Your ABA Journey at The Helm

The journey to beginning ABA therapy can be long. For us the journey usually starts with a phone call or email reaching out and asking about our program and whether we have any availability.

But we know for you, the journey began long before when you first had concerns and brought them to your pediatrician.

Our goal at The Helm is to help make that journey a little easier. We want to partner with you and be a team of people who can help encourage you and guide you through what is otherwise a difficult and confusing process. ABA - Insurance

Step 1- Phone Call:

Upon this first call we collect the necessary information we need to get going, but we also want to really hear about what your main concerns are. We want to know that if we could help you with one thing today…what would that be?

Step 2- Submit Intake Information:

After our call we will email you an Intake Packet. Fill out the paperwork and add all attachments (insurance cards and diagnostic evaluations). This will get you added to the waitlist or bring us to step 3 if we have an immediate place open.

**Insurance requires a full diagnostic evaluation from a doctor (Ph. D, PsyD or MD). School reports are rarely accepted. Please let us know if you need help finding a provider to complete this step.

Step 3- Verify Insurance Benefits:

The next step for us is to call your insurance and verify benefits. We encourage families to also call and learn and understand your benefits.

Step 4- Assessment:

We will contact you to schedule your assessment and contact your insurance to get authorization for us to assess. When it is time for the assessment bring your child and come prepared to meet with the BCBA. We want to know what is important to you so we can incorporate your priorities into the treatment plan. We will also finalize a therapy schedule at this time.

Step 5- Get Started!

Usually after the assessment is complete there will be a 2-4 week turn around to get you started! We will submit the treatment plan to insurance and request authorization for therapy. On or before the first session we will also schedule a time to meet with you and review the assessment report and the Parent Handbook.

If you are ready to get started, contact us today!

We have been a family blessed with the help of the team at The Helm. Our son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 2.5 and The Helm was one of the places recommended by our developmental psychologist. I am a physician and still found it hard navigating this new medical problem and knowing what to do next. I called many places and from step one Lee Ann was the most helpful explaining the process with paperwork, assessment, available services, insurance, etc. we were able to start therapy quite soon after diagnosis and had sessions at home daily for 3 hours. The quality of staff, the system they have in place for the therapists, the coordination by the BCBA supervising therapist and early response put us at ease that we were on the right path. Ultimately the steady positive changes we saw with our son overcame any fears we had about autism holding our son back for the rest of his life.

We used many forms of intervention that we felt were individually tailored for our family – for potty training, anger management, dietary intervention and even let them know when we could not maintain something suggested in family training, and they would just take our request and implement another plan. Our son has now graduated/transitioned out of therapy and is currently in pre-K in a regular classroom with him on par with his class in academics, has friends and no behavior issues. Most important of all we have a happy son who loves to play with his big sister.

I know that I will always read all there is on autism and watch my son for any features. But I hope my review adds to positive aspects that I wish someone would have told me when I started the journey – start early, don’t put off your suspicions, get your child evaluated now! The label does not hinder,  in fact it falls to the side once you have the diagnosis to facilitate therapy. ABA intervention, especially done with the right people, makes a big difference. It does not pressure or upset the child at all, and you are not stuck in therapy for life! I know if any behavioral issues come up in the future I have The Helm, and they will help us and the outcome is going to be positive. Said with heartfelt thanks.

– Former Helm ABA Family

Unlock this guide and take control of your ABA jouney!

* indicates required