Our Naturalistic Approach
At Hill Country ABA, we pride ourselves in being firm in our values and our approach. Our goal is to never change who your child is, only to teach them to communicate effectively, engage in age appropriate activities, and have fun while still being their authentic selves!
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Simply stated: We believe that kids should be allowed to be kids.
We know that the search for an ABA provider can be scary. Our promise to you is that we will always choose a Naturalistic approach, make learning fun, and show up with a burning passion to help your child reach their highest potential!
How we do things
Child Led Interactions
We follow your child's interests utilizing their natural motivations to guide behavior change or skill acquisition. Instead of sitting down and strictly focusing on table work, we get on your child's level and learn through hands on activities. We utilize careful assessment to find your child's learning style, reinforcement preferences, and incorporate their natural environment.
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Focus on Social Communication
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Naturalistic approaches often emphasize the development of social and communication skills. By engaging in natural interactions that mirror typical conversations or play, we help your child learn how to communicate effectively in a variety of settings.
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Embedded Learning Opportunities
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Skills are taught within the context of everyday routines and interactions rather than isolated drills. This allows your child to practice new skills in real-life situations, which leads to better generalization of those skills across different environments and people!
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Family Involvement​
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We want your family to be as involved in ABA as possible! Whether you choose one of our self-pay options, direct therapy, parent coaching, or join us for social skills events, we find that building relationships with the families we work with is of the highest importance. We are here to teach you the skills needed for continued improvement in behavior and skill development.
Naturalistic ABA Techniques
Natural Environment Teaching (NET)
Natural Environment Teaching is a method within ABA that focuses on teaching skills in the natural environment where they are most likely to be used. Unlike traditional, structured ABA sessions, which often occur in a controlled setting, NET takes advantage of naturally occurring opportunities to teach and reinforce skills within the context of everyday activities. NET emphasizes the teaching of communication and functional skills that are directly applicable to the child's everyday life.
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Functional Communication Training (FCT)
Functional Communication Training is a strategy within ABA that focuses on replacing challengingbehaviors with appropriate, functional communication. The primary goal of FCT is to teach individuals to communicate their wants and needs effectively, rather than relying on problematic behaviors like aggression, self-injury or tantrums.
Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT)
Pivotal Reponse Treatment is an evidence-based intervention that focuses on targeting key areas, or "pivotal" behavior, that are believed to have a widespread impact on a child's overall development. By addressing these pivotal areas, PRT aims to produce improvements across multiple domains, such as communication, social skills, and behavior. PRT incorporates child choice, natural reinforcement, and natural learning opportunities.
Incidental Teaching
Incidental Teaching is a naturalistic teaching strategy used within ABA that capitalizes on naturally occurring opportunities to teach and reinforce desired behaviors, particularly communication and social skills. Unlike more structured teaching methods, incidental teaching occurs in the context of everyday activities and is often initiated by the learner.
