ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. It is an evidence-based therapy that teaches new skills and reduces behaviors that get in the way of learning and daily life. ABA looks at why a behavior happens, then uses positive reinforcement to build helpful skills such as communication, play, and self-care while decreasing challenging behaviors. It is most often recommended for children with autism spectrum disorder, but it can also help children with ADHD, developmental delays, and other neurodivergent profiles. Learn more on our Pediatric ABA Therapy page.

Goals are individualized to your child and may include communication skills, social skills, self-care and daily living skills, pre-academic and school readiness skills, functional play, emotional regulation, and safety skills. Your child’s Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) chooses goals based on a comprehensive assessment and your family’s priorities.

Our ABA program serves young children through adolescence, and even a few young adults, with an emphasis on starting as early as possible.

Depending on your child’s needs and what your insurance plan authorizes, ABA sessions can take place at our clinics in Mesa and Surprise, in your home, or in community settings.

No. AzEIP services for children from birth to age 3 include speech, occupational, and physical therapy, developmental special instruction, service coordination, and caregiver coaching, and they are provided at no out-of-pocket cost to eligible families. ABA is offered through our clinic-based program in partnership with Advanced Autism Center for Treatment (AACT) and is typically funded through insurance, AHCCCS, DDD, or private pay.

You are an essential part of the team, because you know your child best and you are with them far more hours than any therapist. Consistent participation looks like regular check-ins with your BCBA, sharing what is working and what is not at home, and practicing the same strategies between sessions. Caregiver training is built into every ABA plan at RISE Pediatric Therapies.

Yes. We are in-network with several insurance providers and also accept private pay. In Arizona, ABA is a covered AHCCCS benefit for members with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis when it is medically necessary, and Arizona’s autism insurance law (often called Steven’s Law) requires many state-regulated health plans to cover medically necessary behavioral therapy for autism. Coverage details, age limits, and authorization requirements vary by plan, so contact us and we will help you verify your benefits.

Most insurance plans, including AHCCCS plans, require a referral or prescription from your child’s pediatrician and a documented autism spectrum disorder diagnosis before they will authorize ABA. RISE Pediatric Therapies does not provide diagnoses, but we can point you toward evaluation resources in Arizona and help you gather the paperwork you need. Families paying privately may be able to begin without a diagnosis.

Sessions are play-based and built around your child’s motivation. A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) might start a favorite game, then pause to prompt your child to request, imitate, or follow a simple direction. Therapists also work within natural routines such as snack time, clean-up, and toileting so skills carry over to real life. Data is collected throughout the session so your BCBA can track progress and adjust the plan.

It depends on your child’s assessment. Focused plans may be a few hours per week, while comprehensive early intervention plans are more intensive and are usually delivered in multi-hour sessions several days a week. Plans are typically authorized in six-month periods and re-evaluated as your child progresses. ABA can also be delivered as parent coaching, where the BCBA works primarily with you for one to two hours per week.

The long-term goal is for your child to be as independent as possible. Families commonly see gains in communication, fewer and shorter meltdowns, better coping skills for frustration and waiting, more independent self-care, and stronger skills for participating with peers at school and in the community. Your BCBA shares progress data with you regularly so you can see what is changing.

No. ABA is strongly recommended for children with autism, but the same principles help children with ADHD, developmental delays, and other neurodivergent profiles, and even neurotypical children who need support with specific behaviors. Commercial insurance plans in Arizona generally require an autism diagnosis. We encourage families to reach out to us with any questions based on their insurance plan.

A school readiness program is ABA therapy delivered in a classroom-like setting. At RISE Pediatric Therapies, children ages 2 to 6 receive individualized 1:1 ABA therapy while practicing routines like circle time, transitions, turn-taking, and following directions alongside peers, so they are prepared to participate in preschool or kindergarten.

Our program serves children ages 2 to 6. Many families begin after their child leaves early intervention at age 3, or one to two years before kindergarten. In Arizona, children can start kindergarten if they turn five before September 1.

A child who is not yet potty trained and/or needs communication support would still benefit from this program as these are skills that ABA therapy can support.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is a master’s-level clinician who has completed graduate coursework in behavior analysis, supervised fieldwork, and a national board exam. In Arizona, behavior analysts are also licensed by the state. Your child’s BCBA completes the assessment, writes the treatment plan, supervises the RBTs, and leads caregiver training.

A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) is a trained, credentialed paraprofessional who delivers ABA sessions directly with your child under the supervision of a BCBA. Your child may work with more than one RBT so skills generalize across people, and the BCBA regularly observes sessions to monitor progress and coach the team.

Pediatric occupational therapy focuses on helping your child develop the skills they need to perform daily activities for their age (i.e., handwriting, dressing, and using scissors). A pediatric occupational therapist can also support your child in developing their fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing and integration, visual-perceptual skills, hand-eye coordination, and emotional regulation.

Our early intervention program serves newborns and toddlers from birth through the age of 3.

Our TDD program serves children of all ages, from birth through young adults.

Early intervention services are provided at home and in the community.

TDD services can be provided at home and in our clinic.

There are key ways you can support your child in therapy! Actively participating in sessions will allow you to learn the strategies that your occupational therapist is using so that you can implement these techniques at home with your child. You play a vital role in helping your child through consistency and practice at home. Keeping open communication with your child’s therapist allows you to stay informed about your child’s progress, goals, and any challenges that may arise.

Yes. We are in-network with several insurance providers. We also accept private pay.

An occupational therapy session follows a structured, but flexible, format that supports your child’s individual needs, developmental level, and goals. When working with your child, your therapist will utilize play-based strategies and follow your child’s motivation. Activities vary depending on the areas being addressed, but therapy often involves activities that keep your child engaged.

A pediatric occupational therapist can work with your child in the following ways:

• Developing hand/finger strength and coordination for writing, buttoning, and using utensils (fine motor skills).
• Enhancing coordination, balance, and strength for running, jumping, and climbing (gross motor skills).
• Sensory processing and integration.
• Self-care skills (i.e., dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting).
• Visual-perceptual skills that improve your child’s ability to read and write.
• Emotional regulation.
• Hand-eye coordination.
• Adaptive equipment training.

Yes, most insurance companies require a referral from your pediatrician for speech therapy.

Speech therapy sessions are typically 30-60 minutes and are typically recommended for 3 to 6 months at a time.

Occupational therapy sessions can be recommended 1-3 times per week. These recommendations are based on a formal evaluation.

When your child participates in occupational therapy, the end goal is helping your child be more independent in completing daily activities, building strength/coordination to complete fine motor/gross motor tasks, improving coordination, and developing the ability to manage their emotions so that your child can participate fully in activities at home, in school, and in the community.

Early Intervention refers specifically to services and support for families of infants and toddlers, birth to age 3, with disabilities or delays. RISE Pediatric Therapies provides services through Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP). Every child enrolled in an AzEIP has a regional team, consisting of a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, developmental specialist, psychologist, and social worker. Early Intervention specialists provide high-quality support and services in your home. We utilize a team approach because you know your child best. Working together, you and your RISE team will identify and build on those activities that appeal to your child’s interests to create opportunities for development and learning. RPT uses strategies based on research that show the value of using everyday activities and routines that occur in your home, natural environment, and neighborhood to promote your child’s growth and development.

To start the process, please visit the Arizona Early Intervention Program website to make a referral. Once the referral is received, it will be assigned to an AzEIP contractor. A developmental screening will be completed, and if the risk for a significant developmental delay is indicated, an evaluation will be conducted.

Eligibility for the Arizona Early Intervention Program is determined either through a multidisciplinary evaluation or an established condition. Children who have an established condition that is known to be associated with developmental delays may automatically be eligible for the program. Children who demonstrate a significant delay in one of the major areas of development (cognitive, language, motor, social, emotional, and self-help) may also be eligible.

The main tenet of the team-based model focuses on coaching among a team of early childhood professionals, as well as family members and caregivers, who are considered part of the team. Based on family outcomes, priorities, and concerns, one team lead is chosen to build relationships and support all outcomes on the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP). Because the entire team is available to provide support when needed, discussions will occur as a team—including caregivers—regarding what additional support, if any, might be appropriate to help meet the determined outcomes.

Team members work closely with one another, as well as with caregivers, to ensure best practices and consistency when supporting young children. Teams are typically composed of a service coordinator, speech-language pathologist (SLP), occupational therapist (OT), physical therapist (PT), and developmental specialist in intervention (DSI), with possible inclusion of social work and psychology professionals. The expertise of these team members is matched to the family’s unique values and needs in order to create the most effective plan of support.

Early intervention is offered free through the state of Arizona for those who qualify.

There are key ways you can support your child in therapy! Actively participating in sessions will allow you to learn the strategies that your speech therapist is using so that you can implement these techniques at home with your child. You play a vital role in helping your child through consistency and practice at home. Keeping open communication with your child’s therapist allows you to stay informed about your child’s progress, goals, and any challenges that may arise. You are an important part of your child’s team and can have a significant impact on your child’s development.

The length of time a child will need speech therapy varies widely based on several factors, such as the nature and severity of the speech and/or language difficulty, your child’s age, the frequency of therapy recommended, the presence of other conditions, and family involvement.

An evaluation is typically 60-90 minutes in length.

A speech evaluation is an assessment designed to understand your child’s communication abilities and challenges, including speech, language, voice, fluency, and social communication. A speech-language pathologist will ask questions about your child’s medical, developmental, educational, and social history. The therapist should review developmental milestones as well as your communication concerns for your child and how they impact everyday life. You can best prepare for an evaluation by bringing any relevant medical or education reports, sharing any observations you have about your child’s communication difficulties, and identifying what you hope to learn from the evaluation. A feeding evaluation assesses how your child eats, including the physical, sensory, and behavioral aspects of eating and swallowing. A speech-language pathologist will ask questions about your child’s medical history and review feeding milestones, current eating habits, growth, and any swallowing difficulties you may be observing. You can best prepare for an evaluation by bringing any relevant medical reports, listing any observations about feeding challenges, and identifying what you hope to learn from the evaluation. An occupational therapy evaluation assesses your child’s ability to perform daily activities across areas like play, self-care, and/or school participation. An occupational therapist may use a combination of standardized tests and informal observations to identify your child’s fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing, self-care skills, visual motor integration, cognitive skills, and emotional skills. The occupational therapist should review developmental milestones, your concerns for your child, and how they impact everyday life. You can best prepare for an evaluation by bringing any relevant medical or education reports, sharing any observations you have about your child’s difficulties, and identifying what you hope to learn from the evaluation. A physical therapy evaluation is an assessment designed to understand your child’s motoric strengths and challenges. A physical therapist will ask questions about your child’s medical and developmental history. The physical therapist should review developmental milestones, your motor concerns for your child, and how they impact everyday life. You can best prepare for an evaluation by bringing any relevant medical or education reports, sharing any observations you have about your child’s motor difficulties, and identifying what you hope to learn from the evaluation.

Service plans are flexible and individualized based on outcomes, team member recommendations, and the family’s needs and capacity. Therapy sessions are typically 30-60 minutes in length, and a number of sessions is often suggested to be used over a three- or six-month period. This allows sessions to be scheduled more or less frequently depending on the routines and activities discussed, as well as how current strategies are progressing.

AzEIP:

Referrals for AzEIP must go through the State of Arizona. Anyone can submit a referral, including a family member, pediatrician, or other community program.

You can request to be served by RPT; however, your family may be assigned to another provider within the state.