Our Services

At Minnesota Behavioral Therapists, we offer a range of therapy services to help your child reach their full potential. With customized ABA therapy-based treatment plans and one-on-one support for both the child and the family, we are focused on giving kids with an ASD diagnosis the tools they need to thrive.

Helping Children with Autism Succeed

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Minnesota Behavioral Specialists

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Helping Children with Autism Succeed • Minnesota Behavioral Specialists •

Behavioral Therapy Services

We offer one-on-one therapy for kids diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, or a related condition. Choose from full-time therapy services at our center or full/part-time in your home. We also offer weekly Family Skills Therapy with one-on-one training for parents/caregivers either in-center or in your home. These sessions may include community or peer play opportunities.

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Although we believe face-to-face behavior therapy works best, we can also provide optional telehealth services dependent on need. Services currently offered via telehealth include:

• Family/Caregiver Training and Counseling
• Assessment for services
• Individualized Treatment Planning

What is Autism?

According to Autism Speaks, “autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.”

Autism makes every child unique, each with their own distinct learning abilities. We use ABA therapy to work with each child’s learning style and help them learn, grow, and reach their highest potential.

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1:1 Autism Specialist Support

With our one-to-one support, your child will work on three main areas of focus: Individual Skills, Family Skills, and Group Skills.

Our team of autism specialists continually analyze the strategy and effectiveness of each program, making adjustments as necessary. Each specialist receives 2-3 weeks of intensive hands-on training to ensure quality and consistency.

  • Individual Skills support focuses on achieving the unique goals set for each child. Your child will work with trained Behavior Therapists (BT), Senior Therapists (ST), the Director, and the Clinical Supervisor (CS) at our center or in your home.

    Part-time programs consist of 10-20 hours of in-home training per week.

    Our full-time program is 25-40 hours of training per week and can be done at home or in the center from 8:30-4:30, Monday through Friday.

  • Family Skills Therapy uses Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques to provide parents and caregivers with an understanding of their child’s program development.

    Family Skills sessions range from 1-5 hours each week, with a focus on developing the strategies and skills necessary to support each child’s progress through the program.

    These weekly training sessions help parents and caregivers understand the ABA techniques that are most effective for their child, ensuring both family and therapists are on the same page. When the skills we teach in our training program are reinforced and supported at home, it builds confidence and more successful outcomes in real-life situations.

  • When kids come to our center, we like to pair them with a peer to work on things like social skills, taking turns, and other foundational skills needed to be successful in a school or other community setting.

    Group Skills gives children the tools they need to be more successful in social situations and community settings as they grow.

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Autism Assessments

In order to provide the best care and treatment for each child we serve, we require an Autism Assessment to be completed prior to starting services. During this assessment, a licensed mental health professional will complete a Comprehensive Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation (CDME) to diagnose and/or confirm a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

This assessment is done in-office and consists of an interview with the family and observation/interview with the child. A second observation may be done at home or school to gather more information on day-to-day life including challenging behaviors or routine-based activities. The clinical team will coordinate care with all applicable service providers like your child’s school or physician.

Using all the information gathered, the clinical team will then work to create an Individualized Treatment Plan (ITP), and share the results of the assessment and their recommendations prior to starting services.

Our goal is to create a treatment plan that is tailored to your child, and will set them up for a lifetime of success.

What is ABA Therapy?

ABA Therapy is defined as the “understanding of how behavior works in real situations.”

The goal is to increase positive, helpful behaviors and decrease harmful behaviors or ones that negatively affect learning. ABA therapy programs can help increase language and communication skills, improve attention, focus, social skills, memory and academics, while decreasing problem behaviors.

At Minnesota Behavioral Specialists, we use Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA therapy) to build social, communication and adaptive skills in kids with an autism diagnosis. This type of therapy also helps children learn to reduce their challenging and/or repetitive behaviors.

These new skills are taught through the use of effective reinforcement strategies, breaking down each skill into smaller tasks, and setting achievable goals.

Goals for each child’s ABA therapy program are developed individually based upon the results of the autism assessments, behavioral observation, clinical input of the team, and the family’s goals. Each child’s ABA therapy program is custom built and focuses on three main areas: social and communication skills, adaptive skills, and challenging behaviors.

ABA therapy is supported by years of research and continues to be one of the most recommended forms of treatment for children with an autism diagnosis.

Social & Communication Skills

We work on building social and communication skills through a variety of ways, including imitation, ability to follow receptive instruction, receptive and expressive labels, development of appropriate play skills, conversation and many more.

Adaptive Skills

These skills are targeted through the development of fine motor skills, tolerance to non-preferred activities, and increasing independence with daily routines. Potty training is a goal we can achieve through building adaptive skills.

Challenging Behaviors

We address challenging behaviors in each child’s ABA therapy program through the use of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). These challenging behaviors are assessed by looking at what happens before and after the behaviors to determine why they are occurring and what function these behaviors may have.

Then working to reduce the undesirable behaviors by increasing appropriate replacement behaviors and decreasing reinforcement of any challenging behaviors.

Family Guidance

Family Guidance therapy includes all family members involved in your child’s care. During these sessions, the team supervisor will educate you and your family on autism and the tools necessary to achieve the child’s goals using ABA therapy.