At Little Kids Academy, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to develop
meaningful skills, participate more fully in everyday activities, and experience success in a supportive environment.
Our Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program provides individualized, evidence-based
services for young children who may benefit from additional support with
communication, social interaction, learning, independence, and behavior.
ABA services are incorporated into LKA’s child-centered early childhood environment,
allowing children to practice important skills through play, classroom routines, peer
interactions, projects, and everyday experiences.
Applied Behavior Analysis is a science-based approach to understanding how learning
occurs and how the environment can influence behavior.
ABA uses assessment, observation, data collection, positive reinforcement, and
individualized teaching strategies to help children build useful skills and address
behaviors that may interfere with learning, communication, safety, or participation.
At LKA, ABA is not about changing who a child is. We focus on teaching meaningful
skills that can help each child communicate more effectively, develop greater
independence, participate in relationships, and successfully navigate everyday
environments.
Every child begins with an individualized assessment process. We consider the child’s:
Based on this information, the Behavior Analyst develops individualized and
measurable treatment goals.
Depending on each child's needs, our ABA programming may include support in:
Children learn best when skills have meaning. Whenever appropriate, ABA teaching occurs during naturally occurring activities such as:
This gives children opportunities to practice skills where they will actually use them.
Our approach emphasizes positive, reinforcement-based strategies and the teaching of
appropriate replacement skills.
When challenging behavior occurs, our team works to understand what may be
contributing to the behavior and what the child may need to communicate or
accomplish.
Rather than focusing only on stopping a behavior, we ask:
What skill can we teach that will help this child be more successful?
The dignity, safety, individual differences, and rights of each child remain central to
treatment planning and service delivery.
Parents and caregivers are important members of the treatment team. Families help us understand what is meaningful for their child, and our team provides opportunities for caregivers to learn strategies that can support progress outside of ABA sessions. Parent and caregiver support may include:
ABA is a data-informed service.
Our clinical team regularly reviews information about the child’s progress to determine
whether treatment strategies are working. If a child is not progressing as expected, the Behavior Analyst reviews the program and makes clinically appropriate adjustments.
Our goal is not simply for a child to perform a skill during therapy. We want children to
use meaningful skills throughout their everyday lives.
With appropriate parent or guardian authorization, our team may collaborate with other professionals involved in the child’s care, including:
Collaboration can help create greater consistency across the child’s environments while
respecting each provider’s professional role and scope of practice.
Quality ABA services depend on knowledgeable professionals, appropriate clinical
supervision, collaboration, and continued evaluation of treatment effectiveness.
Little Kids Academy maintains a team-based approach in which clinical responsibilities
are clearly defined and staff receive training and supervision appropriate to their roles.
The Behavior Analyst provides clinical oversight of ABA services. Responsibilities may include:
Registered Behavior Technicians, or RBTs, are paraprofessionals who assist with the
delivery of behavior-analytic services under ongoing clinical supervision.
At LKA, RBTs implement individualized treatment programs developed and overseen by
the Behavior Analyst. Their responsibilities may include:
RBTs do not independently develop treatment plans or make clinical treatment
decisions outside their assigned role.Ensuring services remain within professional and ethical standards
Behavior Technicians may also provide direct support as part of the ABA team.Before independently providing assigned services, technicians receive training anddemonstrate competency in responsibilities relevant to the children they support. Training and supervision may include:
Supervision is an ongoing part of service delivery at Little Kids Academy. Depending upon professional role and applicable requirements, supervision mayinclude:
When a Registered Behavior Technician is providing ABA services, supervision ismaintained in accordance with applicable BACB requirements.
Treatment begins by understanding the child. Our assessment process may include:
Assessment results help the clinical team identify meaningful goals and appropriate
teaching strategies.
Behavior often serves a purpose. When clinically appropriate, the Behavior Analyst may conduct a functional behavioral assessment to better understand variables associated with a challenging behavior.Possible areas examined may include whether behavior relates to:
Intervention is then designed around the individual child rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all response.
Our clinical team uses ongoing data to answer important questions:
When data show that progress is limited, the Behavior Analyst reviews possible reasons
and adjusts treatment as clinically appropriate.
Clinical recommendations should also reflect what matters to the child and family.
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to:
Families are encouraged to communicate openly with the clinical team throughout
services.
Children receiving ABA services are individuals first. Our services are designed with attention to:
We seek to build skills that improve everyday life rather than simply producing
compliance.
Information about children and families is treated as confidential. Staff are expected to follow organizational privacy and confidentiality policies regarding:
Information is shared outside of the treatment team only when appropriately authorized or otherwise permitted or required by law.
Our clinical leadership continuously evaluates service quality through supervision, data
review, staff training, documentation review, family feedback, and evaluation of treatment outcomes.
Our goal is to provide services that are ethical, individualized, measurable, collaborative, and meaningful to the children and families we serve.
Little Kids Academy primarily provides services within an early childhood setting.
Eligibility and program appropriateness are determined individually based on the child’s age, needs, available services, clinical recommendations, and the ability of the program to safely and appropriately meet those needs.
Requirements may depend on the type of service requested and the requirements of
the child’s insurance or funding source. Our team can discuss what documentation may be required during the intake process.
The Behavior Analyst gathers information about your child’s strengths and areas of
need. This may involve observing your child, speaking with caregivers, reviewing records, completing skill-based assessments, and collecting baseline information.
The purpose is to determine which skills are most important to teach and what type of
support may be appropriate.
Goals are individualized and may include:
Not every child will have goals in every area.
No. ABA can be used to teach many types of skills. For some children, behavior reduction may be clinically appropriate, particularly when behavior affects safety, learning, communication, or daily functioning.
However, a significant part of ABA involves teaching new skills and increasing
independence.
No. Autism is not something we attempt to remove from a child.
Our focus is on meaningful skills and barriers that affect the child’s quality of life,
communication, safety, independence, relationships, and participation in everyday
activities.
Our program emphasizes positive, reinforcement-based intervention and teaching
functional replacement skills.
Clinical recommendations are based on individualized assessment, ethical
considerations, client rights, safety, effectiveness, and professional standards.
Yes. Family participation is an important part of our approach.
Parents and caregivers may participate through meetings, treatment planning, caregiver training, progress discussions, observations when appropriate, and regular
communication with the clinical team.
The clinical team collects and reviews data throughout treatment.
Progress is also discussed with families. When appropriate, treatment goals may be modified, advanced, replaced, or discontinued based on the child’s performance and clinical needs.
Services may be provided by members of the ABA clinical team, which can include a
Behavior Analyst, Registered Behavior Technicians, and appropriately trained Behavior
Technicians. Responsibilities vary by credential and role. Clinical assessment and treatment decisions remain under appropriate professional oversight.
An RBT, or Registered Behavior Technician, is a paraprofessional credentialed by the
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. RBTs help implement behavior-analytic services while working under ongoing
supervision.
Supervision may include:
Supervision requirements for credentialed staff are maintained in accordance with
applicable professional standards.
Yes, when appropriate authorization has been obtained.
With parent or guardian permission, collaboration may occur with professionals such as teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, physicians, schools, and other treatment providers.
Little Kids Academy maintains policies and procedures for protecting confidential information.
Staff receive expectations regarding appropriate access, storage, communication, documentation, and disclosure of protected information.
Parents also receive information regarding applicable privacy practices and their rights.
No. Every child is different, and no ethical provider should guarantee a particular clinical result. Progress can depend on many factors, including individual needs, treatment goals, service participation, environmental variables, caregiver involvement, and opportunities to practice skills.
Our responsibility is to continually assess whether treatment is effective and clinically appropriate.
Information provided on this website is for general informational purposes and does not replace an individualized clinical evaluation or medical advice.
ABA recommendations and service intensity are determined individually based on clinical assessment and other relevant factors.
Treatment outcomes cannot be guaranteed and vary by individual.
BCBA®, BCaBA®, and RBT® are certification marks of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Little Kids Academy is an independent provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BACB
We understand that beginning ABA services may feel like a big step for a family.
The Little Kids Academy team will help families understand the process, ask questions, and determine whether our program may be an appropriate fit for their child.
Families may contact Little Kids Academy to learn more about our ABA program.
During the initial conversation, we may discuss:
When services will be funded through health insurance, our team may verify coverage and determine whether authorization or additional documentation is required.
Coverage and authorization requirements vary by insurance plan.
Verification of benefits does not guarantee that an insurance company will approve or pay for services.
Families will be informed about known financial responsibilities whenever possible before services begin.
Before developing a treatment program, the Behavior Analyst conducts an individualized assessment.
The assessment may include:
Following assessment, the Behavior Analyst reviews the findings and develops recommendations.
If ABA services are recommended, the treatment plan may identify:
Families have the opportunity to discuss recommendations and ask questions before treatment begins.
Once required authorizations, consent, staffing, scheduling, and other necessary arrangements are completed, direct ABA services may begin.
Programs are continually reviewed as the child progresses.
We welcome families to contact us with questions about ABA services.
Our team will help you understand the next steps and determine whether Little Kids Academy may be an appropriate setting for your child.
Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, Massachusetts 02476, United States
Open today | 08:00 am – 06:00 pm |
Address: 887-889 Mass. Ave. Arlington, MA 02476
Phone: (617) 913-3849
Email: shiota@littlekidsacademy.org
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