Social Challenges – Individuals with ASD often face difficulties in understanding and navigating social interactions. They may struggle with communication cues, such as nonverbal gestures and facial expressions, and may find it challenging to form and maintain relationships.

Communication Differences - In individuals with ASD, communication can vary widely. Some may have delayed language development, while others may have highly developed vocabularies but struggle with pragmatic language skills, such as taking turns in conversation or understanding metaphors.

Repetitive Behaviors and Special Interests - Many individuals with ASD engage in repetitive behaviors or rituals, such as repetitive movements, adherence to strict routines, or intense focus on specific interests. These behaviors can serve as a source of comfort or engagement.

Sensory Sensitivities – Sensory sensitivities are common in individuals with ASD. They may be hypersensitive or hyposensitive to sensory stimuli, such as lights, sounds, textures, or smells, which can impact their daily experiences.

Strengths and Talents – While ASD presents challenges, individuals with this condition often exhibit unique strengths and talents. Some may excel in areas such as mathematics, music, art, or other specialized interests.

Early Intervention and Support – Early intervention and tailored support are crucial for individuals with ASD. Therapeutic approaches, educational strategies, and community resources can significantly enhance their abilities and quality of life.

It's important to recognize that each individual with ASD is unique, and interventions should be personalized to their specific needs. ASD is a lifelong condition, but with appropriate support, individuals with ASD can lead fulfilling and meaningful lives. Early diagnosis and intervention play a vital role in maximizing the potential for positive outcomes.

The 10 Steps Following the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Commencing ABA Services

Initial Assessment: After receiving an ASD diagnosis, the first step towards ABA service is an initial assessment. A qualified professional, often a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or another trained specialist, conducts a thorough evaluation of the child's strengths, challenges, and specific needs. This assessment serves as the foundation for developing a personalized treatment plan.
Individualized Treatment Plan: Based on the assessment, a tailored treatment plan is created. This plan outlines specific goals and objectives tailored to the child's unique profile. It addresses areas such as communication, social skills, behavior management, and any other relevant developmental domains.
Family Collaboration: A crucial aspect of ABA therapy is collaboration with the child's family. The ABA team works closely with parents and caregivers to understand the family's dynamics, routines, and preferences. This collaborative approach ensures consistency in implementing strategies across different environments.
Setting Up the ABA Team: A team of professionals is assembled based on each child’s specific needs, to provide ABA services. This team may include Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), speech therapists, and other specialists depending on the child's needs. The team collaborates to implement the individualized treatment plan.
Implementation of Interventions: ABA interventions are systematically applied to address the child's targeted goals. These interventions often involve positive reinforcement strategies, behavior management techniques, and evidence-based practices designed to enhance communication, social interactions, and daily living skills.
Data Collection and Analysis: Throughout the ABA therapy process, data is collected consistently and systematically. Behavior analysts regularly assess progress by analyzing the data, ensuring that interventions are effective, and making adjustments as needed. This data-driven approach is fundamental to the success of ABA therapy.
Generalization and Maintenance: ABA technicians focus on promoting the generalization of newly acquired skills across different settings and situations. The goal is to ensure that the child can independently apply these skills in various contexts, fostering long-term behavior change.
Ongoing Family Training and Support: The ABA Team works directly with the child’s family and caregivers to provide ongoing training and support to reinforce the strategies used in therapy. This empowers parents and caregivers to implement ABA techniques consistently outside of scheduled therapy sessions, promoting continued progress.
Regular Progress Reviews: Regular progress reviews and meetings with the ABA team and family occur to assess the child's development, discuss achievements, and make any necessary adjustments to the treatment plan. Open communication is maintained to address any concerns or questions.
Transition Planning: As the child progresses, the ABA team collaborates with the family to plan for transitions. This may involve transitioning from more intensive intervention to school-based services or other community-based programs while ensuring continued support for ongoing success.

By following these steps, ABA therapy provides a comprehensive and individualized approach to supporting children with ASD, fostering positive behavioral changes and promoting their overall well-being.

OUR SERVICE PROGRAMS

At Blue Balloon, we provide a comprehensive system of services to address a broad spectrum of needs. We collaborate with the child’s family, school, social worker, and medical provider to design a program that is tailored for success. We are committed to empowering and inspiring our children to reach their personal best.

Early Intervention Program

Our center provides a nurturing environment for young learners to grow and practice new skills. In our pre-school like setting, each child receives one-on-one with a trained behavior technician overseen by a licensed BCBA. Typically, services occur for 20 to 40 hours per week depending on your child’s specific needs. Individual strengths and needs are identified across all developmental areas including communication, cognition, life skills, social and play skills. Occupational, Speech or Physical Therapy can be woven into your child’s program, as necessary. We offer full day and half day sessions in a warm and nurturing environment and strive to provide an interactive and fun learning environment for both your child and our staff.

Our approach to ABA is a firm belief that children learn most in a fun, natural environment, rather at a traditional table and chair setting. Come visit our space featuring spacious classrooms, a sensory gym, a soft gym, an indoor playground, as well as our one-on-one therapy rooms for OT and speech therapy. Our eat-in-kitchen is clean, roomy and comfortable.

Our partnership with the parents is paramount to our kiddo’s success. With that in mind we have parent consultation rooms, conference rooms, and a computer center.
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Our parent partnership equals success!

After School Program

Does your child need to work on skill enhancement after school? Blue Balloon offers services in our center in both one to one and group settings. Some of the areas that can be targeted include social skills, conversation skills, decreasing problem behaviors, compliance with task demands, and expressing frustration appropriately.

Parent / Caregiver Support Groups

Parents/caregivers and family members have a crucial
role in supporting a child with autism. Blue Balloon provides instructional sessions for family members in our centers,
which focus on teaching parents/caregivers how to utilize
ABA strategies to increase skills and decrease problem
behavior. In addition, our parent/caregiver support groups,
also give family members an opportunity to interact and
connect with other families facing similar challenges.

Individualized Therapies developed with Compassion

Blue Balloon is a world-class center for children of all ages who are on the spectrum. We provide customized services that support children, their families, and their support systems in several different environments tailored to the child’s unique needs.

In-Center

Offering Early Intervention,
Afterschool, and Social Skills Groups in a warm, nurturing
environment.

School

Providing support in a school environment for your child to flourish and remain in the best environment suited for their skills and abilities.

Home

Skill acquisition is
incorporated into a child’s natural routine with flexible scheduling options.

Community

Immersive community experiences designed to take learned skills from therapy into the real world.