FAQ's About ABA Therapy &
Allegheny Behavior Analysis Services

Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) is a specific framework of mental health support designed for children, youth, and young adults (typically up to age 21) who have significant emotional or behavioral challenges. IBHS is highly individualized. It isn't a "one-size-fits-all" program; it’s a clinical intervention tailored to the specific person's needs.

A Written Order is a professional prescription for help. Just like a doctor writes a note to a pharmacist to give you medicine for a cough, a Written Order is a note from a doctor or therapist to an insurance company for a clinic to give your child behavioral help. It is a formal document that proves a child needs extra support to learn new skills or handle big emotions.

Every client's program is individualized to meet their unique developmental needs. Our program emphasizes building language, independence, and social skills through natural environment teaching, discrete trial training, and generalization strategies.

Verbal Behavior or VB is short for the analysis of why or the reason a child is communicating. Examples may include labeling, requesting and/or the ability to respond to others directions. A repertoire of the above communication skills makes for an effective communicator. Verbal Behavior is not limited to vocal communication but may also include sign language, gestures, the exchange of pictures or vocal output devices.

An ABA/VB program that is developed to address a child's individual communication, social and behavioral needs can dramatically improve the quality of life and outcomes of a child with a disability. The United States Surgeon General (1999) concluded, "Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning and appropriate social behavior."

While it looks like fun and games, every activity is a "learning opportunity." We use Natural Environment Teaching (NET) to embed clinical goals into activities your child already loves. Whether they are building with blocks or playing hide-n-seek, our BCBAs and RBTs are actively prompting communication, turn-taking, and problem-solving.

The difference lies in the intentionality. In a daycare, play is often unstructured. In our program, every interaction is guided by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and an individualized treatment plan. We use specific reinforcement schedules and data-driven adjustments to ensure your child is meeting the milestones outlined in their assessments (like the VB-MAPP for example).

Success in Kindergarten requires more than just knowing ABCs; it requires other soft skills such as following group instructions and playing reciprocally with peers. By practicing these in a play-based clinic setting, children build the social stamina needed to thrive in a larger classroom environment.

Reinforcement is what makes a skill "stick." By using a child’s natural interests (like a favorite dinosaur or a specific song) as a reinforcer, we build high levels of motivation. This makes the learning process enjoyable rather than a chore, which leads to faster skill acquisition and fewer challenging behaviors.