The CBS Model

Tiered Service Delivery

At CBS, we strive to ensure consistent quality of care through a tiered delivery model. This model includes:

• Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): This is a master’s level certification in the field of behavior analysis. Those with the certification provide consultation, family training, case oversight, and supervision of all other staff members on a child’s team. They may work alongside a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), which is a bachelor’s level certification that permits the individual to assist a BCBA in their behavior analytic tasks.

• Program Manager: This individual is the main point of contact on a child’s team. They are responsible for planning the programming, training the staff, leading meetings, analyzing data, and developing treatment plans based on the child’s needs.

• Case Manager: The Case Manager is a therapist on the child’s team that also assists the Program Manager in observations, administration, and team communication. This provides an additional layer of oversight for the child’s programming.

• Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): Each team consists of multiple RBTs, or “therapists,” that are primarily responsible for the direct implementation of the ABA services. Each RBT receives 40 hours of training in ABA, which is supplemented by training on specific clients, CBS culture, and professionalism. RBTs receive ongoing supervision from BCaBAs and BCBAs.

• Trainers: These individuals assist in the initial and ongoing training of our Program Managers, Case Managers, and RBTs through evaluations and observations.

Focused Family Collaboration Model

CBS is dedicated to helping kids connect with the world around them, and we know that there can be no better connection than one that comes from family and caregiver relationships. As an in-home provider, we believe that the best way to begin an intensive ABA intervention is with the full support and involvement of the family. Parents and family members have long been the experts on their child(ren)'s learning. As CBS teams up with families to begin an intensive ABA program, we continue to promote this expertise through a series of phases that assist each family in understanding and participating in the home program.

How does the Family Collaboration Model work?

Phase 1: Contact Family Liaison & Consultation

Our families’ first point of contact is with our family liaison. Christy Gray is the first point of contact for all families interested in services. It is great to know the services we offer, but even better to understand that the person on the other end of the phone has gone through the process herself. Christy is the mother of a child who completed an intensive ABA program and can help to answer questions regarding ABA, parent perspectives and help decide if an in-home program is right for each family.
After taking with Christy, families are able to schedule a consultation to meet Christy and one of our BCBAs to discuss the CBS service package. This process is free of charge and is meant to help families decide if we are the right fit for their child.

Phase 2: Assessment

The assessment process helps our staff get an initial idea of the child’s current levels of responding across multiple skill domains. Depending upon your location, the assessment process may vary. Assessments taking place at the Indianapolis Farm include a multi-disciplinary evaluation with a BCBA, RBT, and Occupational Therapist present. The time is spent conducting interviews, testing skills, and observing interactions between the child and family members. Assessments taking place in the Bloomington location involve a BCBA and RBT coming to the family’s home to test skills within the home environment and conduct interviews with family members. In either location, a treatment plan is then created based on the individual needs of the child.

Phase 3: Family Training

We understand that starting an intensive intervention in your home can be big change of pace so this is one of the many steps we take to ensure that everyone has opportunities to learn about the program in detail. After the assessment, families participate in an in-home half-day training to learn about the history of ABA, the research that has taken place over the last several decades, and ABA principles. This is another opportunity for families to ask questions and participate in discussion to ensure everyone feels informed before the first day of therapy.
This training will be used to introduce the structure of the in-home program and discuss what things will look like for your child and family from day to day. Your program manager will introduce programs and data collection methods so when therapy beings everyone is on the same page.
Christy, our family liaison, will also be present to introduce policies, points of contact and scheduling information. She also is able to answer questions and bring her perspective as a parent who has experienced an intensive ABA program from start to finish. We encourage families to invite anyone that is in the child’s life to participate in the family training. Teachers, caregivers, and grandparents alike are all invited.

Phase 4: Family Collaboration

Once the family training is complete, the family collaboration model can begin! Each session, family members partner with their team members to implement the newly developed, individualized programs. Family and team members will learn and implement programs together until everyone is confident and consistent. Future family collaboration sessions will introduce how to generalize programs, collect data to better understand behavior and implement ABA concepts learned about in family training in real life scenarios. Sessions typically last 3 hours and occur 3 times per week until the child, family and team are all ready for the next phase of therapy.

Phase 5: Intensive 1:1 Hours

After concepts and strategies gained during phase 4 are consistently implemented both in and outside of structured sessions, additional 1:1 hours will be added to your child’s weekly schedule. While a family member must be actively engaged for family collaboration sessions, 1:1 sessions can begin without family members present if desired. Research supports an increased probability for children to reach what is considered “best outcome” when family members act as co-therapists. CBS utilizes this intensive research based model to provide quality and comprehensive wrap-around services.