by Erica Pozzie, North Region Director
What started out a blank canvas of 2,500 square feet is now a vibrant and lively center-based ABA therapy space — and what our team has been able to accomplish in just 128 days is nothing short of incredible!
We’ve grown in many ways! Now occupying nearly three full suites (We’ll be adding photos of our construction as we go! Keep an eye on our progress on our Facebook page!), our ABA Therapy Center is accommodating over 20 kids through 1:1 therapy, social groups, or a combination of both. The center continues to offer a fun and interactive environment where kids want to be. Areas of skill development have been countless, but the center-based staff are particularly proud of the emergence of new social skills, functional communication skills, and even self-help skills. Not only are the kids demonstrating new individual behaviors, but social groups have allowed for social interactions and activities that are impossible with 1:1 therapy. It’s evident that our environment is conducive for learning and growing!
The talented clinicians and Care Team Members have made every child feel welcome and motivated. Kids of similar ages and ability levels have been able to come together and form relationships that may not have been possible in other environments. Kids that were once shy and quiet when they walked through the door with their parents are now loudly greeting the staff and can’t wait to interact with their peers!
Erica Pozzie
Proud moments are numerous, but when asked for their highlights the center-based staff shared the following excerpts:
- A child who initially vocalized very little is now consistently emitting 2-3 word sentence fragments as well as “Hi, mama!”
- A young child (age 2.5) who was initially very shy and scared is learning to vocalize words and sign for things he wants and needs. He’s even seeking out peers and being more flexible! After seeing his success and skill generalization into the home, his parents opted to increase his therapy hours knowing that this will help him achieve more gains.
- A child who used self-injury to communicate with others is using more and more safe replacement behaviors.
- A pre-teen has generalized her picking up of toys in the center to her home environment, as reported by the parent.
The center-based staff arrive for work inspired by the progress being made and we cannot wait for what the future holds at the Arlington Heights location! The rest of AHSS would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication to providing quality ABA services to the surrounding community.
For more information about treatment at our ABA Therapy Center locations please contact us at 844-AHSS-ABA (844-247-7222).
