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Coronavirus Update: Monday, March 16th | Home Based Services Option

Lauren Connors

Coronavirus Update: Monday, March 16th | Home Based Services Option

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The health and safety of our clients and staff is of the utmost importance to our organization. With the increased concerns in our community regarding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we are making some immediate changes to our center-based programs. Our aim is to provide consistency in service to the best of our ability while keeping the health of our clients and staff the top priority.

Effective Monday, March 16th we are offering the option of home-based services for all our center-based clients. Shifting to home-based services offers the following benefits;

1. Maintain continuity of services in the event of a center closure that might be mandated in the future by state or local authorities

2. Reduce the risk of any potential community-based transmission of coronavirus by decreasing group interactions.

We will also be working to create *daytime* hours as many of our kids will not have their usual school hours in the coming weeks. Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity and we will do all we can to align our staff and scheduling to meet the needs of your family. At this time our centers will remain open as we continue to monitor all relevant health and safety information.

If you would like to view or download a PDF copy of this announcement, please click here.

For more information on the additional safeguards we have enacted, please visit www.learnbehavioral.com.

 

Your Safety is Our Top Priority – Coronavirus (COVID:19) Update

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LEARN is a family-focused company, and the health and safety of your family and our team members has always been our highest priority. Given the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, we want to be clear about measures LEARN has long had in place, as well as additional safeguards we have recently enacted, to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.

Because we work in close proximity to clients, we previously enacted the following measures:

• Our existing client service agreement has been designed in part to reduce the spread of contagious diseases. Specifically, we ask that you notify us and cancel a session if your child has a runny nose, cough, sneezing, vomiting, and fever—symptoms that are characteristic of many viruses, including COVID-19.

• Our team members are equally attentive to their own health and are trained to cancel sessions if they exhibit any of the above symptoms of a contagious disease.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have enacted the following additional safeguards:

• We have established a dedicated hotline for our team members to report if they have traveled outside of the United States in the past three weeks or plan to do so in the foreseeable future. Correspondingly, we developed protocols for determining if and when any team member who travels abroad can return to treating clients (based on guidance set forth by the CDC).

• We instructed all team members to adopt the preventive actions published by the CDC to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 and other contagious diseases.

• We encourage you to visit www.coronavirus.gov so that you and your family members can learn and adopt the preventive measures.

Also, if you, your child, or a household member has recently traveled abroad, or has plans to do so, it is important that you contact your clinical director so that we can determine if a temporary 14-day suspension of services is warranted.

LEARN’s leadership team is monitoring the latest information about COVID-19 each day, while paying strict attention to the guidance provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as well as other national, state and local health agencies. As needed, we will update families, team members and others about our response to the outbreak, possibly including a disruption to your service.

Sincerely,

Michael Maloney, CEO, LEARN Behavioral

If you would like a PDF copy of this announcement:

Click here to view in English
Haga clic aquí para ver en español
Nhấn vào đây để xem bằng tiếng Việt

For more information on the additional safeguards we have enacted, please visit www.learnbehavioral.com.

BCI Celebrates Springfield Location’s One-Year Anniversary with Open House on February 15th

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SPRINGFIELD AND WORCESTER, MA… Behavioral Concepts (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Massachusetts, will celebrate the one-year anniversary of their Springfield Center at 90 Carando Drive with an Open House on Saturday, February 15, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Families and the business community will have an opportunity to meet the Director, tour the Springfield center and learn more about BCI’s clinical services.

BCI’s Open House also kicks off a new Saturday Social Skills program in Springfield. The Social Skills program helps children diagnosed with autism develop the social skills they need to navigate relationships with their family, friends, and communities. BCI provides instruction, guidance, and support for each child’s unique social, behavioral, sensory and communication needs. The social skills groups provide a supportive and encouraging environment where children can learn how to relate to others and how to understand how emotions are communicated. All of BCI’s center-based services provide children one-to-one support in a group setting.

Open House attendees may experience a typical day of social skills by visiting the simulated skills areas during the Open House.

Light refreshments will be served and the general public is welcome to attend.

Early Intervention and ABA Services in Springfield

BCI provides insurance funded ABA services including center-based and home & community services, as well as Early Intervention services in partnership with the Department of Public Health. BCI currently serves more than 100 families throughout Greater Springfield. BCI’s insurance funded services are for children over age three. Center-based services include an Intensive Day Program for preschool-age children, as well as an After-School Program and a Saturday Social Skills group for school-age children. Their Early Intervention services are designed to assist infants and toddlers (birth to age three) in making significant strides in their development. These services are targeted, evidence-based, tailored to their needs, and usually provided in the home.

BCI opened the doors of their new 7,200 square foot center at 90 Carando Drive in January 2019. For over a year prior, BCI had been providing home-based Early Intervention services to families in the Springfield area.

The center is led by Bianca Sims, M.S., BCBA, LABA, Regional Director of Greater Springfield. BCI’s Springfield location now has 12 Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and 47 Behavior Technicians on staff and they continue to expand their team.

About BCI

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Worcester, BCI has grown to become the go-to provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families throughout 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. Further information on BCI is available at https://bciaba.com.

BCI is part of the LEARN Behavioral family of companies, a national organization dedicated to helping all children succeed in school and life. Learn more at https://www.learnbehavioral.com/.

2019 5K Run & Walk for Autism Acceptance on Sunday, May 5th

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Thanks to our families, friends, supporters and staff members who participated in HMEA’s Autism Resource Central’s 2019 5K Run & Walk for Autism Acceptance on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at the Bancroft School. It was an amazing event!

Autism Resource Central’s 5K Run & Walk for Autism Acceptance is one of their signature fundraising events and for the first time, it had a central theme – Superhero! The event raised $107K which supports programs such as Summer Camp, Autism 101 Parent Trainings and more for families in Central Massachusetts.

BCI has been partnering with Autism Resource Central for 15 years. Autism Resource Central’s services are critical to strengthening, educating and supporting families affected by Autism Spe

ctrum Disorder and BCI is proud to be a longtime supporter. The 5K event has become so successful over the years, it necessitated a move from Quinsigamond State Park to the new Bancroft School location. This year, there were 182 runners and walkers! BCI’s very own Behavior Technician from the Springfield office, Mariah Peck, placed third in the Women’s ages 20-29 division and placed 35th overall!

BCI was proud to be a major sponsor of this event. We were also delighted to host the Superhero themed “Kid’s Corner” with plenty of fun activities for all the kids – from face painting and a photo booth to kinetic sand tables and many other activity stations. Thank you to our 35 staff members who volunteered to run the Kid’s Corner!

For more info and to view race results, visit Autism Resource Central’s race page: http://www.autismresourcecentral.org/fundraising/run-walk/

Tiffany Bellina promoted to director at Behavioral Concepts

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LEOMINSTER — Leominster resident Tiffany Bellina has been promoted to director of Northeast programs of Tiffany BellinaBehavioral Concepts, a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with autism spectrum disorder.Ms. Bellina will oversee the Northeast team and all services.

Prior to her promotion, Ms. Bellina was behavior analyst and director of intakes and scheduling in Worcester, handling all hiring of staff for the Greater Worcester region.Ms. Bellina joined BCI in 2010 as an ABA therapist and was quickly promoted to clinical coordinator before becoming director of intakes and scheduling.

A graduate of Kaplan University with a concentration in applied behavior analysis, Ms. Bellina is a board-certified behavior analyst and a licensed applied behavior analyst in the state.

https://www.telegram.com/news/20190428/tiffany-bellina-promoted-to-director-at-behavioral-concepts

 

Behavioral Concepts Names New Director of Southeast Programs

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BROCKTON, MILFORD, TAUNTON AND WORCESTER, MA…

Behavioral Concepts (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Massachusetts, has promoted Tracy Miele, M.A., BCBA, LABA to Director of Southeast Programs. She is a resident of Uxbridge, MA.

BCI is meeting the need for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) providers in Southeastern Mass., by providing specialty Early Intervention ABA services to families throughout the area.

Miele has been an integral part of the BCI team for six years. She joined BCI as an ABA Therapist and was promoted to a Lead Therapist while she was undergoing her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at Ball State University. Upon graduating, she became a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst (LABA) and began working as a Behavior Analyst with a variety of cases in the center, home, and community. She held this position for two years before being promoted to Director of Southeast Programs.

In her new role, Miele oversees Early Intervention and insurance-funded home services for children ages three and under in the greater Milford, Taunton and Brockton areas. She is the direct supervisor of all the BCBAs in the region. Miele also oversees BCI’s Social Skills Group for clients which runs at the Hockomock Area YMCA in Franklin, MA.

Miele is involved in many committees, events, and focus groups at BCI including the Staff Recognition Group and the 5K Committee.

Early Intervention & Social Skills

BCI’s Early Intervention services are designed to assist infants and toddlers (birth to age three) in making significant strides in their development, and are evidence-based, tailored to their needs, and usually provided in the home or day care center. BCI is a partner agency that receives Early Intervention referrals from the Department of Public Health for children under age three with a diagnosis Autism Spectrum Disorder. BCI accepts most major insurance plans operating throughout Massachusetts as well as Mass Health.

BCI’s Social Skills group helps children diagnosed with ASD develop the social skills they need to navigate relationships by providing instruction, guidance, and support for the children’s unique social, behavioral, sensory and communication needs.

This release was published by the Metrowest Daily News on June 30th, 2019. View the full story here.

To learn more about BCI’s services, visit  https://bciaba.com

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

Behavioral Concepts CEO Honored as 2019 Large Business Leader of the Year

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FITCHBURG, SPRINGFIELD, TEWKSBURY AND WORCESTER, MA… Jeffrey R. Robinson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Behavioral Concepts (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), has been honored as the 2019 Large Business Leader of the Year by the Worcester Business Journal.

On April 4, 2019 at the Worcester Business Journal’s Business Leaders and Hall of Fame Awards held at Cyprian Keys Golf Club in Boylston, Dr. Robinson was honored with the 2019 Large Business Leader of the Year award for his distinctive leadership and accomplishments over the past year and beyond. Dr. Robinson was joined at the event by BCI’s dedicated team of directors, BCBAs, Behavior Technicians and administrative staff.

With a passion for special education services and 39 years of experience in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dr. Robinson is dedicated to best-practice applied behavior analysis services.

Dr. Robinson founded BCI in Worcester in 2003 to provide families and schools with highly specialized consultative and direct services for children diagnosed with autism. BCI is a Massachusetts Department of Public Health approved provider of specialty ABA services for early intervention (infants and children up to three years of age). BCI also provides center, home-based, and afterschool services through private and public health insurance. The organization has grown from its initial six employees to over 500 employees and is among the largest insurance-based ABA service providers in Massachusetts. BCI’s main headquarters remain in Worcester, with satellite offices in Springfield, Fitchburg, and Tewksbury.

Over the past year, Dr. Robinson has successfully expanded BCI’s services to three new areas of the state, establishing Greater Springfield, Northeast and Southeast Programs. Based on BCI’s record of clinical excellence, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health had approached BCI to expand their Early Intervention contracts to under-served areas within the commonwealth.

Leading through the years

Dr. Robinson is renowned throughout Central Massachusetts as a visionary leader in the field. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and he has presented at conferences across the country. Dr. Robinson earned his Ph.D. in special education from Boston College.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Robinson has been consulting with school districts throughout Central and Southeastern Massachusetts, most notably holding a contract with Worcester Public Schools from 1999 until 2014. He was the senior ABA consultant helping Worcester Public Schools to formally develop an autism program.

Building a workforce of clinicians
In 2014, to address an industry-wide workforce shortage in board-certified clinicians, BCI partnered with Bay Path University to create an onsite graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis. BCI has had 25 graduates from this program partnership over the past two years.

Last year, BCI struck a partnership with Assumption College in Worcester to provide an on-campus graduate program for staff looking for a more traditional graduate program experience. BCI employs, on average, more than 30 Assumption College alumni each year. As an additional incentive, BCI pays 60 percent of the tuition cost for employees.

Dr. Robinson’s accomplishments and advancements in the special education sector reach beyond BCI. In 2014, Dr. Robinson co-founded the Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction (CABI) with Dr. Brian Doyle. CABI is a private, special education day school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Behavioral Challenges. Students are referred to CABI from local school districts when they need more intensive educational and behavioral interventions. CABI serves students from more than 30 school districts and recently renovated their school space in anticipation of increased enrollment.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Jeff has been recognized as Business Leader of the Year,” said Dr. Doyle. “Jeff is passionate about working with children, which is one of the reasons why BCI is so successful. Jeff is a tremendous leader and mentor. It is a well-deserved honor.”

The number of children diagnosed with ASD continues to rise. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that autism affects one in 59 children. Dr. Robinson, who is set retire from BCI in August, leaves quite a legacy in ensuring that specialized consultative and direct services for children diagnosed with autism are provided to hundreds of families in Massachusetts through BCI.

Dr. Robinson was honored by the Worcester Business Journal along with four other Business Leaders of the Year and four Hall of Fame Inductees. For more information about the event, visit www.wbjournal.com.

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

 

It’s Autism Awareness Month – Join us and #BeMore4Autism

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Today, April 1st kicks off Autism Awareness Month!

Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the world. Raising awareness for autism is important to furthering education and acceptance, expanding state and federal legislation in support of autism, and improving insurance eligibility for individuals and their families. Over the next 30 days, we will be posting featured stories about autism awareness, sharing photos and videos of our various promotions and events, as well as communicating important information related to things happening throughout the community.

The best way to support Autism Awareness month is to get involved. Here are a list of organizations and resources for more information on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autism Awareness Month. Join BCI and #BeMore4Autism.

The Autism Society

Autism Speaks

The Autism / Asperger Network 

National Autism Association