All clients begin with a comprehensive initial assessment designed to guide treatment recommendations and service planning. During this phase, we conduct caregiver interviews and administer a variety of standardized assessment tools to gain a thorough understanding of your child's strengths, needs, communication skills, daily routines, and behavior patterns.

Our experienced team is trained to administer and interpret a wide range of assessments, including the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP), Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK), Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills–Revised (ABLLS-R), Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS), Socially Savvy, Essential for Living (EFL), Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and Functional Analyses (FA), Practical Functional Assessments (PFA), and more.

One of the primary goals of ABA therapy is building socially significant skills that improve everyday life. These may include communication, social interaction, daily living, or play skills—for example, teaching a child to ask for a preferred snack. At North Arrow, every treatment plan is individualized based on each client's assessed needs and family goals.

As your child learns new skills, we also make sure those skills last. Maintenance programming includes regularly practicing previously mastered skills so they remain strong over time. This helps your child retain what they've learned, use those skills in everyday situations, and continue building on a strong foundation as new goals are introduced.

ABA therapy focuses on understanding the purpose behind challenging behaviors and teaching safer, more effective alternatives. Rather than simply stopping a behavior, clinicians identify why it occurs and develop individualized strategies to build functional communication, coping, and self-regulation skills. The goal is to reduce behaviors that interfere with learning, safety, or daily life while increasing positive, meaningful behaviors that help each child succeed.

Focused Treatment

Focused Treatment addresses a smaller number of individualized goals, typically ranging from 12–25 hours per week. It is best suited for individuals who need support with specific skill development or reducing a limited number of challenging behaviors.

Comprehensive Treatment

Comprehensive Treatment targets a broader range of skills across multiple areas, including communication, social, daily living, play, and behavior. Services typically range from 30–40 hours per week and are designed for individuals who need more intensive support to build foundational skills and increase independence.

Home-Based Treatment

Home-based ABA allows therapy to take place in your child's natural environment, where everyday routines and challenges occur. This setting can help identify the factors influencing behavior, promote faster skill generalization, and make it easier for caregivers to participate in treatment and coaching. Familiar toys, activities, and routines can also be incorporated into therapy, making learning more meaningful. When appropriate, services may also be provided in school or community settings to support success across environments.

Center-Based Treatment

Center-based ABA provides a structured, supportive environment designed to maximize learning and skill development. With fewer distractions and consistent routines, children can focus on building new skills while receiving individualized support from their therapy team. Our clinical centers also offer opportunities to practice social skills with peers and different staff members, helping children build confidence and apply their skills in a variety of interactions. The presence of a full clinical team also allows for additional support when more intensive behaviors occur.

Hybrid Model

A hybrid model combines therapy across multiple settings, such as your home, our clinical center, and the community. By working across settings, we can promote greater skill generalization, increase caregiver involvement, and support success in everyday life.

Caregiver Training refers to “[training to conduct] interventions with parents that aim to help parents cope better with the problems they experience with their children” (Booth, Gallagher, Keenan, 2018).

Caregiver Training helps parents and caregivers learn strategies to support their child's progress outside of therapy. Led by your child's Behavior Analyst, these sessions are individualized to your family's needs and may cover topics such as communication, behavior strategies, toileting, daily routines, or community outings. As part of our treatment package, North Arrow requires one hour of Caregiver Training each week to help children apply the skills they learn in therapy to everyday life. Research shows that active caregiver involvement leads to stronger, long-term outcomes for children.

At North Arrow, we believe collaboration is essential to providing comprehensive, individualized care. We work closely with other professionals involved in your child's care—including speech therapists, occupational therapists, physicians, psychiatrists, and school teams—to ensure treatment is coordinated across settings.

Because every child is unique, collaboration is especially important when additional medical or developmental conditions, such as ADHD, anxiety, epilepsy, or sleep disorders, are present. Working together helps achieve the best possible outcomes.