Dealing with Autism in Las Vegas

As Autism diagnoses continue to rise country-wide, many families in Vegas find themselves wondering where to turn for the best resources for their child.

ABA therapy has repeatedly proven its science-based interventions to be effective for individuals with Autism, and we know there are many options of facilities that offer this service. However, not all ABA companies are alike and certainly, the quality of ABA quality given to your child can vary.

We think particular attention should be given to Nevada Autism Center, a new Autism therapy center located right here in Las Vegas, with another location opening soon in Reno, NV. This organization is changing the way individuals diagnosed with Autism and their family can receive services quickly and efficiently, with less focus on payment and insurance. Their dedicated and experienced ABA professionals, including BCBAs, RBTs, and admin staff, carefully and thoroughly evaluate all children referred to their clinic. When determined appropriate, interventions and therapy begin immediately, while most paperwork regarding billing and insurance are handled behind the scenes so parents can focus on the important stuff.

A BCA- what? An RBT, who? We don’t want to be too technical, but these two types of professionals are titles you’ll hear a lot once you begin your ABA journey with your child. A BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, certified from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. They have a minimum of 1,500 hours in on-the-job training, a master’s degree in a BACB-approved ABA course sequence and have taken and passed the BACB’s BCBA exam. They evaluate and design the treatment programs for each individual client and analyze the data obtained from the RBT. An RBT, Registered Behavior Technician, is a lower-level behavior professional. They have achieved 40 hours of training and passed both a competency assessment and a formal, proctored RBT exam. They do not have to have a college degree. RBTs work 1:1 with the kiddos, implementing the programs their BCBAs designed.

The ABA part of ABA therapy stands for Applied Behavior Analysis, and this field is rooted in science with evidence-based practices for the treatment of autism. ABA employs a variety of treatment methods, including the manipulation of the environment where the kiddo spends most of their time in an effort to curb or change behavior.

The focus of ABA is to provide children with autism with the most effective treatments that will help make meaningful changes in their life, such as the development of social skills. The field as a whole consists of continuous data collection from RBTs working with the child and analysis of this data from the BCBAs to determine if progress is being made or if another intervention should be tried. The goal is always the most effective, least intrusive treatment methods that will allow the child to generalize his new skills in a variety of meaningful settings and situations.

Nevada Autism Center has services for in-home, in-clinic, and/or in-community for children diagnosed with Autism. Therapy is child-based and unique to each individual child, meaning no two children will have the same goals or intervention plans.

The center offers a fun, play-based atmosphere in which children can learn and generalize new skills amongst their peers. In-home services provide the comforting environment that is the child’s home, where skills and behavior-intervention goals can be worked on in a quieter, familiar environment. In-community ABA services offered by NAC include a highly-trained RBT providing services to your child in their school or preschool environment.

Contact them or visit their site at www.nevadaautism.com to start the simple and streamlined evaluation process!