The Learning Tree ABA

Teaching Tuesday: Building Social Skills Through Play! 🎉🤝 Play is an invaluable tool for teaching essential social skills in a natural and engaging way. Here are some creative ways to use structured and unstructured play to help learners practice communication, cooperation, and social understanding in fun, motivating ways! 🌟 1. Turn-Taking Games 🎲 Board Games – Games like Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders provide clear turns and allow kids to practice waiting, patience, and following rules. They also encourage learners to celebrate others’ successes and handle winning or losing gracefully. 🏆 Simple Sharing Games – Activities like rolling a ball back and forth or playing with a shared toy help build foundational turn-taking skills, especially for younger learners. ⚽ Timed Activities – Use a timer ⏲️ during preferred activities to take turns with peers, helping learners practice waiting for a set amount of time while still engaged in an activity they enjoy. 2. Pretend Play 🎭 Role-Playing – Set up scenarios like running a pretend store, going to a doctor’s office, or being a chef. This allows learners to explore different social roles, practice asking and answering questions, and build problem-solving skills. 🏪👩⚕️🍳 Dramatic Play with Costumes – Using costumes to "become" different characters (like superheroes or community helpers) fosters creativity and perspective-taking, allowing learners to experience how others might feel or act. 🦸♀️🚒 Social Story Integration – During pretend play, incorporate simple social stories 📖 to guide interactions, like “What to do if your friend is upset” or “How to ask someone to play.” 3. Group Projects 🎨 Building Together – Activities like constructing a fort or a block tower 🧱 require learners to work together, plan, and listen to each other’s ideas. This promotes teamwork, patience, and sharing of space and materials. Crafting – Group art projects like drawing a large picture together or creating a mural help learners follow steps, share materials, and compliment each other’s work, boosting confidence and communication skills. 🎨🖌️ Story-Building – Have each child add to a collaborative story. This activity encourages listening, creativity, and building off others' ideas, helping learners understand and contribute to group dynamics. 📜🖊️ 🌈 Encourage learners to practice patience, communication, and problem-solving through these fun activities, which set a foundation for positive peer interactions both inside and outside the clinic. 💬🤗

🎃 Teaching Tuesday 🎃 With Halloween around the corner, it’s a great time to help children prepare for the excitement and sensory experiences of the holiday. At The Learning Tree ABA, we support our learners by breaking down Halloween activities into fun, manageable steps that build skills like communication, social interaction, and sensory regulation. Here are some ideas: 👻 Costume Practice: Have kids practice wearing their costume ahead of time, allowing them to get used to new textures and sensations. You can also role-play trick-or-treating to build confidence in social interactions. 🍬 Trick-or-Treat Etiquette: Help children practice saying “trick or treat,” “thank you,” and taking turns by role-playing at home or during sessions. Use visuals or social stories to reinforce what to expect. 🔦 Sensory-Friendly Halloween: Some children may be sensitive to the sounds or visuals of Halloween. Prepare them by showing pictures of decorations or creating a sensory-friendly trick-or-treating environment with familiar items and low lighting. 🎉 Halloween Social Skills: Work on greetings, staying with the group, and following directions during Halloween-themed games or small group activities in a controlled setting. Helping our kids feel comfortable and confident makes every holiday more fun! 🎃🧡 #TeachingTuesday #ABA #HalloweenPreparation #SensoryFriendly #TheLearningTreeABA #thelearningtreeaba #BCBA #RBT

Teaching Tuesday: Self-Regulation Strategies for Children with Autism 🥶 😎 😭 😤 Today, we’re focusing on self-regulation—a critical skill for children with autism to manage their emotions, behaviors, and sensory needs. Building self-regulation skills can help reduce challenging behaviors and enhance a child’s ability to engage with their environment. Here are some strategies we use at The Learning Tree ABA to support self-regulation: Breathing Exercises: Teach children simple breathing techniques, like taking slow, deep breaths, to calm down when feeling overwhelmed. Sensory Tools: Fidgets, noise-canceling headphones, and weighted blankets can help children manage sensory overload. Visual Supports: Visual schedules or calm-down charts provide clear cues for children to follow, helping them navigate difficult situations. Zones of Regulation: Teach children to identify their feelings by categorizing emotions into “zones” (e.g., red for anger, blue for sadness) and offer strategies for moving back to the “green zone” of calmness. Encouraging these self-regulation practices helps children develop independence and confidence in managing their own emotions. Stay tuned for more practical tips from our dedicated team at The Learning Tree ABA! #learn #grow #blossom #thelearningtreeaba #BCBA #RBT #selfregulation #teachingtuesday 🌟 🌟 🌟

Last month, we underwent an audit from one of our main payors, and we’re thrilled to share that we received amazing feedback! 🎉 One of the key findings was our exceptionally high retention rate for both families and staff—one of the highest in the state! Our auditor mentioned, "I've seen over 100 companies, and you guys are doing great!" At The Learning Tree ABA, retention isn't just a goal, it’s a core value. We are dedicated to providing a supportive environment for both our clients and staff, and this feedback reinforces our commitment to delivering quality care and fostering a positive workplace. We’re proud of our team and grateful to our families for trusting us. Here’s to continued growth and success together! 💚

🌟 October Employee Spotlight: Our Amazing HR Specialist! 🌟 This month, we are thrilled to highlight our dedicated HR specialist, Naomi Prero! From ensuring a smooth onboarding process to providing ongoing support for our new hires, Naomi works tirelessly behind the scenes to make The Learning Tree ABA a great place to work! Her attention to detail, support for staff, and commitment to fostering a positive work environment truly make a difference every day. Thank you for your hard work and for always going the extra mile to support our team! We’re so lucky to have you on board! #EmployeeSpotlight #HRHero #TeamAppreciation #TheLearningTreeABA

🎉 Big Congratulations to our newly certified Safety Care Specialists! 🎉 We’re incredibly proud of our BCBA and RBT teammates who successfully completed our Physical Management Training, ensuring that the safety of our staff and clients always comes first. Special shout out to Antoinette Toole, our amazing Clinical Director, for leading this training, and to Naomi Prero for her outstanding coordination of the event. 🙌 At The Learning Tree, we believe in continuous learning and growth, and we are committed to providing the best care while prioritizing safety every step of the way! 🌟 #Teamwork #SafetyFirst #AlwaysLearning #TheLearningTreeABA #BCBA #RBT

🌟 Madison, we are so proud of your accomplishment! Your dedication to providing quality care is inspiring, and we can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll continue to achieve as an RBT. Keep up the incredible work! 👏🎉

🎉 Congratulations, Madison! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce that Madison has successfully passed the RBT program at The Learning Tree ABA! 🌟 Madison’s hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and we couldn’t be more proud to have her as part of our team. 💪 At The Learning Tree ABA, we are committed to supporting our incredible Behavior Technicians by providing the tools, training, and encouragement they need to succeed. Madison’s achievement is a testament to the support we offer and her dedication to making a difference in the lives of our learners. Way to go, Madison! 🚀👏

We’re #hiring a new Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Baltimore, Maryland. Apply today or share this post with your network.

Love these ideas shared by our very own director! Keep those ideas coming! Let's keep learning fun and creative! # fall #learnigntreeaba #RBT #BCBA #funandlearning #creative #leaves