Take time to reflect on your child’s progress

The end of the year and the beginning of a new one is naturally a time of reflection.

We look back at what was, the ups and downs, the ordinary and the extraordinary that we experienced in our lives, in our communities, and around the world.

We also look forward and wonder what life has in store for us in the weeks and months that lie ahead. We also make plans and resolve to do this or that to improve our lives and the lives of our children.

While there’s so much to think of and do at the end of the year, it’s beneficial to take time to reflect on the progress your child has made whether at school, home, or in ABA therapy.

ABA therapy, the gold standard in autism care, makes progress possible for children with autism by helping them in every major area of development, from communication and language to social, self-help, and academic skills. The overall aim is to increase a child’s independence and confidence so they can reach their full potential.

Progress looks different for each child because ABA therapy is highly individualized for each child. What is the same for all children is how the science of ABA therapy uses lots of data that’s collected during each and every therapy session. Over time, you can see where progress is being made as well as areas that require more work or new attention.

As you reflect on your child’s progress, be sure to:

  • Celebrate! Your child’s successes, large and small, should be acknowledged and celebrated by your whole family. You’ve all worked hard, and you deserve to be rewarded with some fun family time together. It isn’t always easy to notice the progress your child is making on a day to day basis, so take a moment to think of where your child was at the beginning of the year and where they are now. Reflect on progress and start the new year with hope for what is to come!
  • Review the reports provided by your ABA therapist and/or school. Here at The Behavior Exchange, we provide families with quarterly reports that summarize a child’s progress on their goals. Take an active role in understanding the data and communicating with your therapist and BCBA for the best outcomes for your child.
  • Decide on the best path forward for your child. Consult with your child’s ABA therapist and work with them to determine if they are ready to start school in the new year. Your therapist is in the best position to help you decide when your child has learned the necessary skills to be successful in a school and classroom environment. Starting a full-time school schedule too early can lead to unwanted behaviors and even regression. Consult with your child’s therapist, BCBA and school to ensure the best path forward.
  • Make Parent Training one of your New Year’s resolutions. And stick to it! Parent Training will empower you with basic ABA therapy techniques you can use with your child. With these techniques, you can reinforce skills your child is learning during therapy while improving your child’s and your family’s home life. A holistic approach to ABA therapy can accelerate your child’s progress.

If you are struggling to see progress in your child, it could be time to look for a new ABA therapist. The best place to start your search is at BHCOE.org. BHCOE is short for Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. Center-based ABA therapy providers who carry the BHCOE designation have earned accreditation and proven to meet all industry standards and practices.

The Behavior Exchange has earned the highest accreditation level possible as a Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. We’ve been helping children and their families have brighter futures for more than 20 years.  

To learn more and get started, you can find us online at behaviorexchange.com or by calling 972.312.8733. We have hives in Texas (Prosper, Frisco, Plano) and Colorado (Boulder). Our autism and ABA therapy experts can help!

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Ashvina attended University of Bombay and graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce. She got her Montessori Diploma in 1985 and taught ever since. Ashvina came to TBE in January of 2016 as Admin Assistant. During the years she got the opportunity to learn and work in different departments such as HR, Finance, Office Manager and Executive Assistant. Last summer TBE bought billing in house and her current focus area is Revenue Cycle Management. She is detail oriented and enjoys working with people. Ashvina volunteers to deliver meals to seniors and local shelters on the weekend. She loves to spend time with her family and grandkids. Ashvina loves her job because she enjoys hearing different points of view, and she feels her contributions help fuel the direction of our company.

Working with children comes naturally to Angela. Her mom was a special education teacher for 30 years and often had Angela join her for Take Your Child to Work Day. And in high school, Angela spent every summer as the nanny for a little boy with an autism spectrum disorder. It was this experience where her passion for working with children with autism started to blossom.

From there, she went on to graduate from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences. She learned about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in a non-normative development class and from that moment knew that ABA would be her life’s work.

Angela moved to the DFW area shortly after and began working at The Behavior Exchange as a therapist. She worked on her Master’s in Behavior Analysis at the same time. A year after graduating, she earned certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Now, as a Clinical Director at The Behavior Exchange, she brings a life-long passion to her work, holding a special place in her heart for children with limited language skills and working closely with families to develop healthy sleep habits.

Danielle’s passion for working with families is deeply personal and from the heart. Her younger brother has an autism spectrum disorder, and through their journey as a family, she found her purpose in life as an advocate for individuals with special needs.

After graduating from the University of North Texas with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Danielle began volunteering at The Behavior Exchange. She saw passionate therapists, meaningful change for clients, and families with hope for the future. After a summer of volunteering, she officially joined the team as Director of Admissions and found her home with The Behavior Exchange family.

With her extensive experience working as a client advocate with insurance providers, Danielle perseveres to help individuals of all ages and abilities receive the services they need to reach their full potential. She feels truly honored by each and every family who entrusts The Behavior Exchange to be part of their journey and is committed to the organization’s core values, mission, and goal of being a beacon of hope for the community.

Adam has always had a passion for helping individuals of all ages thrive and reach their full potential. He’s also an enthusiastic musician, songwriter, leader, and devoted family man, who has been helping children and team members grow with The Behavior Exchange since 2010.

Prior to joining the team at The Behavior Exchange, Adam was a mortgage loan consultant and grad student, pursuing his master’s degree in Education at the University of North Texas. He graduated in 2013 and also earned a graduate academic certificate in Autism Intervention. The following year, after years as a Behavior Therapist and seeing first-hand the power of ABA and the meaningful impact it can have on children and their families, Adam became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. He then commenced from the Stagen Leadership Academy after completing the Integral Leadership Program (ILP), a 52-week practice-based program designed to develop executives serious about transforming themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Adam is truly grateful to be a part of a dynamic, inspiring and compassionate team, and he’s dedicated to bettering the lives of all children and their families through the delivery of the highest quality of ABA services, while supporting the amazing team at The Behavior Exchange.

Soraya is from South Africa and moved to Texas in 1996. She graduated from The University of Texas and pursued a career, at that time, in Education. Soraya taught at a Montessori school for a few years and then took on a leadership role.

During her time in the education system, Soraya realized her passion was to assist children with special needs. So she joined The Behavior Exchange as a therapist, transitioned into a supervisory role in 2017, and a year and a half later, was promoted to Clinical Operations Manager.

She quickly learned the ins and outs of ABA operations and scheduling and successfully collaborates across departments to ensure The Behavior Exchange continues to provide quality services to clients and their families. She’s thankful to be part of such an amazing organization and excited to see what the future holds.

You could say Walter’s career started when he spent hours as a young child drawing superheroes and coloring maps. This passion, along with extraordinary swimming skills, landed him a full swimming scholarship at Texas Christian University, where he graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Graphics.

During the next 13 years, his design and art direction skills, conceptual-thinking abilities, and marketing-savvy know-how were honed at a few prestigious advertising and marketing agencies around the Dallas area. In the mid 2000s, he helped his wife Tammy Cline-Soza (founder and CEO of The Behavior Exchange) create a unique and concise brand for her new business. From logos and websites to uniforms, brand voice and visuals, Walter has been the main creative force for all things The Behavior Exchange.

Aside from giving birth to The Behavior Exchange brand, Walter is helping Tammy raise two amazing, beautiful children, River and Sierra. In his spare time (the two minutes he’s got per week), you can find Walter illustrating iconic landmarks of Dallas and Texas or looking around for this next open-water swim. Once he gets back in shape.

After 20 years of building The Behavior Exchange, literally from the ground up,
Tammy couldn’t be more proud of the team, culture, and organization that it has become.

As a family helping families, The Behavior Exchanges looks for opportunities that will make the biggest impact and produce life-changing outcomes – for clients, families, and even for team members. Tammy believes that if a team, a family, a community takes care of each other, the possibilities are endless and the relationships built along the way can make life more enriching and challenges easier to navigate. You could say her goal has been to build a kind of utopia full of support, love, and expertise that brings the best services possible to the community and ensures more families have access to those services.

Tammy and her family have dedicated their lives to the mission of The Behavior Exchange and continue to grow, learn, cultivate, challenge, support, and create better models for success. To that end, she is committed to her own leadership development and actively participates in advanced training, mentoring, and deep self-exploration on how to live out her purpose to love and support her family and help others reach their full potential. She takes her position very seriously and tries to serve as a channel for what the universe wants to come to fruition.

She also loves travel, gardening, being creative, MUSIC!, tennis, yoga, meditation, journaling, reading, being in nature, adventures, and more than anything, spending time with her husband Walter and their two beautiful children, River and Sierra.