What is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?
What types of areas does ABA treat?
The principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can be used to treat a wide variety of skill deficits, challenging behaviors, and disabilities. These techniques can be applied in numerous settings including the home, school, clinic, and community environments. The Blue Sky Behavior Analysts and therapists apply ABA principles to the following areas of treatment and intervention: Language Acquisition, Social Skills, Academics, Feeding, Toilet Training, adaptive behavior skills, and the reduction of challenging behavior (sometimes referred to as problem behavior or maladaptive behavior).
Do you provide diagnostic services?
Blue Sky Behavior Therapy does not provide diagnoses. Dr. Duncan provides diagnostic evaluations for children through Blue Sky Pediatric Psychology, LLC. You can also contact the following locations for a diagnostic evaluation:
The Child Development Center at UMMC
Will's Way, Pediatric Behavioral Psychology
Connections - Hattiesburg Clinic
Does Blue Sky only treat children with Autism?
Absolutely not! ABA is for everyone! While currently an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis is necessary for insurance coverage of our services, the principles of ABA are effective with a number of populations including typically developing children. The goal with ABA services is to observe the child in order to figure out what skills the child is lacking compared to same age peers and then determine the most effective way to teach the child those skills. This could include anything from “eating your vegetables” and “pee-peeing in the potty” to “speaking” and/or “playing appropriately with other children”. Additionally, ABA can be used to analyze and intervene on a variety of challenging behaviors displayed by children with and without disabilities.
What is the best age to start ABA?
Research indicates that individuals receiving ABA intervention in the early years demonstrate better treatment outcomes. Early intervention is the key to success and it is important to begin treatment as soon as possible. However, this does not mean that it is too late to begin ABA treatment! ABA is effective for individuals for all ages.
What kind of progress can I expect?
A child’s progress in an ABA program depends upon a number of interacting factors, which makes this a difficult question to answer. Some of the factors that can affect the amount of progress that a child makes include the individual abilities of the child, co-existing diagnoses, areas targeted for treatment, frequency of treatment, parent involvement, supervising BCBA experience, and the quality of the therapists implementing the treatment sessions. It is important to continually evaluate progress in terms of skill acquisition and challenging behavior reduction throughout the course of an ABA program. When implemented correctly, research shows that children receiving ABA therapy will increase pro-social skills and reduce challenging behavior. By monitoring progress through data analysis on a weekly basis, the parents and treatment team are able to use this information to inform and alter therapy techniques based upon progress or lack thereof. The most important thing for parents to remember is that ABA is not a “quick fix”. It is not the type of therapy where you drop your child off at the doctor’s office and then he or she comes back “better." ABA is a slow but steady and empirically validated process. Parent involvement and training is essential in ensuring that the child maximizes his or her therapy time and generalizes these skills to his or her everyday environment.
What are the qualifications of your staff?
Attracting and retaining highly qualified, motivated, and effective BCBAs and Registered Behavior Technicians is a top priority of Blue Sky Behavior Therapy. ABA is only as effective as the individual delivering the direct therapy services. The Blue Sky therapists are chosen based on their ability to connect with and motivate the child during a therapy session. In addition to extensive instruction and hands on training in the field of ABA, therapists are selected based on their ability to effectively embed learning trials into a fun and play based environment. All therapists receive ongoing professional development and are supervised by a well-experienced Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Will my insurance cover these services?
Currently, Blue Sky is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Health Care and Tricare. Reimbursement for services is mandated by the state. All insurance providers in Mississippi should cover ABA services for children who have a diagnosis of Autism. Because each policy is different, it is recommended that you reach out to your insurance provider to clarify any questions regarding co-payments and co-insurance requirements. If you have an insurance policy from another state, we can work with you to figure out if ABA services are covered under your policy. Each state's requirements for prior authorization, assessment and treatment plans vary and will have to be carefully reviewed in order for us to accept the insurance.
Blue Sky is also able to provide reimbursement forms for those who are out of network.
