AS SEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

A kiddo didn’t realize the importance of having a filter about the appearance of others. One day he was in the grocery store with his mom when he noticed someone larger than he was and blurted out how “big” the guy was. Mom came to us retelling this occurrence. In his upcoming sessions our clinic staff worked on recognizing things that are and are not appropriate things to say about others. The next week while at school this kiddo noticed some of his peers bullying a little girl in his class. He bravely walked up to this group of kids and stood up for her, telling his peers “that’s not nice!”  We are so proud of his courage and kindness!

When we found out our 2.5 yr old had Autism Spectrum Disorder, it was a little overwhelming and emotional. Then we met our BCBA from Therapy and Beyond and our daily therapist after that… and things got a lot easier. It was amazing to see the growth in my daughter with our almost daily ABA time. Not only that, I was floored by how caring and supportive those in the company were of her and of my family. Truly, they want what is best and I have always felt welcomed and a part of the process with my daughter. We even incorporated specific time for her to work on relating to her sister, which was much needed for our family. I see them care deeply and are able to competently support my family and my child in the process.

A kiddo has a very difficult time with eating. When he first started services he would not eat his provided meals, would only eat a few preferred snacks intermittently, and would refuse to come to the table. His parents could not get him to eat breakfast in the morning before coming to therapy. A feeding protocol was established during his therapy sessions and we systematically got him to sit and eat lunch at the table during lunch and snack times. This patient recently started in-home services and the meal program was implemented during sessions in the home. Within a month, he took his first independent bite at home at the dining table. We taught mom to replicate the procedure and now he is reliably taking bites at the table with edible and tangible reinforcement.

A kiddo is non-vocal verbal and relies on their device to communicate. Unfortunately, it appeared to family members and therapists that what they were selecting on the device was not always what they were motivated for. Also, the child would select icons without even attending to the device. To help, we presented preferred items and activities close to the patient and if they grabbed for the item showing interest, we would then present the device and prompt them to select the correct item. The item was then given to them immediately. After two weeks, this patient is now independently selecting items that they are motivated to choose and actually attending to the device. They are now paying a lot of attention to the device and activities that they are engaging in. Family members and therapists can see that the child is smiling more and attending closely to the environment around them. It is amazing how functional communication can really boost a person’s quality of life. Way to go Team Therapy and Beyond! It’s so great to be part of an organization that makes such a positive impact on patients and their families.

One story revolves around a kiddo with whom we have been building an appropriate replacement behavior of folded hands to help reduce less appropriate behaviors. We want to make sure there are as few barriers to learning and socialization as possible! We have consistently needed to use a verbal and gestural prompt of “fold your hands,” until this week! When the patient began to engage in the problem behavior, they self-corrected and said, “fold your hands” 100% on their own!

A child started with us a short time ago, coming to us with limited communication, scrolling and absent social skills. Siblings would attempt to initiate play but were met with either elopes or non-response. With the intensity of ABA and her other provider (language therapy), this child has bloomed! Mom was elated with her daughter’s progress and sent us this note: “Good evening! I wanted to share this footage with you both. This is at least what I was able to capture on camera as it was taking place shortly after we arrived home from ABA today. Frankly, my daughter has not engaged her sibling this way since she was about 10 – 12 months old. This – is – HUGE! Another testament to the diligence from you both.”