Paving Pathways ABA therapy programs are designed to address the specific needs of each child. All programs are built on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, designed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and implemented by a BCBA or a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT).

Our ABA therapy programs fall into two categories: In-Home ABA Therapy, and our ABA School Shadow Program. Below is an explanation of both processes. If you have further questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page, or contact us here or by phone at 571-357-5582.

Initial Interview/Observation

• After an initial phone call, we will email you our basic information and schedule an initial interview/observation in your home. There we will discuss our programming and ask you for information about your child, your family dynamics, and your goals for your child. Interview/observations last about two hours.
• We will spend time with your child and observe them in their natural environment.
• After the initial interview/observation, we will have you sign a contract to ensure the delivery of service is consistent and clearly defined.
• We will review this contract with you in detail. You can sign the contract at the end of our interview/observation or take time to review it and follow up with any questions that arise through telephone, email, or in person.
• Once the contract is signed, we will design a preliminary ABA therapy program based upon the interview/observation. This program will be refined and updated many times throughout the course of treatment.
• We will work with you to get our services approved by your insurance company as necessary.
  
  

ABA School Shadow Programs

• In addition to an initial interview/observation in your home, we will work with you and your child’s school in order to set up an observation at school.
• There are many schools in northern Virginia that allow a shadow. We are happy to meet your child’s school’s requirements and answer any of their questions about our ABA therapy services.
• Your child’s school may have a requirement for number of hours/days that your child must have a shadow attend.
• A BCBA will combine the results of our observations and the school’s requirements to design an individualized ABA therapy program for your child.
• In most cases, a RBT will implement the program as your child’s school shadow.
  
  

Pairing

• Once your In-Home ABA Therapy or School Shadow Program begins, it is essential for the BCBA and/or RBT working with your child to pair themselves with activities and items that are appealing to your child.
• Pairing will allow your child to enjoy the program sessions, which makes them more willing to work with us.
• Depending on the child, the pairing process can last anywhere from one to three weeks.
  
  

Evaluation

• During and after the pairing period, we will use the VBMapp, the ABBLS-R, Socially Savvy skills evaluation systems, and our own testing materials in order to determine your child’s skill levels in a variety of areas. You can find more information about the VBMapp, AABLS-R, and Socially Savvy skills evaluation systems please see our Frequently Asked Questions page.
  
  

Goals

• At this point we combine the information we gathered during pairing and evaluation with your goals for your child to fine tune our ABA therapy program and set specific long and short-term goals.
• We will review these goals with you and get your signed permission before implementing them.
  
  

Implementation of program

• Paving Pathways In-Home ABA Therapy Program starts at a minimum of two sessions per week. Sessions are typically one-and-a-half to three hours in length.
• For children who are enrolled in an ABA school program, we recommend two to four sessions per week. For children who are not enrolled in an ABA school program, we recommend three to six sessions per week. In some situations, a consult-only model may be appropriate.
• During these sessions, a Paving Pathways BCBA or RBT will work directly with your child.
• The BCBA or RBT will also provide training for parents and caregivers. Active parent participation is very important to your child’s success with our program.
• To ensure we are meeting program goals, we engage in ongoing data collection and periodically adjust the program based on what the data is telling us.
  
  

Ongoing communication/ Parent participation

• We treat parents and caregivers as partners.
• We provide training to parents and caregivers so that you can integrate programming into your daily routines.
• We maintain open lines of communication at all times.
• We will enter notes in a blog at the end of each session and ask you to do the same as you implement our programing.
• We require a parent or caregiver observe or participate in a session a minimum of 30 minutes per week.
• We will meet with you regularly to formally review the program, perform an evaluation, and update program goals as your child progresses.