Comprehensive Assessments & Custom Treatment Plans

Before therapy begins, we conduct thorough assessments to understand your child inside and out. This helps us craft a therapy plan that truly fits.

Key features:

• In-Depth Skill Assessment: A licensed BCBA will evaluate your child’s current abilities and challenges, looking at communication, behavior, social skills, daily living tasks, and more. This data gives us a clear starting point.
• Individualized Goal-Setting: We work with you to set meaningful, achievable goals for your child. Do you want them to communicate needs with words? Improve self-control? We’ll define targets and measurable outcomes together.

Custom Treatment Plan: Using the assessment results, the BCBA creates a written plan outlining the therapy strategies and objectives tailored specifically to your child. No two plans are the same. We also consider practical details, for example, if mornings are tough because you’re coming off a 24-hour shift, we might schedule more sessions in the afternoon. Everything is personalized to set your child up for success.

Parent Training & Family Guidance

We don’t just work with your child, we empower you as well. MFT provides ongoing training and guidance so the whole family can learn and grow together.
 Key features:

• Practical At-Home Strategies: Our therapists will teach you techniques to reinforce therapy goals at home. You’ll learn how to handle challenging behaviors, encourage communication, and practice skills in your daily routine. This way, progress continues 24/7, not just at the clinic.
• Flexible Parent Meetings: We schedule regular check-ins to discuss your child’s progress, typically via in-person meetings or phone/Zoom calls. We know one parent might be on shift or sleeping off a night call, so we’re flexible – we can alternate meeting times or catch up one-on-one with each caregiver as needed. What matters is keeping everyone informed and supported.
• Family Empowerment: Our goal is to give your family confidence. We encourage questions and celebrate your successes at home. Over time, you’ll become adept at using ABA techniques yourself, which means more consistent improvement for your child. You won’t be alone on this journey – we’ll coach and cheer for your family every step of the way.

Early Intervention ABA Services

If your child has been recently diagnosed or is a toddler showing signs of autism, our early intervention services can make a world of difference. Research shows early, consistent support leads to the best outcomes.
 Key features:

• Toddlers and Up: We welcome children as young as 18 months into our ABA programs. 
• Focus on Core Skills: Early intervention targets foundational abilities, listening and responding, basic communication, sharing and turn-taking, and learning through play. 
• Support for Parents of Young Children: Having a baby or toddler with special needs is daunting, especially with the whirlwind of fire department life. We provide extra guidance and moral support to help you navigate services.

Collaboration with Schools & Other Providers

Caring for a child with autism often involves a team beyond just ABA therapy. We routinely collaborate with schools, physicians, and other therapists to ensure everyone is on the same page.


Key features:

• School Coordination: unified approach means your child gets consistent support, whether at home, school, or our clinic.
• Therapy Teamwork: Regular exchange of progress notes and strategies helps reinforce your child’s development across therapies.
• One Less Thing for You to Manage: As a busy firefighter parent, managing appointments and updates can be overwhelming. MFT’s team can take some of that load off your plate by liaising with other professionals.

Step 1: Is ABA right for our family?

Every family begins with a conversation. In this step, we schedule a consultation (by phone, Zoom, or in person) to discuss your concerns and determine if ABA therapy is appropriate for your child. You’ll share what challenges you’re facing, whether it’s communication delays, behavior issues, or anything else, and we’ll explain how ABA might help. We’ll also answer questions about our center, therapists, and the process. This is a no-pressure meeting designed to give you clarity. If you’re juggling a 24-hour shift rotation, don’t worry, we’ll find a consultation time that fits, even if it’s an evening or a day you’re off.

Step 2: Paperwork and Goal-Setting

Once you decide to proceed, we’ll guide you through the intake process. This involves some important documentation about your child and family, medical history, any prior evaluations or therapy, and insurance details. We know paperwork is the last thing a time-strapped parent needs, so our New Client Coordinator can assist you in person or over the phone to get it done efficiently. If your spouse is a firefighter on a shift, they can share input later or via email, we’ll make sure everyone’s voice is heard.

Step 3: Assessment & Personalized Treatment Plan

Next, you’ll meet one of our BCBAs, think of them as the coach for your child’s therapy team. The BCBA will schedule time with you and your child for initial observations and assessments. We’ll be as flexible as possible in arranging these sessions around your work shifts. During the assessment phase, the BCBA interacts with your child through play and structured activities to gauge skills and behaviors. Afterward, the BCBA will review the findings and invite you for a feedback session. We’ll go over preliminary therapy goals and discuss recommendations, including where therapy will take place (in our center, at home, or a mix) and how many hours per week might be optimal. We always tailor these recommendations to what’s realistic for your family’s schedule and energy level. 

Step 4: Therapy Implementation – Watch Your Child Grow

Now the real progress starts. Our therapy team (your BCBA and one or more ABA therapists) works with your child according to the plan. In a typical week, your child will attend a certain number of therapy sessions (for example, 3-hour sessions, five days a week) either at our center or at home/school, depending on the plan. Consistency is key, but we remain understanding of your schedule, if a shift change or emergency arises, we’ll adjust and get back on track. During each session, therapists use ABA techniques to teach skills and reduce challenging behaviors. Our BCBA closely supervises the team, analyzes the data, and makes any needed adjustments to the program to keep things effective. Parent involvement continues here as well: we provide regular updates and invite you to join periodic team meetings. If you’re on duty or unavailable, we’ll find another way, even if it means a quick phone call from the firehouse or sending a summary email.