Language Development Center Continues To Serve The Needs of Their Clients

School closures have not stopped Verbal Behavior Associates from working with students with behavioral and language difficulties.

May 26, 2020, San Diego, CA - Verbal Behavior Associates (VBA) is committed to retaining staff and ensuring services are in place for students when school reopens. VBA is a group of professionals teaching children with behavioral and language difficulties skills to lead independent, fulfilling, and happy lives. With California School Districts closing all schools on March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, VBA found themselves adjusting to a different way to continue serving the needs of their students and families in 20 school districts around Southern California.

Verbal Behavior Associates is a group of professionals providing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy that is specifically designed for students with autism or other special needs. Support is typically offered in the home, school, and community. When the shutdown occurred, VBA transitioned to providing services to their clients while still compiling with the Executive Order. Working with school districts, VBA’s team created resources for parents to access online to enrich and engage with their children. Regular parent training classes and consultations are available in English and Spanish. For those students who need more support, one on one meetings with a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA), teachers, and other members of a support team are available. All can help with skills, programming, routines, or behavior via telehealth, such as videoconferencing, and wireless communication.

“Our goal is to teach parents strategies to work with their children throughout his/her daily activities,” states Matthew Howarth of VBA. “We will continue to provide parents with the necessary tools to be able to follow their child’s behavior plan and capture opportunities to work on various skills throughout their everyday routines and activities.”

VBA’s language development curriculum and instructional programs are based on the Verbal Behavior Development Theory (VBDT) pioneered by Dr. R. Douglas Greer and colleagues out of Columbia University. VBA’s goal is for their students to be able to make friends and engage in social activities. They want their students to learn a new skill through their everyday experiences and develop a curiosity about the world that naturally motivates them to ask questions, learn, and expand their interests continually. VBA provides school consultations, independent evaluations, training for district paraprofessionals, and workshops for state agencies, private preschools, and other public and private organizations. VBA serves school districts and families in San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties.

For more information on Verbal Behavior Associates, see their website at https://vbacalifornia.com/.