Behavior Analysts, Inc.

Who Are We?

Behavior Analysts, Inc. provides educational services for children with developmental disabilities in northern California. Many of our services are provided to children with autism or those with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD); however, children with other language and developmental delays also benefit greatly from our methodology.

We provide educational services with instruction in the development of language skills and other skills necessary for students to benefit from instruction and acquire new skills without the continued need for intensive instruction. In addition, Behavior Analysts, Inc., seeks to assure that coordinated and intense efforts are made to teach students language and other skills that are necessary to effectively interact with others, as well as learn from their everyday experiences.

Mission Statement:

Behavior Analysts, Inc., seeks to provide high-quality, effective interventions for children with disabilities and their parents as well as provide training to other professionals in the delivery of these services.

Methodology

Our intervention is a behavioral-based program using the behavioral analysis of language as developed by B.F. Skinner (Verbal Behavior, 1957). The behavioral analysis of language separates the components of language into several verbal operants. This analysis enables us to more specifically target language deficits and ensure that a child is utilizing language in its functional context. This conceptual framework for language classification is well known to many in the field of behavior analysis; however, it is seldom included in language-based intervention programs.

Our format utilizes successful teaching strategies in order to maintain a high level of positive reinforcement – this leads to a learner who is motivated to respond to instruction. Our teaching involves creativity and flexibility in order to move with the child's motivational variables. Instructors must be skilled in order to accommodate this flexibility while continuing to target the necessary skills that are the focus of the particular child's curriculum – each child's curriculum is a unique program. We stress that a child's learning must be fun and motivating to all involved. We achieve this by refining the skills of those providing instruction in order to maximize learning opportunities based on the learner's motivation.

Each child who is served by Behavior Analysts, Inc. has a curriculum that is individually developed utilizing The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (The ABLLS). This assessment instrument provides a precise measurement of a student's existing skills and the conditions under which the skills are being utilized. It provides the foundation for the development of a student's curriculum by isolating specific skills that prevent a child from acquiring new skills. The ABLLS is also an instant tracking system to continually measure learning achievements. Ongoing data collection ensures that a student's skills are, in fact, being acquired and learned.

Guiding Principles

• We are part of a team – Behavior Analysts, Inc., the family, and other professionals all working toward the best interests of the child.
• Our staff are motivated with strong clinical skills which they constantly seek to update.
• It is important to create and maintain a positive learning and teaching environment.
• Individuals learn and work best from those whom they enjoy; learning should utilize the student’s existing motivational variables.
• Our focus should be on skill development rather than solely on the reduction of inappropriate behaviors.
• It is important to teach individuals how to interact with peers and other people they encounter, as well as how they can learn from their experiences in the natural environment.

Belief Statements

• We are a service-delivery system that utilizes the principles of applied behavior analysis and B.F. Skinner’s conceptualization of verbal behavior to meet the needs of the community, which includes children with autism and other developmental disabilities, their parents, and other professionals.
• We will continue to exist only if we meet the needs of the community we serve and the quality of our services meets or exceeds their level of expectation.
• We are committed to working cooperatively with the individuals who work with us, with our clients, and with those who live or work with our clients.
• We must look to solve problems, not merely identify problems.
• We actively seek solutions and allow our behavior to be shaped by our experiences; including the interactions with our clients, their families, other professionals; data from our interventions; and research from others.
• We actively seek solutions and allow our behavior to be shaped by our experiences.

For more information, please Contact us.