FITCHBURG AND WORCESTER, MA… Behavioral Concepts (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout Massachusetts, has rebranded and unveiled a new graphic identity and website.

BCI’s extensive rebrand, which has been in the works since early 2017 and recently completed, involved understanding the company’s culture and unique value proposition. The rebrand better represents the organization’s expertise, comprehensive services and community leadership – all which is reflected through a new graphic identity, collateral, tagline and the launch of a new website.

Jeffrey R. Robinson, Ph.D., founder and CEO, engaged the marketing and branding expertise of Bob Lodi, Rock Pixel Scissors of Uxbridge, MA to assist with the rebrand.

BCI has updated their original logo, which used symbolism such as primary colors for children and puzzle pieces for autism. Although the new logo bears some resemblance to the previous logo, it is an evolution of their prior “Sun” logo, where the sun’s rays have been moved inside the C and shown in a contrasting lime green color. Dr. Robinson used the sun symbol to represent giving families a sense of promise and hope, as well as transition from darkness into light. In the new logo, the sun symbolizes light and hope, as well as becoming MORE.

The company also has a new tagline of “Discover more. Learn more. BE MORE.”

“Given the right tools, resources and environments, children with autism can learn and grow. Through early intervention, home based therapies, afterschool activities and social-skill groups, BCI helps children BE MORE,” explained Dr. Robinson.

BCI has launched a new generation of their website, which includes a new URL, https://bciaba.com.

The site was developed using the latest responsive techniques and contains new content and photography. The website boasts an innovative, elegant design, and simple navigation which enables visitors to access content quickly. BCI’s site was reorganized to better focus on the solutions they offer, their expertise and recruitment of critical staff necessary to provide services to families affected by autism.

New and improved components of bciaba.com include a “How We Can Help” section that outlines their specialty early intervention services and ABA centers. Their enhanced “Careers” page highlights job listings, internships, professional development, research and success stories. Special components that have been added to the website include an online application for intake services, an employee portal and an E-Store. A BCI blog offers information, tips and news for families, providers, and others.

He continued, “The entire rebrand process was quite involved and included an in-depth analysis of our goals and company culture, as well as positioning for anticipated growth. Our rebrand reinforces our commitment to be the best in the profession by providing the highest level of service and support to children and their families.”

About BCI

Behavioral Concepts (BCI) provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children with autism and their families in central Massachusetts. We identify and facilitate effective personalized instruction that allows children to discover more, learn more, and be more – increasing their independence and enhancing their quality of life at home, in school, and in the community. BCI is a Massachusetts Department of Public Health approved provider of specialty ABA services for early intervention. BCI also provides center, home-based, and afterschool services through private and public health insurance. The organization was founded in 2002 by Dr. Jeffrey R. Robinson. Further information on BCI is available at https://bciaba.com.

BCI is part of the Learn It family of companies, a national organization dedicated to helping all children succeed in school and life. Learn more at http://learnitsystems.com/family

Source:

“Autism Services Agency BCI Rebrands.” Worcester Business Journal, 14 Feb. 2018, www.wbjournal.com/article/20180214/HEALTH/180219978/autism-services-agency-bci-rebrands.

In the weeks prior to Valentine’s Day, classrooms, stores, and commercials are covered in hearts, cupid cutouts, and other decorations in an array of red, pink, and purple, with messages of relationships and love. Valentine’s Day creates mixed reactions, emotions, and pressure for people of all ages, including adults and teenagers. For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Valentine’s Day can create an array of emotional confusion. Yet, it can also provide parents and teachers the perfect teaching opportunity about social skills and social relatedness, better enabling these children to relate to their peers over the shared interest of this special day.

The first step in making Valentine’s Day a successful teaching opportunity, as well as a success of its own, is to identify your child’s fears and deficits in the area of social skills and to help untangle the emotions involved. Interviews or questionnaires can help identify areas of need with many children, while direct observation can be more beneficial to others.

Areas that can be difficult for children and teens with ASD include, but are not limited to:

• Nonverbal cues/body language – with regard to attending to others, reading nonverbal social cues and determining how to adjust behavior accordingly, discriminating between boredom and welcoming cues, sarcasm vs. sincerity, respecting others’ belongings, personal space, personal hygiene, odd facial expression; odd mannerisms, and manners
• Dealing with anger/frustration – with regard to defining anger, identifying causes for anger, identifying strategies to deal with anger
• Dealing with anxiety — identifying causes, situations, triggers for anxiety, and identifying strategies to deal with anxiety
• Conversation – as far as greeting; introductions; interrupting; active listening; getting to know interests of others; starting, maintaining, ending, and “repairing” conversations; calling and texting friends
• Building and maintaining relationships — finding friends, sharing friends, what to talk about, respecting others opinions, avoiding peer pressure, empathy, sharing personal information, sportsmanship, conflict resolution, teasing, bullying
• Dating — defining what a date is, when and how to ask someone on a date, reading signals, sexual harassment, dating do’s and don’ts
• Spending time with groups of friends/peers
• Dealing with school and family demands — what demands are reasonable, dealing with frustration, working cooperatively, dealing with stressful situations, negotiating, strategies

As with all skills that we teach our children with ASD, social skills require specialized teaching. Every child with ASD is different, but there are many methods that can work in individual, group and self-instructional teaching formats. One way is to use your child’s preferred interest (i.e., superheroes, video games, Legos) to help in Valentine’s Day by creating cards. Or, give your child the chance to help in selecting the type of candy or snack or to accompany their Valentine’s Day cards. Many schools have Valentine’s Day parties, so it is important for parents to find out from their child’s teacher what the schedule will be so that you can prepare your child with a timeframe and practice the routine.

Visual schedules can be very successful, including any changes in actual scheduled events, different people that may be present, changes in furniture, etc. Social stories may be helpful. Purchase a social story or create one of your own including a review of what will happen, with pictures if possible. Reviewing a social story several times prior to the event can be very helpful for many children. If your child is on a special diet, parents may want to notify the teacher ahead of time so that your child can be included. Teach your child about different situations that may happen on Valentine’s Day by role-playing exchanging Valentine’s cards or treats. Role-play and rehearse everything including personal space, eye-contact, voice volume, and turn taking. For older children, parents can discuss with their child the purpose of Valentine’s Day and provide more detail. Roleplay how to react to different situations that may occur. Several days prior to an event, role-play and rehearse exactly what is expected. It can be very helpful to actually visit where the event will take place, as well. For teens who may have a date, review everything including hygiene, manners, what to say, conversation starters, endings, how to save a conversation, etc. Roleplay as much as you can.

Source: Bay State Parent Magazine