Within the Center of Excellence, Touchstone’s mission is achieved through our Behavior Analytic Services.  Members and families can expect to receive the utmost care, education, and treatment to effectively achieve meaningful change for individuals that present with skill deficits and challenging behavior.  Our specialized team of professionals can assess and treat a variety of challenges, across age groups, regardless of diagnoses in both our Language and Learning Center as well as our Complex Behavior teams.

The Complex Behavior Program, which is a focused ABA program, provides support to families and members who engage in challenging behavior that poses an imminent risk of serious harm to themselves and others. Our clinicians utilize the science of Behavior Analysis to inform their assessment and treatment practices. When an individual is referred to the Complex Behavior Program, a team lead by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) conducts a functional behavior assessment (FBA) to determine why the behavior occurs. A treatment plan is then created to decrease the problem behavior and teach an appropriate replacement skill instead. The team then implements the plan and trains parents and other caregivers to utilize the plan confidently as well. The member is discharged once they have achieved a meaningful reduction of challenging behavior and have made gains through functional replacements with their guardians.

The Language & Learning Center (LLC) provides comprehensive ABA therapy (30-40 hours a week) to members from 0-17 years old. ABA therapy is a child-centered, strengths-based treatment with the goal to help members achieve their highest potential. Through a comprehensive assessment coordinated by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®), a member’s strengths and deficits are identified across developmental domains. Skills targeted include communication, pre-academic (learning to learn) skills, social skills, self-care skills, and play skills. Challenging behavior may also be addressed as part of comprehensive ABA therapy. A plan for addressing the member’s needs as outlined in the assessment is created and implemented in the center, home, or community settings. Therapy includes parents/caregivers, and when appropriate, siblings to produce the best outcomes.

Intensive Parent Education (IPE) is offered through the Autism Center of Excellence that provides caregivers instruction on a series of topics that include, but are not limited to, “What is Autism,” Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis, determining the function of behavior, increasing communication skills, and many more. IPE is a telehealth service that occurs 7-hours per week for 9-10 weeks.

The RUBI parent training program (Bearss, et al. 2007) is a 7-week program that teaches caregivers how to identify target problem behaviors and utilize the principles and techniques of Applied Behavior Analysis to replace problem behaviors with appropriate behaviors. Session visits occur 3-4 times per week and are comprised of “Core” sessions (learning content) and “Coaching” sessions (in-vivo training). Core sessions take place with caregivers only for 2 hours per week, and Coaching sessions take place with the member present 2-3 times per week totaling 4 hours. There are also two phone check-ins weekly to ensure the family is implementing new skills with support and confidence. This program is offered via telehealth.

Read more here!