What We Do
With programs designed for each individual, you can trust that your child will receive the attention and dedication they deserve. This can often extend to include the parents. We offer parent training and resources as well as In-Home Early Autism Interventions. Contact us today to learn what Learning Solutions are right for your child.
In-Home ABA
Our In-Home programs encompass research-based practices such as Discrete Trial Training and Activity-Based Intervention. We work to make our in-home services fit with each family’s ecology and schedule and develop programs that meet the individual needs of each child. If deemed appropriate by the clinical team, telehealth services may also be available. We strive to create partnerships with each family in addition to collaborating with other professionals. A consistent program that allows family members to play an active role in the interventions implemented is of utmost importance.
The Early Intervention Behavior Treatment (EIBT) Program is designed to serve children ages 18-48 months at intake. The anticipated duration of a Learning Solutions EIBT program averages three years, transitioning between two and a half to three years to an Early Autism Treatment Program focusing on functional adaptive skills or parent coaching. Recommended intensity is based upon individual needs and best practice research ranging from 25-40 hours depending on age. The EIBT program addresses deficits and excesses in motor, communication, adaptive, social and emotional, cognitive, and behavioral domains. Learning Solutions’ anticipated outcomes for an EIBT program include increased independence within their home and learning environment and for parents to demonstrate the ability to continue with skill acquisition and maintenance and have a grasp of basic behavior intervention principles.
Programs typically taught within the In-Home program may include:
- Adaptive: Toilet training, hand washing, dressing, novel foods
- Cognitive: Imitation, categorization, pre-academic skills (colors, shapes, number/letter ID)
- Social: Greetings, independent play, turn-taking, sharing
- Social-Communication: PECS, verbal imitation, Receptive/expressive object labeling
- Fine Motor: Three-point grasp, pointing, drawing/coloring
- Gross motor: Ball play, riding a bike, maneuvering play equipment
The In-Home program also addresses behavior excesses and deficits that impede the client’s ability to participate in daily routines and attend activities in their community. Direct observations and data collection will be taken by well-trained staff to identify hypothesized functions and design behavior plans to address each maladaptive behavior. Each behavior plan will be designed to work with the family’s ecology and is individualized for each child depending on the rate and severity of the behavior of concern. Each antecedent manipulation, intervention and consequence strategy will be closely monitored for effectiveness and functionality.
Parent Training
Learning Solutions and the funding agencies require parent participation in order to approve, maintain and continue services for each patient. It is imperative to note that should these expectations not be met; termination of services may be initiated. “Research shows that parent involvement in behavioral interventions is critical to the child’s success.”
While parent participation is crucial to the success of each patient and their program, we understand that there may be times when you will not be present during therapy hours. It is Learning Solutions policy that you communicate with your treatment the best plan of action for those times in order to maintain participation expectations.
Individual Parent Training
Learning Solutions provides ongoing parent training and consultation as a part of each patient’s in home program/therapy. The goal of these training sessions is to give parents a foundation of behavior analysis principles and to provide specific feedback and ongoing consultation for the patient’s specific needs.
Learning Solutions proprietary parent training curriculum consists of training on basic principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. At a minimum the following strategies are reviewed:
- Evidence-Based strategies
- Functions of Behavior
- Functionally Equivalent Alternative Behaviors
- Principles of Reinforcement
- Data Collection
- Teaching Strategies
- Writing a basic Behavior Intervention Plan
Social Behavior Intervention Group
Our Social Behavior Intervention Groups are designed to serve children with a variety of learning needs. All interventions are based on developmentally appropriate and research-based practices in combination with behavioral principles and are individualized to fit the needs of the child and his or her family. Socialization groups serve children ranging in age from 36 months to 22 years. These groups target deficits in the areas of socialization, peer interaction, social communication, and behavior. The typical consumer-client ratio for Social Behavior Intervention Therapy does not exceed 3:1 with BCAT certified staff leading and implementing the goals of each child. These groups typically occur one to two times per week for 60-90 minutes and are located in both the Sacramento and Roseville offices. Services are also currently being offered via telehealth during this time. The goal of this program is to generalize skills learned in the therapy setting to a parent-driven, natural social environment.
Skills typically taught within the Social Skills Group include:
- Social: Making friends, peer pressure, turn-taking, trading, sharing the spotlight
- Social Communication: Joining a conversation, eye contact, asking to play
- Behavior: Coping skills, asking for help, ways to gain attention
Clinic-Based Programs
Clinic-Based Service is a one-on-one session that utilizes the principles of applied behavior analysis. Children in our clinic range from 2-13 years of age. Sessions take place at a Learning Solutions Clinic rather than a home environment.
Board Certified Autism Technicians (BCAT) work one on one with their client under the supervision of an experienced Program Manager and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). We use a research-based curriculum including, but not limited to, Discrete Trial Training and Activity-Based Intervention. All programs are developed to meet the individual needs of each child. Parents and clinical teams meet regularly to discuss the child’s progress, answer any questions, discuss any concerns, and address individually designed parent goals.
Our clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 6 PM. One of the many benefits of clinic-based services is more focus on direct parent training and it gives the family time to work, attend meetings, run errands while knowing their child is engaged, safe, and making progress at our clinic.
School-Based Learning
We serve children with a variety of individualized learning needs in the school setting, ranging from preschool to post-high school transition programs. All interventions are based on evidence-based behavioral principles and are individualized to fit the needs of the student and educational setting. There is empirical support for behavioral consultation as an effective model of service delivery in school settings (e.g., Kratochwill, Sheridan, Carrington Rotto, & Salmon, in press; Pray, Kramer, & Lindskog, 1986; Sheridan, Kratochwill, & Elliott, 1990). The behavior analyst consultant and consultee(s) work cooperatively to identify, evaluate, and remediate behavioral excesses and deficits identified in students. In addition, the consultant works to identify environmental modifications that may be appropriate to assist with decreasing inappropriate behaviors and increasing appropriate skills.
Classroom consultation is provided to teach staff working with students’ basic behavior principles, environmental manipulations, individual and group contingencies, classroom supports, visual supports, data taking and analysis. Reports are prepared to provide those working with a designated student a review of consultative services, current targets being coached/modeled, and recommended targets moving forward.
If deemed appropriate by the individualized education plan (IEP) or 504, a team instructional assistant (IA) support may also be provided. Our IA’s role may include the following:
- Record specified data on the assigned student as determined by his/her Behavior Support Plan or Behavioral Goals within their IEP/504
- Assisting with social skills and appropriate play during recess and leisure times
- Following through with academic accommodations or modifications made by the classroom teacher or specified in the students’ IEP/504
- Assisting in small group lessons or with other students as assigned by the teacher if the specified student is independent
- Supporting follow-through of the teacher’s classroom management and rules for the students
In addition to having an assigned IA there may be a Behavior Consultant and Supervising Behavior Analyst assigned to the student’s case to help manage the role of the IA within the classroom. The Behavior Consultant makes weekly to bi-weekly visits to check-in with the teacher, IA, or any other IEP/504 team members deemed appropriate to provide the following:
- Staff Training
- Providing behavior support in the classroom setting
- Decreasing inappropriate behaviors
- Weekly analysis of data to determine effectiveness and appropriateness of the plan
- Regular discussions with teaching staff and parents to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan
- Support home-school communication
Furthermore, Learning Solutions may be contracted as a portion of an initial or ongoing assessment to complete a functional behavior assessment (FBA) for a student in order to gather and analyze information about a student's behavior and accompanying environmental circumstances to determine the function of said behaviors. This assessment is designed to help educators:
- determine the appropriateness of the student’s present educational environment and services, and whether changes would help the student to display more acceptable behavior
- identify positive interventions that would reduce the undesirable behavior
- identify appropriate behaviors to be substituted in the place of the inappropriate ones