speech otheader

Comprehensive Services and Autism Therapy: Questions and Answers

Verbal Beginnings wants to be your choice for early intervention comprehensive autism services! That means a collaborative approach to therapy that covers a wide range of services to help children on the autism spectrum. We know that the topic of comprehensive services and ABA therapy can raise some questions so here are some quick Q/A’s…

Female psychotherapist working with little kid at office

Autism Diagnosis: Medical vs Educational

What’s The Difference Between School and Medical Autism Diagnoses? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex condition that affects children and adults in various ways. When it comes to Early Intervention and getting therapy for a young child, an official diagnosis plays a big part in getting the right treatment… and fast. One important aspect…

Diagnostics Goes Virtual: Behind the Scenes with Allison Maletsky, Psy.D

As part of Verbal Beginnings’ new Telehealth suite of services, our New Beginnings diagnostic service has launched a virtual option as well! Here to share more about this program is licensed psychologist and head of our New Beginnings program, Allison Maletsky, Psy.D!   How is a virtual diagnostic session different than an in-person session? A…

ABA Behind the Scenes: Extinction in Behavior

Extinction occurs when behavior with a history of being reinforced no longer results in access to reinforcement. Extinction is generally put into place for behaviors we want to see less of, and should only be used in combination with reinforcement for appropriate replacement behaviors. Extinction may be illustrated in a variety of ways depending on…

ABA Behind the Scenes: Reinforcement and How Behavior Changes

In this edition of ABA Behind the Scenes, Jami Hardy, MS, RBT, LGPC, will be examining positive and negative reinforcement regarding your child’s behavior. When we discuss reinforcement in ABA we are talking about increasing behavior as a result of an event that followed the behavior. In other words, we’re more likely to do something…

ABA Behind the Scenes: Functions of Behavior – Why We Do What We Do

In this edition of ABA Behind the Scenes, Jami Hardy, MS, BCBA, LGPC, talks on how the function of certain behaviors can tell us why those behaviors are occurring. Within the field of ABA, before we begin to help someone effectively change his or her behavior, it’s important that we first understand the function of…

ABA Behind the Scenes: What Does Behavior Really Mean?

In this edition of ABA Behind the Scenes, Jami Hardy, MS, RBT, LGPC, will be unpacking the concept of “Behavior” as part of the term “Applied Behavior Analysis.” In ABA, when we talk about behavior, we really mean anything a person says or does. Behavior includes observable actions—all the things other people can see—as well…

Coming April 2019: The NEW Verbal Beginnings Center

Verbal Beginnings is excited to announce the grand opening of the NEW Verbal Beginnings Center located just ½ mile away from our current center on Columbia Gateway Drive in Columbia, Maryland. We will stick to the same philosophy of improving the quality of life for children with developmental disabilities through top-notch care, now just with a…

Waitlists for Autism Diagnosis: Avoid the Wait and Get Services Sooner

If you’ve begun your journey to receive an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, or other pediatric behavioral diagnosis, you may have come across other parents, teachers, and caregivers who have warned you of the dreaded waitlist process. Autism waitlists are currently a universal barrier to medical diagnoses and effect families living in both rural and urban…