Lauren Bavosi
Worcester ABA Center Expansion
ABA Therapist Kendall D-J and his client doing table work
By: Alison Senior (Direct of Center-based Services – Worcester)
Our Worcester ABA Center is thrilled to share that we will be expanding our space this fall. The expansion will create four new instructional areas, as well as an expanded sensory area, and will allow us to double our enrollment capacity for the Intensive Day Program. Both our Intensive Day Program and our After-school Program will expand to sixty children per session. We are so excited to be able to move some families off the wait-list while continuing to provide a high quality of clinical services to all our clients.
The new space will feature four new instructional areas, additional restrooms for targeting activities of daily living, and an expanded sensory area. Two of the instructional areas will be set up much like our existing Center space, with interactive play centers for structured leisure activities and cooperative play and table areas for group instruction and targeted social skills lessons. We will be able to expand upon the different play areas offered, including additional dramatic and exploratory play activities, and finally have homes for all the additional toys we’ve had in storage. We will also be adding a large area with individual cubbies and open table work areas, dedicated to discrete trial instruction time. This will allow each child to receive individualized instruction time, with limited distractions. Our fourth new space will be home to Circle time, creating dedicated space for group instruction in pre-academics, story time, as well as music and movement activities. In the lobby area of our new space, we will be creating an expanded sensory area, dedicating space to having multiple activity options available for a greater number of children to access at once.
With the expanded number of instructional areas available, we will be increasing the day program to at least six groups of up to 10 clients each. Having a greater number of groups gives us the opportunity to refine peer groups and individualize group activities based on skill level even further. Our group schedules will also be shifting to allow for more movement between instructional areas, building motor breaks into transition time, and have each client contact a greater number of different activities across their day.
We are so excited to share these new developments with you and cannot wait to show off the new space once we are up and running. If you would like more information about our Worcester Center-Based Services or if you would like to be added to the wait-list for an opening, please contact the main office at 508-363-0200.
Behavioral Concepts, Inc. Appoints New Director at Worcester Location
UPTON AND WORCESTER, MA… Behavioral Concepts, Inc. (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout Central Massachusetts, has appointed Candice Colón-Kwedor, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, as Director of Professional Development and Research.
Dr. Colón-Kwedor specializes in the assessment and treatment of severe challenging behavior in children and adolescents and has more than a decade of experience providing consultative services and clinical services in the private school and residential setting.
In her new role as Director of Professional Development and Research at BCI, she will oversee the training curriculum for, and the professional development of behavior therapists and Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). She will also oversee therapist level in-service trainings and internal BCBA level continuing education events, as well as BCI’s new research initiative.
In addition to serving as BCI’s Director, Dr. Colón-Kwedor serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Endicott College. For seven years previous to BCI, she served as Clinical Director and Senior Clinical Director at the May Institute’s May Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph, MA. Her role involved the supervision of clinical directors, assistant clinical directors and behavior specialists as well as the oversight of school wide ABA clinical services for approximately 160 residential and day students.
Dr. Colón-Kwedor received a Doctoral degree in Behavior Analysis from Western New England University and a Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst (LABA) in the state of Massachusetts.
She serves on the Board of the Berkshire Association of Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT) as Member at Large. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) and the Berkshire Association of Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT). For the past six years, Dr. Colón-Kwedor has volunteered at the annual convention for APBA.
Dr. Colón-Kwedor’s research has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. She is also a contributing author to a BCBA supervision reference manual and has served as a guest reviewer for The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and Behavioral Interventions.
She is a resident of Upton, MA.
About Behavioral Concepts, Inc. (BCI)
Founded in 2002, BCI provides educational, behavioral, consultative and assessment services to children with autism and their families. These services are based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and are tailored to meet the unique needs of their clients. BCI’s goal is to maximize individual potential, increase independence and enhance clients’ quality of life within their home, school and community.
BCI provides center- and home-based services through health insurance and is an approved provider of Specialty ABA Services for Early Intervention in Central Massachusetts. BCI’s main care center, located at 345A Greenwood Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, offers intensive treatment for young children aged 3 to 6 years of age, an after-school program for all school aged children and a weekend social skills program. BCI offers similar services at a second location at 207 Authority Drive in Fitchburg, MA. BCI also provides in-home services within a one-hour radius of Worcester.
For complete information, visit http://bciaba.com or to arrange a consultation with a BCI clinician, call (508) 363-0200.
What’s Next? After the ASD Diagnosis
Sally Burke, M.S. Ed., BCBA, Director of Early Intervention Services at BCI has been working with children with a variety of special needs for more than 15 years. In her article entitled “My child has been diagnosed with ASD. Now what?” which was featured in Bay State Parent, Sally provides parents with a helpful overview of what happens after an ASD diagnosis – from finding service providers to accommodate the recommended number of treatment hours to asking the right questions.
Proud Supporter of Family Fun Day at Great Wolf Lodge
BCI has partnered with HMEA’s Autism Resource Central to offer a Family Fun Day at Great Wolf Lodge in September! This is a special event that will be held on September 24th for children who are part of HMEA’s Autism Resource Central. BCI will offer a quiet area as well as sensory-friendly activities. BCI is an ongoing supporter of HMEA’s Autism Resource Central and this event has been made possible through the agency’s $5,000 sponsorship.
BCI Nominated to “Best Places to Work in Central Mass 2017” (Telegram & Gazette)
We’ve been nominated for the Telegram & Gazette’s Best Places to Work 2017!
We have been nominated as a “mid-size” company for both:
- Best Company Party
- Best Workplace Culture
If you would please take a couple seconds to vote, we would appreciate it. Simply go to: http://bit.ly/2lYmujL and cast your vote!
Plus, if you complete the entire voting process, you will be entered to win a catered office lunch.