A Highly Specialized Program for Individuals who Display Severe Behavior

The Behavior Center program provides intensive and highly specialized services to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or intellectual disabilities who display severe behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury, pica, property destruction, elopement) that poses a risk of harm to self, others, or the environment.

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What is The Behavior Center?

A day-treatment program in which we place a specific focus on assessment and treatment of severe behavior. Center-based appointments take place for three or six hours per day, five days a week. The length of treatment is individualized and based on severity and frequency of severe behavior as well as progress towards treatment goals.

The general goals of the program include decreasing the individual’s severe behavior and replacing that behavior with safe alternative behaviors (e.g., functional communication) and training caregivers to implement treatment protocols with high fidelity in the clinic and in natural environments such as the home and school. The individual and their caregivers are considered part of the treatment team and the treatment package and goals are highly individualized and informed by their preferences.

Enrollment Criteria

To ensure that the program is the appropriate level of service for each individual that we serve, we have a few required enrollment criteria. If you have questions about the criteria or whether or not an individual might be appropriate for The Behavior Center, please fill out the enrollment form or contact our care coordinators.

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Criteria 1

Individual displays one or more of the following severe behaviors on at least a daily basis: (a) aggression, (b) elopement, (c) injury risk behavior, (d) oppositional behavior, (e) pica, (f) property destruction, and/or (g) self-injurious behavior.

Criteria 2

The individual’s severe behaviors are at a severity level that poses a clear and serious risk to self, others, or the environment and are causing clear and significant stress on the individual’s family members (e.g., family members are restricted from maintaining employment, going on family outings).

Criteria 3

The individual’s severe behaviors have required specialized environmental modifications to keep the individual or others safe (e.g., specialized vehicle safety harness, safety locks and alarms, helmets or other protective equipment for the individual or family members).

Our Clinics

Treatment takes place in a highly specialized setting with access to a variety of types of safety equipment to allow for the severe behavior to occur while maintaining the safety of the individual, caregivers, and staff.

Our clinics are specially designed to assess and treat each individual’s severe behavior safely and with dignity and compassion. We evaluate each individual’s needs, collaborate with you, and determine openings based on a match for the individual along with the needs of other individuals in the clinic to ensure a safe, and positive experience for everyone focused on effective treatment.

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The Behavior Center Team Members

The Behavior Center provides high staff-to-patient ratios to help ensure safety throughout the assessment and treatment process. All team members are highly trained in the safe management of severe behavior. Each patient has a team of behavior technicians and a board certified behavior analyst. Dr. Ashley Fuhrman and Dr. Amber Valentino provide clinical oversight and support to The Behavior Center teams.