Family Support

Family Support is built around the person or people who need the expertise—not around a particular family structure. Sometimes we work directly with an individual to build skills, independence, problem-solving, or strategies for navigating behavioral and learning challenges. Other times, we work primarily with parents, caregivers, or other important people in that individual’s life so they feel better equipped to understand behavior and provide effective support. Often, we work with both. Families come in many forms, so participation might include parents, guardians, grandparents, partners, relatives, or other caregivers. Together, we determine who would be most helpful to involve based on what you want to accomplish.

Yes, it can but we intentionally use the term Family Support because we view our role as broader than simply “training” or “coaching” parents and caregivers.

Parents, caregivers, and other important people in an individual’s life bring invaluable knowledge and expertise. We bring expertise in behavior, learning, and skill development. Rather than positioning ourselves as the experts teaching someone how to be a better parent or caregiver, we work as part of the team by combining our knowledge with yours to identify practical strategies and supports that can lead to meaningful, lasting change.

We also understand that families come in many different forms. Support may involve a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, sibling, foster parent, direct support professional, or caregiver in a residential setting. To us, family is not defined solely by biology, but by the people who consistently show up, care, advocate, and provide support.

Family Support also does not always mean working directly with caregivers. Depending on the individual’s needs and goals, we may work directly with the individual, with the people who support them, or with both. Together, we determine what type of support will be most useful and appropriate.

No. A diagnosis is not required. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science of understanding human behavior and learning. While ABA is often associated with autism services, behavior-analytic principles are not limited to autism—or even to people with a disability. Our BCBAs can apply this expertise to behavioral and learning challenges experienced by individuals with a diagnosis, a suspected disability, another disability, or no diagnosis at all. We start with the person, the situation, and what you would like to change or better understand. From there, we determine whether our expertise is a good fit.

Family Support provides direct access to highly trained, master’s-level Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Rather than using a tiered model in which much of the direct service may be delivered by entry-level technicians under BCBA supervision, our BCBAs work directly with individuals and families. This allows services to be highly focused and clinically driven. We can spend our time identifying what matters most, understanding the variables affecting behavior and learning, developing practical strategies, and teaching individuals and caregivers how to use those strategies in everyday life. Our goal is not to provide more hours of service. It is to make the time we spend together purposeful and to build the skills and confidence needed for greater independence.

There is no predetermined schedule or minimum number of hours. More services do not automatically mean better services. Because you are working directly with a BCBA, Family Support is designed to be focused and efficient. Some individuals or families may need only a few targeted sessions to understand a concern, develop strategies, and begin putting them into practice. Others may benefit from more frequent or ongoing involvement. We recommend frequency based on the complexity of the need, the goals being addressed, and how much professional involvement is actually useful. As skills, confidence, and independence grow, services can change or decrease accordingly. Ultimately, our goal is to empower the individual, the caregiver, or both—not to create long-term dependence on professional services.