Alternative Behavior Strategies Joins Utah’s SelectHealth Network
Alternative Behavior Strategies (ABS), a leading provider of services to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), announced today that it has become a network provider for SelectHealth, the largest health plan in Utah. Families who are covered by SelectHealth can now access ABS for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism.
Because ABA is the only treatment for autism spectrum disorder that has been designated as medically necessary, health insurance providers such as SelectHealth are adding companies like ABS to their networks to make it an accessible treatment option for many families and children.
“At ABS, we are looking forward to offering new options to families of children with ASD,” said Jeff Skibitsky, MA, BCBA, LBA, president of ABS. “Families under the SelectHealth plan will have more options to receive the high-quality ABA therapy services that they need to help their children become contributing members of their community.”
ABS is a well-known provider of quality services for children with autism and their families in the state of Utah. The company offers integrated ABA therapy in its offices in Salt Lake City, Orem and Layton, as well as nationwide locations.
The organization’s collaborative care approach in conjunction with ABA therapy provides life changing benefits for children with autism. The internal team ABS brings together to provide collaborative care includes behavioral analysts who are key, permanent members of the team. Other internal team members can include various specialized therapists, including occupational therapists that help children with ASD who have trouble with motor development, independence skills and sensory processing; and speech therapists who treat the speech, language, cognitive communication, voice and stuttering problems that can affect many children with ASD.
Earlier this year, the organization launched the ABS Virtual Office, the first smart phone-based platform to connect autism behavioral therapists to the information and knowledge they need—wherever they are—to enhance services and promote clinical excellence and advancement. The platform gives ABS therapists real-time access to the electronic clinical record as well as to the collective wisdom of the company while treating a child, when this information is at its most vital. At any given time not only do therapists have access to the ABS collective repository of knowledge but live access to hundreds of other therapists that can assist them.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, which is the cornerstone of ABS’ approach, is a clinically proven and frequently prescribed treatment to help children with autism. It is a data-driven therapy that uses systematic, evidence-based assessments to measure outcomes in real-time behavior, guide intervention decisions and make necessary adjustments on the basis of solid dat
ABA improves functioning across all skill areas by using techniques proven to increase the child’s motivation and improve skills such as speech, cooperation, making friends, motor skills, hygiene, self-care and more. The treatment is individualized for each child. It is delivered in the home and community, with support and involvement from the families in every aspect of the program.
