Home-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

One of our Behavior Analysts will work face-to-face with your child to promote positive behaviors and to reduce and prevent undesired behaviors. This is a highly-structured instructional program that uses what a child likes to teach them. Our Analyst will use your daily family routine to provide training to your child on how to best behave in everyday situations. This may include modeling, role playing, or various other learning methods.

School-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

If school performance is a focus, a Behavior Analyst can attend school with your child. While "shadowing" your child, our staff may serve as a liaison between your child, peers, and teachers. During class, ABA techniques are used to increase both socialization and academic performance.

Group Parent Training

This training course provides parents with a basic understanding of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and its techniques. Parents enhance their parenting skills and learn how to navigate the challenges of family life. As a result, children feel understood, encouraged, and have a healthy and balanced family life. Wellspring believes that families thrive when parents are empowered with knowledge and know how to bring out the best in their children. This group setting allows parents to connect with others who share the similar challenges in their family life and create a support network from the onset of the program.

Functional Behavior Assessment

This is a comprehensive report created by a Behavior Analyst that is an assessment of your child's behavior problems and social skill levels. This report defines the environmental factors that contribute to, reliably predict, and maintain challenging behaviors. Understanding why a behavior occurs directly leads to how it can be changed. The report also outlines a customized plan on how the Behavior Analyst will help your child decrease challenging behaviors and increase positive social skills. Your child's progress is continuously measured and modified to ensure they make significant strides in maintaining positive behaviors.

In-home Parent Consultation

For ABA treatment to be effective, it takes trained and supportive people to help reinforce a wide range of appropriate behaviors in a variety of settings. We will teach ABA techniques to parents so they are well equipped to maintain desired behaviors and social skills with their child. We want families to function independently as soon as possible and not be dependent on behavior treatment programs long-term.

Behavioral Respite

Behavioral respite care is a support service to help relieve parents/caregivers from the stress and strain that result from providing constant care for a child with behavior challenges. Depending on the family's needs, this program can provide child care in the home, shadow support for community programs and/or attendant support for parents. One huge benefit of this program is that it enables families to care for their child at home and avoid the cost of expensive out-of-home care.

Home Care Services

Why is Respite so important?

It is important to make time for yourself. The demands of having a family member with a developmental disorder are great. With a full schedule the whole family can become fatigued which causes stress and has a negative impact on family stability. Respite is designed to provide families the time to take an occasional break from the daily schedule.

Why is Personal Assistance so important?

Personal Assistance allows an individual with disabilities to participate in afterschool or daycare programs that they would normally be excluded from due to physical or behavior needs. Allowing an individual to indulge in a positive environment with peers encourages growth and provides a recreational outlet often while families are working.

Summary of our Home Care Services:

In-Home Respite

In-home Respite is non-medical care and supervision provided in an individual's home that can be regularly scheduled or used intermittently.

In-home respite is designed to:

• Protect the individual's safety in the absence of family members
• Relieve family members from the constant demanding responsibility of caring for the individual
• Attend to the individual's basic self-help needs and activities of daily living, including interaction, socialization, and continuing daily routines which would ordinarily be performed by a family member.

Parent Conversion Respite

Parent Conversion Respite is similar to In-Home Respite and intended for the same purpose. However, under this program a family selects and screens a Respite Worker on their own to work with their loved one. Wellspring employs this pre-selected worker to work with the family that referred them. Respite workers may not be a family member or live with the individual receiving care unless approved by the Regional Center in advance.

Behavior Respite

Behavior Respite is similar to In-Home Respite and intended for the same purpose. However, individuals in need of this service exhibit moderate to severe behavioral challenges. These behaviors can include; aggression to self or others, elopement, tantrums, and self stimulation. Wellspring hires Behavior Respite Workers that have experience and training in working with people with developmental disabilities AND behavioral strategies based on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).

Personal Assistance

Wellspring's personal assistance program is designed to give an individual a greater level of hands-on assistance than is available through any respite program. Personal assistance can be provided to children needing daycare or to adults requiring assistance with activities of daily living such as:

• Hygiene
• wheelchair transfers
• Meal Preparation
• Medication Reminders
• Safety and Supervision

What sets Wellspring apart from other agencies?

We focus on pairing our families with Respite Workers that match the client's needs and family dynamic. We conduct a complementary case assessment to aid in creating a successful bond between our workers and our families. With our six-step hiring process, each Respite Worker is carefully screened, tested and approved as a qualified worker.

Each family has a Case Manager assigned to their case who is available for scheduling and customer service needs. Our dedicated Case Managers allow our Respite Workers to focus on what is really important...our families needs.

Wellspring Homecare Services is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for emergency scheduling.

Whether you are a parent in need of services for your child or a professional dedicated to improving the lives of disabled individuals, we look forward to working with you!

Wellspring is certified by the California Department of Education as a non-public agency (NPA).

We are vendored by various California Regional Centers for behavioral services.

Contact us at: 800-639-1684

How does this all work for my child?

For the initial consultation, your Behavior Analyst will gather information on problematic behavior and details surround that behavior - the frequency, where it occurs, when it occurs, etc. Your Behavior Analyst may meet with important people in your child's life, such as friends, babysitters, teachers, and relatives to get an understanding of how they behave within a variety of relationships. Also, they will schedule a time to observe your child to personally witness the problematic behavior.

Once they have gathered enough information, your Behavior Analyst will complete an entire behavioral assessment on your child's behavior. This assessment will include what factors influence the problematic behaviors and what factors are reinforcing them to continue. Based on the findings in the assessment, your Behavior Analyst will make recommendations and potential treatment strategies that will be reviewed with your family.

Once the treatment strategy has been agreed upon, your Behavior Analyst will draft a Behavior Invention Plan that outlines the approach to improve your child's behavior. As part of this plan, the Behavior Analyst will teach you techniques necessary to help ensure your child's success.

After the behavior plan starts, you will monitor any changes in your child. If you are not satisfied with the rate of improvement, your Behavior Analyst can revise the plan. Especially in the complex area of Autism, it is necessary to try several approaches to see what works best with your child and your family.

Behaviors that are considered harmful are the first priority in behavioral change. Below are some behavior problems Wellspring has experience in successfully decreasing.

Common Behavior Problems

• self-injurious behavior
• aggression
• tantrums
• property destruction
• non-compliance
• elopement

After the behavior problems are reduced, the focus can shift to dealing with other aspects of behavior change, such as improving communication and social interaction.

Skills that can be acquired

• self-help skills - (ex: feeding, toileting, dressing, grooming)
• social skills - (ex: accepting, eye contact, sitting and attention skills)
• play skills - (ex: turn taking, sharing, joining/initiating play, imaginary play, and games with rule)
• language development - (ex: conversation skills, following instructions, and requesting)

Sources:

United States Surgeon General (1999). Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General. Washington, DC: Author.

Applied Behavior Analysis. retrieved from Association for Science in Autism Treatment Web site: http://www.asatonline.org/resources/treatments/applied.htm

New York State Department of Health, Early Intervention Program. (1999). Clinical practice guideline: The guideline technical report. Autism/ pervasive developmental disorders, assessment and intervention for young children (Age 0-3 Years). Albany, NY: Author.