on decreasing. Aggression and self-injurious behavior (SIB) are behaviors that we frequently encounter and there are a variety of methods we can use to address these behaviors.

Absolutely! We will develop a program that will teach the skills needed for community-based activities to our client and then work directly with the parents to ensure that these skills are carried over into community outings with family members and other caregivers. This is a great example of skills being generalized and maintained, which is something ABA is proven to be effective at doing.   

Definitely! We have a TON of experience developing programs that address academics as well as social and behavioral needs for children who fit this description, and an excellent track record at transitioning our clients into school settings. We will work with you to determine the most appropriate setting for your child, and when your child is ready we will be there every step of the way to ensure a smooth transition. 

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