Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based, distinguished treatment program for children who either have Autism Spectrum or show markers for Autism. ABA treatment focuses primarily on basic principles of behavior, with a primary goal of increasing desired behaviors and decreasing undesired behaviors. The ABA program at Smile supports a child’s skill development and behavior across all areas of learning. Emphasis is applied to behaviors encompassing social, communication, adaptive, and behavioral needs across child age and ability levels. With elements of Discrete Trail Training and Naturalistic Environment Training, the ABA program at Smile fosters child development via a semi-structured to structured approach. Opportunities to learn through play are also routinely embedded in the program. Parental involvement and training are focal points of the treatment and children receiving ABA benefit from the programs systematic approach to positively shaping socially significant behaviors.

Children and adolescents between the ages of 2 years to 18 years of age who either have Autism Spectrum or show makers of Autism are eligible to receive ABA services.

Markers of autism include but are not limited to difficulty with social interactions, including poor eye contact, inability to engage in reciprocal and sustained social interactions with others (including peers), a preference for solitary or parallel play, repetitive behaviors, and/or difficulty organizing behaviors in a variety of settings.

Therapy is provided at a minimum of 10-hours per week and up to 40-hours per week. In the event that a child is unable to participate in the program at a minimum of 10 hours a week, exceptions can be made based on the scheduling needs of the child and family.

Therapy services may be provided at our center-based location, in the home, and/or within community settings based on scheduling availability.

ABA therapy is currently funded via applicable private insurance companies or private clients. The program is also undergoing evaluation for funding by the Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center (FDLRC).

Smile’s ABA program is appropriate for children between 2-years and 18-years old. Through utilizing a child-centered, naturalistic approach to ABA, the overarching goal of the ABA program is to help children develop positive behaviors and responses, teach skills across developmental areas, and emphasize awareness of self and others. Naturalistic and social learning principles are embedded into structured, semi-structured, and unstructured activities to harness child interest and motivation. Via deep analysis and through understanding what factors impact child behavior, ABA is a highly individualized program that facilitates children’s ability to learn a wide range of skills, including in regard to: functional communication, socialization, self-help skills, academic/pre-academic skills, motor development, and parent training. Additionally, regulation, executive function, social-emotional learning and play skills are also supported through fun, therapeutic tasks.

Because ABA follows an interdisciplinary learning model, it can be used in tandem with other supportive services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or preschool enrollment for example. ABA can also serve as a stand alone service model. While compatible and complimentary, the ABA program is not recommended for children who are currently enrolled in other intensive programs such as the Early Start Denver Model due to the increased frequency of service that each supportive model requires.

If your child is between 2 years to 18 years of age and meets the eligibility criteria, please contact us so that a member of our supportive administrative team can assist you in learning more.

• • Receptive Language or Understanding
  • Expressive Language or Communication
  • Fluency and Voice
  • Speech Production
  • Motor Speech
  • Pragmatic/Social Communication Skills
  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ACC)

At Smile our highly qualified and dedicated team of speech therapists work hand in hand with parents to help each child master the ever-changing human skill of speech and language. Individualized treatment goals are created and caregivers are taught how to foster their child’s speech and language development during fun-filled, everyday life experiences. The result is lasting communicative success for all treatment participants!

Smile’s Physical Therapy program focuses primarily on a child’s movement, gross motor development, and body function. The promotion of overall health and wellness for the child and family are also supported within Smile’s Physical Therapy program, with a goal of helping each child to reach maximum potential in order to independently function across a variety of environments (e.g., home, school, and/or community).

Pediatric physical therapists help to propel children’s development and participation in everyday activities through their specific focus on gross motor development, mobility, and physical access as well as supporting neuromotor function, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and/or integumentary systems. Learning objectives targeted within Smile’s Pediatric Physical Therapy program are driven via a play-based framework delivered via structured, semi-structured, and non-structured activities. Activities employ the naturalistic interests of children and target functional skills related to gross motor development that may target strength, range of motion, endurance, alignment, motor coordination and motor planning, and meeting developmental milestones. Physical therapy goals may generally be broken down into the following sub-domains: postural stability, gait, static balance, dynamic balance, prone posturing and head and neck control, and caregiver goals. Caregiver goals are also an important part of the child’s and family’s treatment plan and through supportive coaching and education, Smile’s physical therapists facilitate parents’ ability to utilize treatment strategies that positively contribute to the child’s developmental trajectory.

Smile’s Occupational Therapy & Sensory Integration Program focuses primarily on a child’s motor development, including both fine motor and gross motor skills. Additionally, sensory processing, self-regulation abilities, and self-help skills are supported via Smile’s nurturing team of occupational therapists.

Motor Development:
Motor skills development is one of the primary reasons that a child may receive Occupational Therapy services. Motor skills support a child’s ability to play, interact with others, and/or adequately explore the environment. Because of the nature of muscle strength, early start services often yielded the most successful results. Treatment objectives may include the use of positioning techniques to teach the child how to move horizontally, how to lie on side, to sit, crawl, stand, walk, reach, pull, draw, write, jump, run, and more.

Sensory Integration:
Sensory processing is a dynamic neurological process of give and take (input and output) between the sensory system, motor system, and behavioral responses that helps us to organize and understand what is going on inside our own bodies and in the world around us. Each individual has a unique sensory understanding and presents with different styles of interpreting and responding to these sensations. Intake and organization of these various inputs from internal systems and the surrounding environment help us to initiate motor and behavioral responses that enhance our ability to stay calm, alert, and attentive for continued participation, engagement, socialization and learning within the environmental context (this is also known as self-regulation).

Motor skill development and sensory experiences are fostered in Smile’s Occupational Therapy & Sensory Integration treatment program through free-play and exploration, as well as in carefully planned and structured learning opportunities that encompass parental involvement and training. Our occupational therapists focus on providing a child with “just-right challenges” that will help organize his or her motor and/or sensory system and thus helping the child to become more independent in their everyday routines.

Feeding Therapy is a comprehensive feeding program offered at Smile for infants and toddlers from birth to school age that would benefit from feeding therapy. The program provides efficacious treatment of feeding where a supportive multidisciplinary team assesses the child’s feeding abilities, assigns appropriate research driven treatment programs, and supports caregiver education in order to support the child’s overall feeding skills, behavior, and nutritional intake.

Feeding Therapy at Smile offers individual treatment via a team of licensed specialists including: occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, pediatric dietitians, child development specialists, and community pediatricians. Caregivers are also considered an integral part of the multidisciplinary feeding team and actively participate in the program, thereby promoting a positive feeding environment for all participants and the generalization of skills.

The Making Children Social Stars©: A Social-Skills Training Program is a research-based, dynamic program designed to improve social-emotional learning capacities for children between the ages of 2 years to 8th grade who have social-emotional learning differences, Autism Spectrum or show markers of Autism. The internally developed program utilizes a nurturing and naturalistic approach that focuses on reciprocal peer interactions and child-oriented lesson plans, while providing caregivers with the tools to support their child’s social skills through a variety of fun and developmentally appropriate tasks.

Children are grouped together in the Making Children Social Stars© program based upon their age and group across Preschool, Elementary, or Middle School cohorts as follows:

• • Preschool: 2 years to 4 years, 11 months
  • Elementary: Kinder – 5th grade, generally grouped across two distinct groups as follows:
    • Kinder – 2nd grade; and
    • 3rd – 5th grade
  • Middle School: 6th – 8th grade

Generally, program sessions are provided at Smile’s center based setting during consistent scheduled meeting times. Additionally, teletherapy parent training sessions are available as needed. When provided via teletherapy, Smile’s Social Skills training program will be facilitated with parents and children learning during both collaborative and reflective in-person and virtual sessions.

Making Children Social Stars©: A Social-Skills Training Program is funded by the Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center (FDLRC) for eligible children between the ages of 2 years through preschool, elementary, and middle school up to 8th grade. Private funding options are also available.

If your child is between 12 months and 4 years, 6 months of age and meets the eligibility criteria, please contact us so that a member of our supportive administrative team can assist you in learning more.

At Smile we celebrate and understand your joys and concerns regarding your child’s development. We believe that when a concern or suspected concern is present -no matter how big or small- every individual deserves an opportunity to seek answers and get started on a supportive path. As a part of our mission to help each individual reach their utmost potential, Smile provides assessments, screening, and consultative services from birth to adolescence for individuals that have may benefit from treatment in the areas of:

• Speech-Language Development
• Feeding and Nutrition
• Motor Skill Development
• Sensory Processing
• Behavior & Social-Learning Concerns

Assessment, screening, and consultative treatment services at Smile can include one or more of the following based on individual need:

• Play-based observation of child in naturalistic environment
• Standardized assessment
• Consultation with multi-disciplinary interventionists
• Comprehensive parent/caregiver interview
• Thorough review of records
• Immediate feedback in regards to current levels of development, next steps, and

easy to implement treatment suggestions when appropriate

• Community resources/referrals as needed

Please contact us so that a member of our supportive administrative team can assist you in learning more. Together we will determine if a full assessment is needed for your child or if your child would benefit from single or ongoing monthly consultative services to help jump-start or maintain your child’s development.