Actualize Behavior Alternatives LLC

Services

Actualize Behavior Alternatives provides individual counseling, consultation, recommendations for behavioral interventions and the development of behavioral support plans.

We believe that the most effective learning takes place in functional, real-life natural settings. Because developmental challenges and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) affect not only the individual but every member of the family or in the home, we typically recommend in-home behavioral consultation in tandem with individual counseling. These services follow a best practice model involving behavior assessment, teaching appropriate skills, reducing challenging behaviors and providing coaching and support to those implementing the program and living with the individual.

“If a child cannot learn in the way we teach, we must teach in a way the child can learn.” - Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas

Services:

  • Functional Behavior Assessments
  • Home Program Design
  • Behavior Plan Development
  • Parent Coaching and Support
  • Consultation for families, host home providers, day programs, schools
  • Individual Counseling

More Info

Assessments, Behavior Support Plans and Home Program Design

A thorough functional behavior analysis is completed to identify the function that each maladaptive behavior is serving for the individual, i.e how it is being reinforced and maintained. This includes a series if interviews with caregivers and important people in the client's life, as well as direct observations of the Individual in various natural environments. This is then compiled into a detailed behavior report. Recommendations and support plans are tailored to the Individuals developmental disability and are necessary for the individual to acquire or maintain appropriate adaptive behaviors, interactions with others, and behavioral self-management. Intervention modalities relate to an identified challenging behavioral need of the individual. Measurable goals and specific techniques for facilitating the acquisition of each goal are established.

We work with you to help identify why the individual may be engaging in challenging behavior and to find ways to help motivate him or her to improve that behavior. We also look at the skills that the individual may already have and determine how to build on these skills to develop new social, communication, academic and life skills as well as other positive behaviors.

Consultation and Parent Coaching

One of the biggest challenges caregivers face is managing difficult or defiant behavior on the part of their child, or client residing in their home. Whether they’re refusing to put on their shoes, or throwing full-blown tantrums, you can find yourself at a loss for an effective way to respond.

For caregivers at their wits end, being empowered to implement behavioral therapy techniques themselves can provide a roadmap to calmer, more consistent ways to manage problem behaviors and provides opportunities to help children and clients acquire the skills they need to regulate their own behaviors.

We’ll also help you identify individualized goals that will produce an immediate and meaningful change in your family life. We’ll work with you to develop programming that teaches these skills in a positive, fun, and effective manner. These goals may be first taught during 1:1 therapy sessions and then rehearsed with members of the family, so that each skill is transferred beyond the therapeutic session so that it becomes generalized to all areas of the client's life.

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling involves the direct implementation of the positive behavioral support plan to address the presenting concern, issue or challenging behavior(s). Our counseling services are designed to create opportunities for each person to acquire, develop, and maintain skills while focusing on specific goals within the home or community setting. Among the common goals we tend to focus on, are behavioral self-management, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, behavioral flexibility (reducing behavioral rigidity), improving communication skills, using appropriate boundaries, healthy interactions with others, improving independence, calming, re-focusing and grounding, organization skills, and more.