TheraTree Pediatric Therapy - TheraTree Blog #New PatientsTheraTree Pediatric Therapy - TheraTree Blog #New Patientshttps://www.theratreepeds.com/blogs/tag/new-patientsWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:50:28 -0800http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[The 4 Functions of Behavior]]>https://www.theratreepeds.com/blogs/post/the-4-functions-of-behaviorImagine this: You are grocery shopping and, in the aisle, next to you, you hear a child arguing with their parents. They won’t stay seated, and they a ]]>

by Lauren Haire, RBT

Imagine this: You are grocery shopping and, in the aisle, next to you, you hear a child arguing with their parents. They won’t stay seated, and they are yelling. It is very common to watch a child “act out” in public with their parents. You sometimes think, “can they just tell them to stop and be quiet?” It is not always as simple as that. 

As a parent and professional that works with children, it’s important for you to understand the 4 functions that drive behaviors that you see in children. Children with Autism can often struggle to communicate and engage in problem behavior to get their point across. 

ABC's of Behavior

Behavior can be broken down into 3 parts to determine the function: 

  • The antecedent is what happened prior to the behavior of concern.
  • The behavior is the behavior of concern.
  • The consequence is what happened after the behavior was demonstrated. 
Example: Lauren saw the toy on the counter and began to cry. Her mom gives her the toy. 

The antecedent is that Lauren saw the toy, the behavior is when she began to cry, and the consequence was her mom giving her the toy. The function here is that Lauren was looking for access to a tangible (to get something.) Her mom gave her the toy which extinguished her crying behavior. 

4 Functions: SEAT

A child's behavior is always functional - they're behaving a certain way for a reason. There are four main functions/reasons for a child's behavior. The easiest way to remember the functions of behavior is with this simple acronym. SEAT. Sensory, Escape, Attention, and Tangibles. 

Sensory

The sensory function provides stimulation from the world to the brain. Sensory information can be in the form of touch, sound, visual, smell, taste, movement, or pressure. 

When does it happen? Children seek out this sensory information because their body can’t get enough of it to use functionally OR they’re overriding a different sensation. In many children with Autism, this shows up as stimming. It can occur at any time, especially when anxious or excited. 

How can I help? Redirect to more appropriate behavior that offers similar sensation. If you notice any behaviors that indicate a sensory deficit, you may benefit from receiving a free screening from one of our occupational therapists to address sensory needs. Occupational Therapy can address deficits related to sensory modulation (I.e. sensory over responsiveness or under responsiveness), sensory discrimination(i.e. attention), and sensory based motor(i.e. motor planning, balance, and postural adjustments.)

Example, a child may exhibit signs of overexcitement. You can relieve that need to release energy by allowing the child to go for a walk or riding a bike. 

Escape

The function of escape removes undesired activities, interactions, or situations. The child is getting out or away from the situation, environment, or task. 

When does it happen? It can occur when the tasks are understimulating, too easy, too hard, boring, or just completely undesired. 

How can I help? Provide a “first, then” prompt, offer choices, or alter the length of task. 

Example: “First clean up, then you may go watch tv.”

Attention

The function of attention provides access or awareness to/from people or interactions. It’s important to consider what kinds of attention the child likes and how much and when they’re currently getting attention.

When does it happen? It occurs when social attention is desired. 

How can I help? You can provide positive reinforcement or attention before the behavior occurs, so they don’t “need” to do the problematic behavior. 

Example: “Great job picking up. I like that you are following my directions.” 

This statement gives positive reinforcement for picking up and following directions while feeding the potential attention seeking behavior. If we reinforce the negative attention seeking behavior, we could risk making the behavior worse. So, it’s important to reinforce only the positive things your child is doing during a difficult situation. 

Tangibles

The function of access to tangibles provides preferred activities/items. This is what we usually think of as a “reward”. Although rewards don’t always need to be tangible to be considered reinforcing. We can use tangible rewards to help each then fade them. 

When does it happen? It occurs when there is a preferred activity or item desired. 

How can I help? There are several different ways you can approach this.


- You may teach the child to verbalize their wants and needs.

- If your child is nonverbal, teach sign language, use pictures to communicate (ABA uses Picture Exchange Communication), or assistive device like an iPad. 

- Contrive teaching situations at home and this goes along with teaching the child to verbalize wants and needs. 

For instance, let’s say your child loves to listen to songs on their iPad/tablet. As you listen to the song, try to pause and play the song. When the song is paused, verbally prompt the child to say ‘Play it.’ Praise the child heavily: ‘Great saying play it.’ And then immediately play the song. Again, this is just an example of how to use a highly preferred item as a teaching moment. 

You can prompt your child to request based on their needs and level of language skills, then gradually fade the prompt. Remember, reinforcement increases the occurrence of behavior whether it is positive or negative. 


We're Here to Help!

Don’t forget that “SEAT” is your go-to acronym when deciphering your child’s function of behavior. By contriving teaching situations in the natural environment, you can help your child practice communication skills, social skills, and give them the ability to communicate their sensory needs. Take ABC Data to keep track of behavior and present data to your pediatrician and/or your Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA.) Your child may benefit from ABA Therapy or Occupational Therapy to assist in these behaviors!

Behavior can be complex! That’s why professionals have specialized in this science and are devoted to educate and help. If your child engages in challenging behaviors, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own!

We want to help. Call or text us at 270-688-8449 or email newpatients@theratreepeds.com to schedule a free screening or comprehensive evaluation. Let’s decrease your overwhelm and increase your relationship with your child together!

Get Started Now
]]>Thu, 13 Jan 2022 11:34:00 -0600<![CDATA[5 Signs Your Child May Benefit from ABA Therapy]]>https://www.theratreepeds.com/blogs/post/5-Signs-Your-Child-May-Benefit-from-ABA-TherapyApplied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a therapy based on the science of understanding and improving learning and behavior. It helps us to understand how behavior works, how behavior is affected by the environment, and how learning takes place.]]>

5 Signs Your Child May Benefit from ABA Therapy

By Lauren Haire, RBT

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a therapy based on the science of understanding and improving learning and behavior. It helps us to understand how behavior works, how behavior is affected by the environment, and how learning takes place. 


Below are some of the signs that your child may benefit from ABA Therapy: 

  1. Autism Spectrum Disorder 

If your child has been diagnosed with Autism, we are here to help your child acquire skills or decrease those behaviors of concern. ABA Therapy can break down skills to smaller, discrete tasks to help a child learn. 

  1. Delay of Social Skills

Through ABA Therapy, your child will be able to increase their social skills and build meaningful relationships. If your child has difficulties making eye contact, taking turns with peers, or identifying their coping strategies, it could be a sign they could benefit from receiving ABA services to help increase those skills. 

  1. Delay of Receptive/Expressive Language

If your child has difficulties with “out of the box” thinking, ABA Therapy can be used to spark creativity. It can help a child to follow those simple to multi step instructions, comprehend who/what/where/why questions based on stories or pictures, or even increase imitation skills. 

  1. Delay of Communication/Speech

You may have noticed that your child is delayed in their communication skills. ABA can help increase their ability to express their wants and needs. While using motivating operations and positive reinforcement, ABA will teach the child to mand, or request, as well as engage in conversation. 

  1. Problem Behavior 

The four functions of behavior include sensory, escape, attention, and tangibles. These functions help Behavior Analysts to create a proper treatment plan based on the behavior function presented. While there are many examples of problem behavior, if your child exhibits tantrums, self-injury, non-compliance, or eating nonedible items, ABA may be able to decrease these behaviors by using replacement behavior that can serve as the same function. 

Difficulties and Diagnoses ABA Therapy Can Help With Include:

  • Aggression
  • Self Injury
  • Noncompliance
  • Tantrums and Outbursts
  • Decreased attention
  • Poor social skills
  • Poor Memory
  • Challenges with academics
  • Depression
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Fears and phobias
  • Anxiety
  • Traumatic brain injury 

Techniques Used in ABA Therapy:

  • Positive Reinforcement
  • Prompts
  • Task Analysis
  • Generalization
  • Picture Exchange Communication
  • Errorless Teaching
  • Social Skills Training
  • Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
  • Natural Environment Training (NET)

If you have any questions or concerns about your child, please reach out to us at TheraTree. We provide free screenings! You can reach us by phone/text at 270-688-8449 or email at newpatients@theratreepeds.com.

Together we grow minds, bodies, and spirits! 


Get Started Now
]]>Tue, 09 Nov 2021 17:41:52 -0600<![CDATA[What to Expect Prior to Your Evaluation ]]>https://www.theratreepeds.com/blogs/post/what-to-expect-prior-to-your-evaluation

by: ​Kaitlin Kralj, MS, OTR/L, ACSM-EP

About Our Clinic: 

Before we get started, I want to point out that most pediatric therapy clinics do not look very “clinical.” In fact, our therapy gym looks like a giant playroom! In the therapy gym at TheraTree, we have movement-based play equipment such as swings, monkey bars, a rock wall, and trampoline.  In the clinic rooms, a large range of toys are games will be presented to engage your child. We also have a fully functional kitchen and laundry area that is used with some of our older clients to help them develop independent living skills.

TheraTree's Mission

Here at TheraTree, we make it our purpose to support the whole child. This includes mind, body, and spirit.


We work to treat minds by sprouting learning and strategies for life, bodies by cultivating strong, agile muscles and motor skills, and spirits by planting the seeds of happiness and confidence to flourish. At TheraTree, we strive to create an empowering context that removes barriers and gives rise to ideas.

Why Does My Child Need an Evaluation?

The purpose of an evaluation is to gain specific information about a child’s current skills and abilities. By conducting a full evaluation, our therapists can gather a more precise measurement of how your child is performing in comparison to their same-aged peers. Evaluations are an essential part of the therapeutic process, as it allows our therapists to gather data, develop appropriate therapy goals, and develop a treatment plan for your child.

Physician Order: Do I need one? 

The answer is yes. Prior to the time of your child’s appointment, a physician’s order is required.  This order will usually come from your pediatrician or family physician. We can certainly get your evaluation appointment scheduled prior to having the order, however, we cannot conduct the evaluation until we have this on file. 

Intake Paperwork: What is it? When Should I Fill it Out?

Prior to visiting our office, you will be asked for your insurance information. You will also be required to complete an intake form. The intake form will be online and is HIPAA compliant (meaning your information is secure!). It will ask you to provide information regarding your child’s medical history, when developmental milestones such rolling, crawling, babbling, and walking were achieved, and your child’s current level of independence with self-care tasks (such as bathing, toileting, dressing, etc.)  If feeding is a concern, you will also be asked to list the child’s food likes and dislikes. This is important for the evaluator to get complete information about your child. 

 

This packet of paperwork will also include your financial information, the treatment consent form, media consent form, and attendance policies. It is important that you pay close attention to this paperwork so that you gain an understanding of TheraTree’s policies regarding attendance,  fees, and so on.


Standardized questionnaires may or may not be a part of the intake paperwork. Some of this paperwork may be completed online (before the scheduled time of the appointment) and some questionnaires may take place the day of the evaluation.

 

In general, we ask that the intake paperwork is returned to us 3 days prior to the evaluation. This allows our clinicians time to review your child’s chart and gain a better understanding of what their needs may be prior to the assessment. We like to have this paperwork in advance so that our clinicians can fully prepare for your evaluation, as it helps us choose which standardized assessments are the best fit for us to utilize during the evaluation.

Insurance Verification and Benefits: What is Covered?

Prior to your evaluation appointment, our Patient Intake Coordinator will take some time to research your insurance policy as a courtesy. They will gather information about your deductible, co-payments, co-insurance, and patient responsibility. This helps us gather an understanding of what is or is not covered under your plan so at the time of you evaluation we can work together to understand your plan.

 

Although we work diligently to gather all the information regarding insurance policies, sometimes the companies do not disclose all of the information to you. If this occurs, please remember that this is the insurance policy that you signed up for. Please ensure you have complete understanding of your policy so we can work together to make a financial plan if needed.

The Day of Your Evaluation: Arriving to the Clinic and What to Expect

When you arrive at the clinic, it is recommended that you call us at 270-688-8449 to check in due to our COVID pre-caution. When the evaluating therapist is ready for you, he or she will come outside and welcome you into the building.

 

Our clinic currently has a COVID-19 health screening at the front door, where the evaluator will ask you COVID-19 related questions, ask you to remove your shoes, and take your temperature.

 

All of our staff members take extra precaution by wearing a face mask, face shield, and gloves. We take extra care in sanitizing our rooms and equipment between clients.

 

Once you are checked in and have passed the COVID-19 health screener, a Patient Intakes Specialist will review our policies and financial responsibilities with you. This ensures that you have a complete understanding of what to expect from therapy.

 

If you have a payment due, it will be collected at the time of the evaluation. You can also set up a payment plan or learn more about financial resources during this time as well.

 

As you speak with the Patient Intake Specialist, your child will go back to an evaluation room with the evaluator to begin the evaluation process. Each therapy specialty has a different process to evaluate which is why we have a article for each one!

Learn more about Occupational Therapy Evaluations here: [To be posted soon!]

Progress and Success at TheraTree

 It is understandable that you may be feeling a little overwhelmed. We want to reiterate that we are here to support you and your child! Our staff is more than happy to assist you and answer any questions that you may have. We are excited to serve you and your child. It is our goal to see your children thrive. So many children meet their therapy goals and demonstrate amazing progress. Many kids also “graduate” from therapy!

 

You don’t have to take our word for it… Check out a few of these patient testimonies below!

 

“… She has made so much progress that it amazes us. She is starting to sleep through the night, and she appear more in touch with, and able to regulate, her emotions better. She just seems happier! Scarlet is doing so much better than I thought she would with telehealth.”

 

“If he is in a mood, by the time telehealth is done, he is happy, his confidence is raised, and he just overall is a different child.”

 

“Our daughter has improved so much with understanding and regulating her emotions and knowing when she’s reaching sensory overload.”

Get Started Now!
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