Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a science that can aid in the learning process when teaching skills to children and adults.
At HVABA, ABA sessions are tailored to each student's unique learning needs. Sessions take place in our offices. This offers us the greatest amount of control over the environment as well as ensures that all materials necessary for the session are readily available. Sessions are very comprehensive and may require extensive materials. We use the VB-MAPP Assessment (Sundberg, 2008) as well as the AFLS Assessment (Partington & Mueller, 2013) to identify the learner's deficits and build on the strengths. Learners with language deficits spend the majority of the session time learning to develop functional language. This includes building imitation skills, joint attention and engagement. Verbal Behavior Analysis (VBA) uses ABA to break down language into functional components. By teaching the learner how language functions in their environment, we can help to develop functional communication.
Please Note:
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All our sessions take place at our clinic. We do not offer in-home services
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This is NOT a supplemental, after school activity This is medically necessary ABA Treatment and is comprehensive and intensive in nature.
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This therapy requires a commitment to service frequency. This is not a once a week service!
Social Skills are also a challenging for many children. Where many children depend on their social skills to "de-stress", others find that the social domain creates even more anxiety for them. Social Skills are an integral part of ABA sessions at HVBS. Instructors will use a variety of formats including video, role-playing, and feedback to teach discrete social skills that can be applied in many settings.
Parents are considered an important part of the team at HVBS. It is imperative that parents understand what the learner's goals are and how they can help address them at home and in the community. As such, at the conclusion of each 2-hour session, parents will receive a detailed summary sheet that will clearly show what skills were being addressed during the session and how well their child did exhibiting those skills. In addition, parents of each client are scheduled for a 30 minute parent training each week to discuss their child's progress, address ongoing challenges at home and to provide ideas on how to carry over the teaching of some of the skills at home.
Our Social Skills classes focus on core skills used in a variety of social situations. We use the AIM (Accept. Identify. Move) curriculum developed by Dr. Mark Dixon & Dana Paliliunas to drive our class content. This is a Behavior Analytic Curriculum for Social-Emotional Development in Children. Our classes develop mindful practice, therapeutic reconditioning, use a functional approach to behavior and encourage willingness, acceptance and self-awareness. We strive to help children experiencing social discomfort while addressing challenging behaviors. The classes use everyday struggles to which we can all relate as the platform for reflection, interpretation, exploration and navigation.
Social skills classes are offered Monday through Friday. We do not offer these classes as stand alone classes. They are part of a comprehensive program. These classes are requested through your child's treatment plan. Authorization required and co-pays may apply.
Our classes focus on the Six core processes of the AIM Hexaflex:
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Present Moment - Focuses on engaging the individual with his or her experiences with the world directly, by developing awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
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Example: Headspace App ( This can be found on Netflix, YouTube, or App)
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Example activity - Prioritization Pyramid - Write out a hierarchy of our own values.
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Committed action - Refers to the development of larger and larger behavior patterns that linked to values, or individual reinforcers.
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Example activity - Flat tire - We all get flat tires from time to time but when we have a plan we can change that tire we can move on quickly.
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Self-as-context - Develops and harnesses the individual’s ability to take perspectives in order to create a distinction between one’s self-as-content, or the content his/her past experiences, and self-as-context, or the stable, continuous awareness of his/her experiences without attachment to them.
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Example activity - Mindful Specs - Sometimes we might have blurry vision that makes us see events differently than how they occurred. When we stop to notice things going on as they occur, how is that like improving our vision.
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Defusion - Encourages the individual to let go of the need to control or eliminate distressing thoughts or experiences by changing the way he/she interacts with them.
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Example - Cutting the string - It’s hard to let things go. Imagine your thought written on a balloon and then imagine as you cut the string and watch that thought float away.
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An alternative to experiential avoidance, which involves an individual’s willingness to experience external and internal experiences, both the good and the bad, fully and without judgement.
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Example - Saying “yes” - Have you ever avoided something and then ended up liking it? We practice saying “yes” when we might normally say no!
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Dragons: Each dragon represents a social-emotional challenge. These include reciprocity in conversation, coping with anger, fitting into a peer group, empathy, and maintaining friendships. In order to conquer each challenge, the dragon must evolve using an acquired set of social strategies.
Light and Dark Forces: The light and dark forces are comprised of builders and destructors. The builders, or light forces are made up of social skills tools that can assist in navigating various social environments. The dark forces, or destructors are comprised of social difficulties that compromise social skills. Examples include Flexibility v. Rigidity, and Interactor v. Isolator.
Antidotes and Poisons: The antidotes are made up of present moment strategies that are easily accessible in all environments to cope in challenging situations. The poisons are made up of destructive social responses that prevent the client from navigating a social environment successfully. Examples include Contentment v. Doomsayer, and Gray Beauty v. Black & White thinking.
HVABA offers programming during breaks and days off on the school calendar, called "Camp Days," to accommodate the day off from school. Regular instruction takes place, but usually with an added theme of whatever holiday or season we're in. We are open on these days from 9:30-3:30. These days will be listed on the Home page and you must sign up for them if your child doesn't typically attend during these hours. These are not stand alone programs. You must be a current client receiving treatment!
Our summer program is part of our comprehensive treatment. It is not a stand alone service. You must have a year round program in place to receive this service. This service is provided in a group setting, but instruction is individualized for each student.
Sessions focus on appropriate social language development, learner cooperation, academic skills (individualized to student's needs) and core social skills and interaction. Instruction is delivered using a behavior analytic approach and data is recorded and measured to ensure progress in all areas.
Behavioral needs are addressed using a systematic approach which examines the function of the behaviors and seeks to replace negative behaviors with appropriate behaviors that meet the same function. Opportunities to practice appropriate behaviors are repeatedly presented to students in order to facilitate faster acquisition of new behaviors and skills.
Parents are instructed any particular strategies that are effective to meet their child's unique behavioral needs to provide carry-over in the home setting.
Parents of every client are scheduled for one 30 minute discussion each week to discuss the child's ongoing progress. Meetings are via Zoom online conference call and can cover a deeper understanding of the child's progress, a discussion of any new behaviors that have been observed and assistance with any particular challenges the parent has encountered in the home or other social environments. All parent trainings are conducted by one of our BCBAs to offer strategies for working with challenging behaviors and encouraging the things that are going well. Parents are encouraged to bring the issues that matter the most to them to the table to discuss.
Hudson Valley Applied Behavior Analyst, PLLC (HVABA) provides school consultation services to students who are experiencing behavior challenges in the school setting. Challenges can range from aggressive and disruptive behavior to social interaction difficulties. Therapists at HVABA are all New York State licensed behavior analysts as well as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA's) and most are also certified teachers in Special Education. They all have extensive backgrounds in working with students with behavior difficulties.
School consultations have four key components: Functional behavior Assessments/Behavior Intervention Plans (FBA's/BIP's), Classroom Consultations, Social Skills Instruction, and Direct Individual Instruction.
Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans are the result of a number of observations in various environments, collecting data on behaviors and discussing those behaviors with staff that have had challenges with the student. Information from the observations is collected and analyzed to determine the function of the behavior. If we know "why" the behavior is occurring we are much more likely to put an effective plan in place to meet the student's behavioral needs. A plan is developed with the function of the behavior addressed. It is then critical that teacher support in the form of classroom consultation be provided to ensure that the plan is put into effect and everyone who works with the student understands how to respond to behavioral incidents.
Classroom Consultation involves the therapist working with classroom staff to alter the environment in order to meet the student's needs. Therapists will work collaboratively with classroom staff to implement specific behavioral principles and strategies (i.e., positive reinforcement, token economy, redirection) to change the way behaviors are being addressed. Therapists will demonstrate the intervention and provide feedback on any incidents that classroom staff encounter. Strategies are written out and provided to classroom staff so they can refer to them when the therapist is not present. On-going consultation on improvement or lack of improvement of behavior is critical in order to ensure that treatment is effective. Treatments that are not effective are re-evaluated to ensure treatment integrity and new treatment are implemented based on analysis of the behavior.
One of our most popular Special Events! Once each month, teens and tweens are encouraged to attend this special evening. Held on a Friday from 6pm to 9pm, teens have the opportunity to socialize with other kids their age in a safe, bully-free environment. Peer models are in attendance as well! Kids can watch a movie on our big screen, play video games, bake a treat with staff, or do make-up, hair and nails! The night often ends with video Karaoke or a round of "Hey Mr DJ." Pizza is ordered and a full buffet of snacks, soda, water and treats is available! Teen 'n Tween Night is the most fun we have all month!! Check the announcements area at the top of the Homepage for this month's date!
HVABA staff members have presented at local and national professional conferences and they can come to you as well! Our staff provides training for teachers and parents at local schools and daycares/childcare facilities. Trainings include dynamic discussions and examples of strategies being presented. Past presentations have included "Positive Parenting", "Managing Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom", "Using ABA with Any Curriculum", and "Positive Strategies for the Preschool Classroom". We can provide on-site presentations or, in the past, have had classroom teachers in our facility to observe their students in our setting. Contact us to book your next training!