ABA Therapy & SEIT Services in NYC: Children First Speech Language Pathology and Psychology, PLLC

Personalized, High-Quality Care for Children At Home & In School

We are a specialized ABA agency in NYC, providing excellent autism therapy and serving approximately 20 children at a time. For this reason, we are able to provide personalized and high-quality services, where all treatment hours are done by BCBAs. The research clearly shows that children who receive intensive ABA services have the best outcomes, and we recommend such programs. Approximately 47% of children receiving full-treatment programs can lose their diagnosis and participate in mainstream settings [source:  https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-16420-001]

We service children in NYC with a focus on Manhattan using both Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) and Natural Environment Teaching (NET). We also support families in Brooklyn. Contact us today to discuss how to get started. Call (845) 848-2585 or fill out our contact us form here.

Insurance Reimbursement Information

Many of our clients obtain insurance reimbursement of our services if they have out-of-net benefits. Please note we are out of network with all insurance companies- except for United Healthcare-Oxford, which we do not accept even on an out of network basis. If you have ABA benefits, we will pre-authorize with your healthcare plan so that you can submit for reimbursement. Our clients generally recoup between 40-100% of our fees. If your child requires Applied Behavior Analysis, please contact us and we will advise you as to your insurance benefits. Some other clients receive reimbursement for the NYC Department of Education. Finally, some clients prefer private pay for quality and confidentiality reasons.

Learn more here about insurance reimbursement here.

Why Parents Choose Us

• All Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment hours are administered by Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Our instructors are not only BCBAs but also New York State LBAs (Licensed Behavior Analysts) skilled in data interpretation and making informed treatment decisions based on that data.
• Nearly all of our BCBAs have over ten years of ABA experience, with many exceeding twenty years.
• The individual working with your child will have at least a Master’s level education and be a dedicated Autism professional.
• Regular meetings with the child’s ABA team to maintain goal consistency and implementation are fundamental to our program.
• Since 2008, we have served hundreds of children on the spectrum.
• We have worked in homes throughout all Manhattan neighborhoods, as well as in preschools and elementary schools, both public and private.
• Additionally, we have strong relationships with top developmental pediatricians and neuropsychologists, who are critical in receiving  early diagnosis in New York City.
• Children achieve maximum learning outcomes when paired with experienced BCBAs  who work with them daily. Children then benefit most from the BCBA’s advanced education, training, and data-driven progress tracking.
• When your child is newly diagnosed, understanding the options for behavioral care programs can be daunting. We’re here to guide you every step of the way, drawing on over three decades of experience helping local families. From Discrete Trial Training (DTT) to Natural Environment Teaching (NET) we can design a top-notch therapy program for your child based on the life-changing power of positive reinforcement.

What is ABA Therapy?

ABA is an acronym for Applied Behavior Analysis- the science behind behavior change procedures. In short, positive reinforcement is used to shape and increase behaviors that will help our clients achieve better outcomes. This is done by starting with in-home ABA services to teach the beginning steps of a program- pointing, requesting, imitation, and toy play. The beginning steps of the program are most commonly taught with Discrete Trial Teaching. As our clients achieve more developmental milestones, we teach complex behavior chains, like cooperative play with peers, in tiny bits that break down the numerous skills needed for kids to engage. Most of us never think about these skills because they emerge naturally for children without language and social delays. These more complex skills are taught using more naturalistic teaching strategies but are still data-driven and powered by positive reinforcement strategies.

For children who require behavioral therapy, these complex skills are taught systematically. Each small step is taught and measured independently, and then eventually chained together to produce big change. Behavior interventions can lead to meaningful and lasting improvements in children’s lives.

Benefits of Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy

The benefits of applied behavioral analysis (early behavioral intervention services) have been shown by research to be life-long and positive. Our clients gain skills in all forms of communication, from non-verbal skills like pointing or orienting to their name, to more complex verbal behavior, such as having back and forth conversations. Early intervention significantly improves learning outcomes. In addition to communication, we work to decrease behavioral excesses that may limit our clients’ participation in community settings such as elopement, self-stimulatory behavior, scripting and tantrums. We target language and cognition skills to enhance knowledge such as object and action labels, commenting, and questioning. Abstract language concepts that can be difficult for children like pronouns and prepositions and causal reasoning are focused on once children learn beginner and intermediate skills. Play skills, starting with closed- ended activities and then eventually encompassing peers, imaginary skills, abstract language, and open-ended tasks are targeted as children gain skills.

Success Stories: How We’ve Made a Difference

Sam, a 15-month-old from Manhattan diagnosed with autism, entered therapy with no eye contact or gestures. After three years of intensive ABA, Sam transitioned to a mainstream classroom, thriving without support. Read Sam’s story here.

Ethan, a preschooler in NYC with aggressive behaviors, learned functional communication and social skills through structured interventions, fully integrating with peers within a year. Discover how Ethan’s life changed through intensive therapy.