Helping children learn ways to improve and address complex or risky behaviors

The Complex Behavior Support Program provides comprehensive and inclusive treatment services for children on the autism spectrum and/or children who have a developmental delay, or who engage in behaviors that pose a risk to their safety and/or impede their quality of life.

Our specialists help children and families:

1. Learn why behavior(s) are occurring.
2. Develop a treatment plan to reduce behaviors of concern, teach new ways to communicate wants/needs, and build accommodating environments that facilitate success.
3. Integrate treatment strategies into daily life.

What we treat

Common referral concerns include:

• Aggression (hurting others)
• Property destruction (breaking items/surfaces)
• Self-injurious behavior (hurting self)
• Pica (eating non-food items)
• Elopement (running away)
• Difficulty completing needed activities of daily living (e.g., refusal to brush teeth or attend doctor’s appointments)

Our unique approach

The Complex Behavior Support Program uses the most current and evidence-based assessment and treatment strategies, based in applied behavior analysis (ABA). The Complex Behavior Support Program offers a continuum of services ranging in intensity to meet each family’s unique needs.

Ours is one of only a few programs in the country with the specialized physical facility, highly trained staff, and expertise needed to address complex behavior with a history of physical safety risks and resistance to change.

Our team

Services are provided by our expert care team that consists of:

• Psychologists
• Board-certified behavior analysts-doctoral level (BCBA-D)
• Board-certified behavior analysts (BCBA)
• Registered behavior technicians
• Licensed Associate Professional Counselors (LAPC)

We also collaborate with our colleagues in psychiatry, medical services and our care coordination service.

Licensure

The Complex Behavior Support Program is supervised by psychologists who are licensed by the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists or doctoral-level behavior analysts certified by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board.

Referrals

To have your child evaluated by our team, you will need to obtain a doctor’s referral (either from your primary care provider or diagnosing psychologist) and complete the steps to make a new patient appointment. If you have already established care with another provider at Marcus Autism Center, please talk with them about a provider.

Intakes

To best meet your child’s needs, it is important for our team to meet with them and their caregiver to collect information about the family’s primary concerns, discuss which treatment services might best fit their needs, and observe the current intensity of the behavior. This will allow us to match your child with the appropriate treatment program.