ABA Therapy:

ABA Therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis) is the most successful, evidenced-based therapy for children with autism. ABA uses intentional interactions called discrete trials that are organized carefully to build on one another. It looks like this... A Behavior Technician will pair with your child to learn about their interests and personality. As they pair, they will build a positive, trust-based relationship. Within this trusting relationship, they will then guide your child in practicing a specific behavior such as smoothly transitioning from one task to another, sorting items by category, following steps in a process, or practicing social interactions. When your child completes the behavior, a predetermined reward is given. The reward may be social (like a high five), a preferred activity (like a certain length of play time), or tangible (like a food treat). The reward will be something that is meaningful and pleasant to your child. If they do not complete the behavior, the trial is repeated. Skills are practiced in various real-world settings to generalize the skill. As your child's skills progress, new behaviors may be targeted. Behaviors and rewards are selected by your child's master's-level Behavior Analyst who will meet with you regularly and communicate changes in programming to the Behavior Technician. Data about progress is continually reviewed by your child's Behavior Analyst to determine if methods and rewards are effective or if new ones should be used. Services are scaled back gradually at the end to provide a smooth transition to independence. These skills support independence and improve social success throughout the rest of your child's life by helping them to... - Positively self-advocate for their needs - Identify and process emotions - Navigate social interactions - Master daily living skills.

We tailor each child's programs to their unique traits and your family's priorities. Areas of potential skill development include... - Daily Living: self-help, feeding, toileting, brushing teeth, cleaning dishes, sorting laundry - Social: interacting with peers or others in diverse settings - Communication: receptive and expressive, both vocal and augmented communication devices - Play: constructive, exploratory, physical, pretend, cooperative, and peer-to-peer - Self-Management: recognizing, regulating, and expressing emotion - Executive Function: making decisions and self-structuring time​ - Self-Advocacy: practicing strategies that fit each child's unique traits and equipping children to apply these strategies across environments​

As parents ourselves, we know what it's like to have a child in ABA therapy. ​​ Family is the core of who we are. Our Behavior Analysts collaborate directly with you, the caregiver, to ensure your child's programming matches your family's goals. We encourage all caregivers to visit, observe, and celebrate your child's progress! We appreciate diversity of family structure and culture, and we work to include everyone who plays meaningful roles in the life of each child. We believe it is vital to involve you, the family, when setting goals, building skills, and generalizing mastery. No one knows a child better than their family - we trust and rely on your input!

Starting something new can feel overwhelming. We are here for you because we've been where you are. That means that beyond helping your child build skills, we're here to help you, the caregiver, gain skills and feel confident in your ability to support your child's growth.  You are part of your child's therapy. We expect our families to fully engage with their child's treatment by being open during caregiver support meetings, utilizing our trainings, and helping us maximize their treatment time. In your twice-monthly caregiver consultation meetings, we will equip you with training to: - Correctly identify the function of a behavior. - Accurately determine the reinforcing factor affecting behavior. - Address the reinforcing factor in ways that are both effective and dignity-based. - Keep learning experiences consistent between the clinic and home. - Create and utilize opportunities to practice skills in the home and community environments (generalizing what is practiced in the clinic). These meetings can also be used to practice sibling play or other family interactions. We know how important it is to help the whole family understand how your child experiences autism, and we know how much that understanding can amplify your child's growth.​

Our ABA therapy is able to build fundamental skills in all ages. ABA is most effective in early childhood; however, it can be beneficially applied throughout the whole lifespan. All of Partners in Autism's services are available to individuals with and without autism. A diagnosis may open doors to different funding sources, but our services are available to anyone. For a helpful first step to a potential diagnosis or for a deeper understanding of your whole family's neurodiversity, see our Pre-Screening Assessments under our Services tab. If you are seeking an autism diagnosis but are unable to get a referral, contact us. We can help you find a provider who will listen to your concerns.

​As both professionals and caregivers ourselves, we know how much a good fit matters. That's why we take the time to pair clients with the best staff and resources for their needs. After joining our interested list, we will review your child's needs profile each time a placement opens. Before a placement is finalized, we will schedule an assessment with one of our Board Certified Behavior Analysts. An assessment is necessary to lay a good foundation for your child's individualized treatment plan. The Behavior Analyst will spend time with your child and with you to understand your concerns, especially the specific behaviors that you are encountering. ​ When a placement opens that matches staff strengths with your child's needs, your full services will begin.

To maximize the effectiveness of therapy, our clinic uses natural environments so that learning feels meaningful to your child: - personalized client spaces - living room - dining areas and kitchens - gross motor rooms - sensory arts area - large activity area Having these spaces in the controlled environment of our clinic allows us to maximize focus and accelerate mastery.​

We provide the best autism-specific, dignity-focused training to our staff, all of it vetted or written by our Director of Behavior Quality Assurance or our Director of Behavior Analysis with direct oversight by us, the owners. This equips Partners in Autism staff with tools to approach each interaction with compassion anchored in understanding. You are part of the team: - Your Behavior Analyst works with you to determine your family's needs and priorities. - You receive training to consistently integrate therapy with home-life. - Behavior Technicians work under the direct instruction of your child's master's-level Behavior Analyst. - Lead Behavior Technicians provide guidance and support across the clinic. - Our Director of Behavior Quality Assurance, also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, collaborates with our Behavior Analysts and Directors to consult on ethical practices and techniques.

As a family-owned, autistically-led center, Partners in Autism provides the most dignity-focused ABA therapy available. Your child will work 1-on-1 with members of our highly trained, compassionate ABA team who make sure they feel valued as the unique person they are. We never try to fit your child into a mold. We respect their sensory needs, build their autonomy, and celebrate what makes them unique.  Our Behavior Technicians build consistent, trusting relationships to give their clients the confidence to try new things. They incorporate their clients' interests into activities and help clients learn through play. Your child will be motivated to learn, not manipulated to comply. They will gain tools for social success while already feeling socially secure. Within that trusting environment, we help your child recognize when they are becoming overstimulated and teach them how to ask for a break. We also teach them what strategies they can use during that break to re-regulate. This builds your child's autonomy and prepares them for success through the rest of their life.  Our clinicians do not use punishments. Instead, gentle, empathetic, ethical interactions are used to process emotions. Equipping each child with skills and tools to self-advocate and communicate in meaningful ways improves their quality of life and reduces their need to resort to problematic behaviors.

We respect your child and focus on prevention to increase success, preserve their dignity, and ensure their experience is positive.  There may still be times when your child's safety requires a short-term physical intervention. Our staff are trained in the most up-to-date, ethical behavioral management practices. We ensure that our practices are: - Respectful, humane, non-coercive interventions that are evidence-based. - Vetted by neurodiverse behavior professionals. - Part of a comprehensive, wholistic approach that prioritizes prevention and positive reinforcement. - Offer a range of options. This means staff learn a series of interventions that can be flexibly adapted to the specific circumstances while remaining simple, effective, safe, and dignified. - Used only when there are no other safe options and ended as quickly as possible.​ We are Safety-Care Certified with a Safety-Care Trainer on staff. We also rely on our Director of Behavior Quality Assurance, who brings years of experience evaluating person-centered ethical practices and listening to autistic individuals.

We match our services to your child's needs. We offer placements for both full-time (comprehensive) and part-time (focused) therapy. Focused therapy integrates smoothly with our Supported Pathways Learning Center so students can continue to build skills while advancing academically. For more on our Supported Pathways Learning Center, see our Services tab.

In our clinic, your child will receive full-time or part-time ABA therapy in a personalized room as well as regular opportunities for social interaction in our gross motor room, dining area, living room, or when visiting a friend's room. Clients will enjoy a variety of activities throughout the day to develop a wide range of social, gross motor, and fine motor skills. ​  We also provide in-home ABA therapy throughout most of Indiana. In-home clients and families receive the same specialized care while using resources in an environment the child is familiar with. This is typically used for addressing specific skills or settings as the child gradually transitions out of ABA. Furthermore, as your child transitions into a school setting, we will work directly with the school and accompany your child in class until a successful transition is achieved. Also see more about our ABA Transitional Classroom. For continued practice with social interactions in the community, see our Life Skills Services! Our services are all in-person to maximize effectiveness and build meaningful connection.

We have our own in-house billing department that will personally handle all the billing and processing involving your insurance provider* including Medicaid.  Many other centers use a third-party billing service, which can lead to longer wait times for authorizations and processing. Since we handle billing in-house, we shorten your wait time. *Our ABA Therapy can also be provided through private pay which does not require insurance.