Providing Support Services Customized for Your Family

Pieces Early Learning is here to support your family in your home, community, and school in Mentor, Ohio and the surrounding areas. Children ages 0-9 years with varied diagnoses (Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, ADHD), learning disabilities, and developmental delays (social, emotional, behavioral) can benefit from Applied Behavior Analysis with Pieces Early Learning. Using researched based ABA and Verbal Behavior methods, the Pieces Early Learning team works together with your family to implement behavioral programs targeted to promote the development of age appropriate social interactions, communication skills and the reduction of behaviors that interfere with family life.

Pieces Early Learning Utilizes a Combination of Early Intervention Approaches

Every child learns differently and that's why at Pieces Early Learning we combined behavioral and developmental approaches to develop the best fit curriculum for your child. Despite apparent differences, the highly structured teaching approaches (e.g., Verbal Behavior; Sundberg and Michael 2001) and naturalistic teaching approaches are all firmly grounded in behavioral principles and the science of learning (McGee 2005). All fully meet criteria as ABA techniques including (1) intervention protocols that are composed of operant teaching techniques; (2) intervention goals that are socially significant; and (3) intervention results are analyzed objectively by assessing a child’s progress before, during and after the intervention (Baer et al. 1968). In addition, both naturalistic and highly structured teaching approaches are enhanced by research in areas of experimental analysis of behavior, such as shaping, fading, discrimination training, and errorless learning.

What is Applied Behavior Analysis?

​ Applied Behavior Analysis, known as ABA, is a method of therapy used to improve or change socially significant behaviors. ABA therapy is used to improve behaviors like social skills, reading, academics, and communication as well as learned skills like grooming, hygiene, fine motor dexterity, job proficiency, and even organization. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) can also help reduce potentially harmful behaviors such as aggression, elopement, and self-injury by determining why this behavior occurs, and teaching a more appropriate and functional behavior in it's place. Four decades of research have shown that ABA interventions are effective for improving language, cognition, adaptability and social skills across all age groups. ABA in practice has changed a lot over that time and a good therapist is always learning and improving based on current research. ABA involves setting very specific, measurable goals, and reinforcing all progress. Sessions look different for each child, depending on goals, but positive reinforcement, environmental changes, generalization of skills, and building positive relationships is part of every ABA session.

 The Benefits of In-Home ABA
In-home ABA allows your child to receive treatment in the environment which is most comfortable and most beneficial for them! Naturalistic behavioral interventions to autism have demonstrated significant promise when children are very young and are less likely to have established patterns of maladaptive behavior. Additionally, as a caregiver, you will have an upfront view to your child's sessions allowing you to participate and learn with your child. 
Early Intervention is the natural environment has been empirically demonstrated to (a) reduced dependence upon prompts, (b) more natural-sounding language , (c) efficiency advantage of teaching language form with meaning and (d) habituation to everyday distractions present in the real world (McGee 2005).

The Pieces Difference

Why Should You Choose ABA at Pieces Early Learning?
At Pieces Early Learning we recognize that Applied Behavior Analysis can be scary. A bunch of professionals from doctors, to psychologists, to BCBAs, and speech therapists are all telling you what is best for your child. ABA gets a bad reputation for being “robotic”, and we have all heard discrete trial training referred to as “boot camp” by more than a few weary families.

​I have always told the parents I work with, “If we are doing our job right, your child will think they came to therapy to play!” ABA services should focus on socially significant behaviors. This means that we should be helping your child learn skills that are important to you and your family! Applied Behavior Analysis is only a piece of the puzzle when raising your child. Pieces Early Learning was founded because I felt strongly that great ABA services should be flexible, should revolve around your child's interests, should meet your family’s individual needs, and should aim to help your child become the most successful version of themselves. 

Pieces Early Learning Utilizes a Verbal Behavior Method of Teaching
Verbal Behavior is a method of teaching language that focuses on why we use words and how they are useful in communicating ideas. This approach encourages children to learn language by connecting words with their purposes. Although Verbal Behavior (VB) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) are both derived from philosophies established by Skinner, they use different approaches to teaching language. Verbal Behavior focuses on developing communication skills, including receptive and expressive language across the verbal operants of mand (requesting), tact (labeling), echoics (vocal imitation) and intraverbal (conversational skills). Learning across the operants also includes working on gross and fine motor imitation, textual (writing) and listening (following instructions) skills.

Pieces Early Learning uses Verbal Behavior, along with ABA Discrete Trial and Natural Environment Teaching approaches, in order to develop an individualized program based on your child's needs. Research has demonstrated that combining the total operants of VB across both DTT and NET may contribute to acquiring a more complete language repertoire (Sundberg & Michael, 2001). Children need the functional skills across the verbal operants to increase verbal behavior, particularly in environments with their peers (Sundberg & Michael, 2001). Verbal behavior also uses the child’s own motivations during teaching. This might mean, that each session looks entirely different if your child's interests change. 
We now accept the following insurance plans:
Pieces Early Learning, LLC    Mentor, OH 44060    (216)-202-0785