BUSINESS FEATURE
2022 EDUCATION EDITION
Action Behavior Centers Clinic provides therapy to children with autism H olly and Ryan Lambert originally established Action Behavior Centers because they witnessed rsthand the di culty families of children with autism advocating for children with ASD. “As I started working here and learning more about autism and learning more about the power that these kiddos have, it’s become more of a passion,” she said. “Sometimes they need someone to step up and speak for them, and I’m more than happy to be that person.” BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
From left: Hannah Belota and Jamie Burgan operate two locations in the Austin area of Action Behavior Centers. (Zacharia Washington/Community Impact Newspaper) A lot of children at ABC use the clinic’s full-time model in which patients are able to replace school for treatment at the clinic. ABC uses Applied Behavior Analysis therapy services to help treat patients either in the center, at home or after school. ACTION BEHAVIOR CENTERS’ APPROACH
spectrum disorder had accessing care. “[The Lamberts] were friends with a family whose kiddo had ASD, and they saw the process that the family was going through,” Senior Operations Manager Hannah Belota said. “[The family] was having to go through long wait periods; they were having to jump through a lot of hoops; they were trying to get all this insurance.” The Lamberts founded ABC in 2016 with the mission to provide readily accessible care of the highest quality to kids with ASD. ABC treats children age 18 months-8 years old using applied behavior analysis therapy with no waitlist. ABC has 15 clinic locations in the Greater Austin area, including one on Kramer Lane and one on Pond Springs Road in North- west Austin. Belota, previously a patient care technician for a pediatric hospital in Dallas, started working at ABC as a clinic admissions associate in October 2019. In 2020, she was promoted to senior operations manager and now operates locations in Cedar Park and Leander. She said working with kids has always been the center of her career focus, and she speci cally developed a passion for working with and
Parents of children at ABC said they like that the clinic provides one-on- one care for all its patients, and every child has an individualized treatment plan and schedule, Belota said. All of the clinics’ therapists have to be certi ed and registered as a board-cer- ti ed behavior analyst. ABC’s behavior technicians have smaller caseloads than employees at other similar clinics. One analyst will have up to eight patients at one time at ABC, while technicians at
Practicing social skills with peers in a supportive environment
Teaching communication, self-help and social skills
1:1 treatment
Family support and guidance
Replacing maladaptive behavior with appropriate skills
Help understanding friendships
Practicing good sportsmanship
other clinics will have 15-25 patients at a time, Clinical Director Jamie Burgan said. ABC gives back to the community by provid- ing Autism Diagnostic Observation Screening
Working on conversation skills
“WE’RE THERE TO HELP YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.” HANNAH BELOTA, SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER
Comprehension of verbal and nonverbal communication
Asking meaningful questions
Action Behavior Centers A: 2100 Kramer Lane, Ste. 150, Austin 512-572-0157 www.actionbehavior.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun. B: 13581 Pond Springs Road, Ste. 125, Austin 512-688-8530 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun.
tests for free to families in need. It can take families 12-18 months to receive a test, and ABC do them in three to four weeks, Burgan said. To expand its presence in the area, ABC opened another location near the Cedar Park Regional Medical Center in July. “If you have questions or need resources, we can typically nd those for you, and we’re there to help you every step of the way,” Belota said.
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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