Development

Rooted in PLAY

We’re here to help your child thrive

We believe all children deserve the chance to lead productive, happy, healthy lives. Our in person and telehealth program models provide NDBI, Applied Behavior Analysis, Social Skills Training and ACT along with other evidence-based techniques to ensure your child has the best chance for success.

Our Social Skills Groups connect with other peers their age on a regular basis to practice their conversation skills and build relationships.

Our In School Support gives parents the peace of mind that their child will receive the attention and guidance they need in the classroom to be successful.

What Makes Us Different?

Social Skills Groups

Our clients learn and practice social skills in a functional way, with peers their own age! They learn how to resolve conflicts independently, advocate for themselves, make and keep successful friendships! We also work on their individualized skills goals during these groups.

Summer Camp

Remember those amazing ideas locked up inside your mind? Make them real. We spend the summer in small groups practicing the skills we worked on throughout the school year in a functional and supportive setting, so we have less regression.

ACT

ACT helps clients of all ages manage anxiety and stressful events and anxiety. We all want our children to be able to adapt to their situations in life and evolve over time. ACT gives them the tools to do and the techniques they can use across all environments.

ROOTED PLAY

ROOTED PLAY is a model we designed based in NDBI, to encourage creative expression while equipping children with the skills they need for successful social interaction. We explore topics such as relationships, communication, problem solving, and conflict resolution through uniquely structured games and exercises.

SCHOOL

Roots provides in school 1:1 support. Our in support gives parents the peace of mind that their child will receive the attention and guidance they need in the classroom to be successful. We work with teachers and IEP teams to bring well rounded support to the child.

FACTS

  • Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI) combine with developmental teaching methods ABA. This is a play based holistic type of behavioral intervention.

    Developmental research has found that children learn best when they actively participate in learning and when they have engaged and responsive caretakers. To accommodate this, developmental approaches are generally child-led, play-based, and reliant on relationship-building with the child. 

    NDBI focuses on naturalistic environment or incidental teaching. Child led play and relationship building are the cornerstones of this therapy.

  • ABA is a powerful tool to help people with special needs lead independent and fulfilling lives. It can be used to analyze challenging behaviors, teach new skills, improve communication abilities, and more. ABA looks at how our environment influences our behavior and helps us identify what may be causing specific behaviors so that we can make the necessary changes for positive outcomes. By using ABA techniques such as positive reinforcement and task analysis, individuals can learn new skills quickly and reliably. With ABA, the possibilities are truly endless!

    Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a scientifically validated method that employs systematic interventions with the aim of identifying and addressing specific social and measurable behaviors, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for both the individual and their social network. This therapeutic approach is particularly beneficial for individuals with special needs, such as those with autism spectrum disorder, as it enables them to lead more independent and fulfilling lives.

    ABA is grounded in the understanding that our behavior is significantly influenced by our environment. It adopts a data-driven approach to determine the factors that contribute to specific behaviors, enabling practitioners to implement targeted interventions for favorable outcomes. One of the key principles of ABA is the use of positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors. By repeatedly rewarding an individual for demonstrating a particular behavior, ABA therapists can increase the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated, eventually becoming ingrained in the individual's repertoire.

     

    ABA is a versatile and adaptable approach, which can be tailored to suit the unique needs and strengths of each individual. By closely monitoring progress and adjusting the treatment plan as needed, ABA therapists can achieve remarkable results. This empowers individuals with special needs to develop essential life skills, foster meaningful relationships, and ultimately lead more independent and fulfilling lives.

  • ACT helps clients of all ages manage anxiety and stressful events. So many challenging behaviors that we see around our clients with autism spectrum disorder are based in anxiety and mental flexibility. We all want our children to be able to adapt to their situations in life and evolve over time. ACT gives them the tools to do and the techniques they can use across all environments.

    The ultimate goal of ACT is to create psychological flexibility, which can help us learn how to deal with our thoughts and emotions in a more productive way. It's about getting out of our heads and connecting with the present moment without judgment or criticism. Through ACT we are provided with an opportunity to manage our thoughts, feelings, and behavior in a constructive manner. By teaching our clients these skills, we can support them on their journey towards positive behavioral outcomes.

    Through ACT our clients can develop more psychological flexibility, the ability to self-manage emotions, thoughts, and behavior in order to extract the best possible outcomes in varying complex situations.

  • We take a whole-person approach to working with clients, focusing on their physical, emotional and behavioral needs. Alongside traditional therapies, we also use play-based activities to help clients express themselves and develop social skills. Connecting through play and engaging activities can give people the tools they need to create meaningful relationships and identify healthy coping strategies. Our goal is to help each client find balance and pathways for growth that are truly rooted in understanding themselves and building healthier connections.

    We focus on compassionately addressing the physical, emotional and behavioral health of each client.

     

    We regularly consult with colleagues from various backgrounds and experiences to help deepen their understanding of what directly influences development and behaviors of individuals. This means we collaborate with your child's current providers (Speech, PT, OT, Educational) to help us cultivate this superior quality of individualized therapy.

  • The process of ABA typically begins with a comprehensive assessment, during which the therapist observes and collects data on the individual's current behavioral patterns and skill levels. This information forms the basis for an individualized treatment plan, which includes specific goals and objectives, as well as strategies for achieving them. These goals may focus on areas such as communication, social skills, self-help skills, or reducing problematic behaviors.

    ABA therapists and Board Certified Behavior Analysts employ strategies, such as prompting, shaping, chaining, discrimination training and tasks analysis. Task analysis involves breaking down a complex task into smaller, more manageable steps. By teaching each step individually and sequentially, individuals can gradually learn to complete the entire task independently. This method is particularly effective in teaching self-help skills, such as dressing or brushing teeth, as it allows for a systematic and structured approach to learning. These techniques facilitate the acquisition of new skills, while also ensuring that the individual can apply these skills in various contexts and situations.

  • Yes! We can provide you with the assessment results and individualized goals for your child! We can also provide you with traning on the plan and recommendations if you would like to take part in parent meetings.

     

    ABA typically begins with a comprehensive assessment, during which the therapist observes and collects data on the individual's current behavioral patterns and skill levels. This information forms the basis for an individualized treatment plan, which includes specific goals and objectives, as well as strategies for achieving them. These goals may focus on areas such as communication, social skills, self-help skills, or reducing problematic behaviors.

Let’s kickstart development

We’ll be with you every step of the way.

Meet the Roots Team

  • Amy Thompson, BCBA

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • Katie Linkenhoker, RBT

    LEAD ASSISTANT CLINCIAL SUPERVISOR

  • Elise Felicio, BCBA

    REMOTE SUPERVISOR

  • Brianna Gentile, BCBA

    BEHAVIOR ANALYST

  • Zoe Peterson, BCaBA

    TELEHEALTH CLINICIAN

  • Ashley Bolte

    CLINICAL ASSISTANT

  • Somar Bruner, RBT

    AUTISM SPECIALIST & OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

  • Ana Dunahoe, RBT

    AUTISM SPECIALIST

  • Roslyn Hermes, RBT

    AUTISM SPECIALIST

  • Clarissa Follmar, RBT

    AUTISM SPECIALIST

  • Summer Hemingway, RBT

    AUTISM SPECIALIST

  • Calee Choate, RBT

    AUTISM SPECIALIST

Let’s work together.

Interested in working for ROOTS? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly! We can't wait to hear from you!