Helping children to fully participate in, not just adjust to, our world.

Behavioral Dimensions

Building a better path for children with Autism

Behavioral Dimensions (BDI) has been providing comprehensive applied behavior analysis (ABA ) services to children with autism for close to twenty years. We call this program Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI). Our main mission is to bring children’s language and social skills up to age level. Our program is designed to teach children to communicate successfully with others, using a variety of methods, such as talking, gestures, picture systems or even written words. We teach them to understand the language of others, especially from parents and other family members.

We address play skills, both independent and interactive play and begin working on their social skills right from the beginning. We want our clients to become fully functioning members of their family and school. This is a big goal to accomplish and may take 1 – 3 years of intensive work. But it is truly worth this investment when we can help children return to the mainstream and participate fully in their family and community.

Behavioral Consulting at BDI is now accepting clients for telemedicine and direct on-site consulting.

Number of Certified Behavior Analysts Employed

Number of Areas/Communities Served

Number of Employees with Over Ten Years at BDI

Finding Ways to Treat Autism in Minnesota

We teach your child to fully participate in, not just adjust to, our world.

We want our clients to become fully functioning members of their family and school.

l

Roughly half of our toddlers enter regular first grade.

We have many children whose parents report that no one at their child’s school knows or knew that their child had autism.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t it difficult for a child with autism to work for 3 hours straight?

The Senior Therapist of the autism program will work with the family to have preferred items or activities available to use as reinforcers to make learning fun for the child during his BDI shift and increase appropriate behavior. No one learns when upset and we strive for “no tears” shifts.

At the beginning of treatment for the child with autism, we will take small baby steps to teach a child how to sit at a table and pay attention to their staff and the teaching materials. As the child learns that their every effort is rewarded, sessions become more predictable and fun. The child will be given breaks as needed to keep learning at an optimal level throughout the shift, but our goal is to get as much teaching done in three hours as we possibly can.

What if my child does not learn?

Senior Therapists and Clinical Supervisors are trained to analyze data and troubleshoot learning difficulties that are child specific for each child with autism. Additional clinical and behavioral support will be scheduled in order to ensure that the child makes steady progress.

Do you have enough staff to fill all of the hours my child needs?

If there is enough trained staff in your area of Minnesota, and those staff are available during the times you desire, you will have a full schedule for your child. Every effort is made to fill open shifts with all children and the hiring process is an on-going process. Although BDI staff turnover is low, there are still situations when a child will have open shifts. Ideally, the easiest shifts to fill are those during a typical work day (between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.); however, early evening and weekend shifts can be successfully filled if staff are available.

What type of participation is required by the family?

The family is required to meet with the Senior therapist weekly to discuss the child’s progress.

If the family is interested in additional training BDI provides a series of trainings on specific parenting strategies called General Interaction Strategies (GIS).  The series of trainings teach the family about reinforcement, responding to requests, offering choices, giving instructions, redirection, and responding to upsets.  Once the family completes GIS, BDI can also provide assistance with toilet training, sleep disorders, feeding disorders, outings, and social skills training.

What skills are taught?

Beginning with basic imitation and matching skills, the child systematically moves through a curriculum to learn to understand and use language and social skills.

Who should receive these services?

Children with a diagnosis of ASD who display significant delays in development as well as severe behavior disorders are appropriately treated with the IBI model. The disorder is so severe that the children are unlikely to:

a) be safe in the home or community;
b) attain normal developmental milestones; or
c) succeed in a regular classroom without substantial one-to-one support.

The IBI model is only appropriate for children for whom the goal of treatment is to restore normal functioning as much as possible, and who demonstrate strong response to treatment on objective quantitative measures. Services are typically most appropriate for children under the age of 5?????, BDI’s existing data suggest response to treatment can be evaluated after nine months of treatment.

What is the time commitment?

Child must be available Monday through Friday, every day for 2 three to three and a half hour shifts for a minimum of 30 hours per week. We are only able to work around a child’s schedule who still requires naps. Additional weekday and weekend hours are available after the initial 30 hours are scheduled.

Where do the services take place?

Service occurs in the child’s home; caregiver must be present

Join Our Team! 

Make a difference in a the lives of Children!

Behavioral Dimensions is looking for motivated, friendly, and outgoing Behavior Therapists and Behavior Technicians who are interesting in working with young children with autism and other related disabilities. We are excited to offer full or part time job opportunities to individuals who qualify as Mental Health Practitioners (Behavior Therapist) or Mental Health Behavior Aides (Behavior Technician)!

Be a part of a team who’s mission is to being children’s language and social skills up to age level focusing on helping children return to the mainstream and participate fully in their family and community. Behavioral Dimensions offered training sessions and workshops for those wanting a career in Behavior Therapy. People 18 years or older and college students welcome!

Employee Testimonials:

|

“I chose to work for Behavioral Dimensions because I did not want to stop growing. I knew their client outcomes were incredible and I wanted to learn how to provide the most effective ABA therapy so clients I served would in turn reach their fullest potential. BCBAs need leaders with greater expertise and credentials than we do so we can continue to grow clinically. BDI does not cut corners; they do whatever it takes to ensure clients make the most significant progress possible and this entails leaders making daily sacrifices. Each child and staff is viewed through the lens “the sky is the limit.” People stay with honest leaders who support them and all staff at each level. Behavioral Dimensions’ has many staff who have stayed for 10+ years. If you want to change lives forever in a supportive environment, Behavioral Dimensions is the place.”

Lisa, MS, BCBA

“The best part of my job is watching the progress of the kids. I have the unique perspective of observing this progress both daily and over time. I love watching the kids generalize things they have learned to their natural environment.

Another aspect of this work that warms my heart is when a parent tells me a story about how their child is using a new skill such as using words to communicate instead of tantrums for example. These are among the many reasons why I enjoy working at Behavioral Dimensions. Thank you!”

Barbara Szypulski

“One of the most rewarding parts in working with Behavioral Dimensions is teaching such incredible kiddos and seeing all of their progress they make every day. It is a joy to be involved in the journey and growth of each child as they learn and generalize language skills, establish positive relationships with family members/peers, work through challenges, and succeed in the community.

Behavioral Dimensions has an amazing team of staff who are caring and passionate about working with children and their families. They are an extremely supportive company committed to providing high quality services across all clients, as well as a positive work place for their employees. Behavioral Dimensions has provided me with the training to develop as a professional and gain knowledge to best support our clients.”

Lindsay Kitner,
Program Implementation Manager

“I love that laughing and playing are normal parts of my work day. It’s a great feeling to see parents notice their child’s progress. I’ve been known to get a little teary eyed right along with a mom or dad when their child is able to do something they hadn’t expected.”

Jodie Johnson, 
Senior Therapist

HIPAA
Seal of Compliance” width=

Helping children to fully participate in, not just adjust to, our world.

Behavioral Dimensions

Building a better path for children with Autism

Behavioral Dimensions (BDI) has been providing comprehensive applied behavior analysis (ABA ) services to children with autism for close to twenty years. We call this program Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI). Our main mission is to bring children’s language and social skills up to age level. Our program is designed to teach children to communicate successfully with others, using a variety of methods, such as talking, gestures, picture systems or even written words. We teach them to understand the language of others, especially from parents and other family members. 

We address play skills, both independent and interactive play and begin working on their social skills right from the beginning. We want our clients to become fully functioning members of their family and school. This is a big goal to accomplish and may take 1 – 3 years of intensive work. But it is truly worth this investment when we can help children return to the mainstream and participate fully in their family and community.

Behavioral Consulting at BDI is now accepting clients for telemedicine and direct on-site consulting.

Years in Business Since 1997

Number of Areas/Communities Served

Number of Employees with Over Ten Years at BDI

Finding Ways to Treat Autism in Minnesota

We teach your child to fully participate in, not just adjust to, our world.

We want our clients to become fully functioning members of their family and school.

l

Roughly half of our toddlers enter regular first grade.

We have many children whose parents report that no one at their child’s school knows or knew that their child had autism.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t it difficult for a child with autism to work for 3 hours straight?

The Senior Therapist of the autism program will work with the family to have preferred items or activities available to use as reinforcers to make learning fun for the child during his BDI shift and increase appropriate behavior. No one learns when upset and we strive for “no tears” shifts.

At the beginning of treatment for the child with autism, we will take small baby steps to teach a child how to sit at a table and pay attention to their staff and the teaching materials. As the child learns that their every effort is rewarded, sessions become more predictable and fun. The child will be given breaks as needed to keep learning at an optimal level throughout the shift, but our goal is to get as much teaching done in three hours as we possibly can.

What if my child does not learn?

Senior Therapists and Clinical Supervisors are trained to analyze data and troubleshoot learning difficulties that are child specific for each child with autism. Additional clinical and behavioral support will be scheduled in order to ensure that the child makes steady progress.

Do you have enough staff to fill all of the hours my child needs?

If there is enough trained staff in your area of Minnesota, and those staff are available during the times you desire, you will have a full schedule for your child. Every effort is made to fill open shifts with all children and the hiring process is an on-going process. Although BDI staff turnover is low, there are still situations when a child will have open shifts. Ideally, the easiest shifts to fill are those during a typical work day (between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.); however, early evening and weekend shifts can be successfully filled if staff are available.

What type of participation is required by the family?

The family is required to meet with the Senior therapist weekly to discuss the child’s progress.

If the family is interested in additional training BDI provides a series of trainings on specific parenting strategies called General Interaction Strategies (GIS).  The series of trainings teach the family about reinforcement, responding to requests, offering choices, giving instructions, redirection, and responding to upsets.  Once the family completes GIS, BDI can also provide assistance with toilet training, sleep disorders, feeding disorders, outings, and social skills training.

What skills are taught?

Beginning with basic imitation and matching skills, the child systematically moves through a curriculum to learn to understand and use language and social skills.

Who should receive these services?

Children with a diagnosis of ASD who display significant delays in development as well as severe behavior disorders are appropriately treated with the IBI model. The disorder is so severe that the children are unlikely to:

a) be safe in the home or community;
b) attain normal developmental milestones; or
c) succeed in a regular classroom without substantial one-to-one support.

The IBI model is only appropriate for children for whom the goal of treatment is to restore normal functioning as much as possible, and who demonstrate strong response to treatment on objective quantitative measures. Services are typically most appropriate for children under the age of 5?????, BDI’s existing data suggest response to treatment can be evaluated after nine months of treatment.

What is the time commitment?

Child must be available Monday through Friday, every day for 2 three to three and a half hour shifts for a minimum of 30 hours per week. We are only able to work around a child’s schedule who still requires naps. Additional weekday and weekend hours are available after the initial 30 hours are scheduled.

Where do the services take place?

Service occurs in the child’s home; caregiver must be present

Join Our Team! 

Make a difference in a the lives of Children!

Behavioral Dimensions is looking for motivated, friendly, and outgoing Behavior Therapists and Behavior Technicians who are interesting in working with young children with autism and other related disabilities. We are excited to offer full or part time job opportunities to individuals who qualify as Mental Health Practitioners (Behavior Therapist) or Mental Health Behavior Aides (Behavior Technician)!

Be a part of a team who’s mission is to being children’s language and social skills up to age level focusing on helping children return to the mainstream and participate fully in their family and community. Behavioral Dimensions offered training sessions and workshops for those wanting a career in Behavior Therapy. People 18 years or older and college students welcome!

Employee Testimonials:

|

“I chose to work for Behavioral Dimensions because I did not want to stop growing. I knew their client outcomes were incredible and I wanted to learn how to provide the most effective ABA therapy so clients I served would in turn reach their fullest potential. BCBAs need leaders with greater expertise and credentials than we do so we can continue to grow clinically. BDI does not cut corners; they do whatever it takes to ensure clients make the most significant progress possible and this entails leaders making daily sacrifices. Each child and staff is viewed through the lens “the sky is the limit.” People stay with honest leaders who support them and all staff at each level. Behavioral Dimensions’ has many staff who have stayed for 10+ years. If you want to change lives forever in a supportive environment, Behavioral Dimensions is the place.”

Lisa, MS, BCBA

“The best part of my job is watching the progress of the kids. I have the unique perspective of observing this progress both daily and over time. I love watching the kids generalize things they have learned to their natural environment.

Another aspect of this work that warms my heart is when a parent tells me a story about how their child is using a new skill such as using words to communicate instead of tantrums for example. These are among the many reasons why I enjoy working at Behavioral Dimensions. Thank you!”

Barbara Szypulski

“One of the most rewarding parts in working with Behavioral Dimensions is teaching such incredible kiddos and seeing all of their progress they make every day. It is a joy to be involved in the journey and growth of each child as they learn and generalize language skills, establish positive relationships with family members/peers, work through challenges, and succeed in the community.

Behavioral Dimensions has an amazing team of staff who are caring and passionate about working with children and their families. They are an extremely supportive company committed to providing high quality services across all clients, as well as a positive work place for their employees. Behavioral Dimensions has provided me with the training to develop as a professional and gain knowledge to best support our clients.”

Lindsay Kitner,
Program Implementation Manager

“I love that laughing and playing are normal parts of my work day. It’s a great feeling to see parents notice their child’s progress. I’ve been known to get a little teary eyed right along with a mom or dad when their child is able to do something they hadn’t expected.”

Jodie Johnson, 
Senior Therapist

HIPAA
Seal of Compliance” width=