Caregivers and Clinicians Get More Out of Family Guidance Through Hopebridge and Attend|Behavior Partnership

How Hopebridge Uses the Tool to Increase the Effectiveness of ABA Therapy and Parent Training

It is incredible to witness a child mastering a new skill or overcoming a challenge during applied behavior analysis (ABA), but it unfortunately does not mean as much if that same skill does not translate into the home or out in the community. Though board certified behavior analysts (BCBA) are trained to work on generalization with their clients, those in the autism community know how crucial the role of the child’s family plays into their success. This is why family guidance sessions are an essential – and typically required – component of ABA therapy.

Despite the importance, many families and clinicians face challenges when it comes to family sessions, sometimes referred to as parent training. To overcome these hurdles, Hopebridge has partnered with Attend|Behavior to run a pilot program that offers a technology solution to support family guidance goals. To support the partnership’s family guidance efforts, CareSource covers the cost of 50 Attend|Behavior licenses for its members receiving services at Hopebridge in Georgia.

By offering an assessment and bite-sized learning content and videos through the convenience of a mobile app, this collaboration aims to learn how to help clinicians break down barriers and make autism therapy more accessible and impactful for families.

Hopebridge began piloting Attend|Behavior in October 2023 and is currently available only to select families in our Georgia centers, the knowledge our team is gaining from the collaboration will allow us to enhance our family guidance practices across the country.

Bridging the Gap Between Therapy Sessions and Home

The feedback from parents and caregivers is clear: while the guidance provided during therapy sessions is immensely valuable, implementing these strategies in real-world scenarios is often challenging.

Dr. Stewart Pisecco, CEO and cofounder of Attend|Behavior, noted that in speaking to parents, they mention that often everything makes sense in the moment, but when they leave family guidance sessions and try to implement the strategies at home, they struggle.

Clinicians echo this sentiment, as providing training to families is rarely part of the typical ABA education curriculum, and therefore BCBAs may not always know where to begin with caregiver-targeted sessions.

“Ultimately, we want to ensure that the practices we know can help parents are manageable for them to implement, and that we support them, so the learning curve is not quite as steep,” said “We wanted to create a solution that would get good content in the hands of parents, support them when they are trying to implement those strategies and techniques with their kids in a way that is personalized to the family, and give clinicians a window into how families are doing.”

To support these goals, Attend|Behavior uses the Research Units in Behavioral Intervention (RUBI) Parent Training Program, an evidence-based curriculum from Oxford University Press, adapted into a HIPAA-compliant digital format to make it accessible and engaging for families. Modules cover topics like how to improve daily behaviors and reinforce positive actions. The content is available in multiple reading levels, as well as in both English and Spanish languages, ensuring wider accessibility.

“Attend|Behavior provides ready-made, evidence-based tools that our clinicians can use to support caregivers effectively,” said Hopebridge Chief Clinical Officer Jana Sarno. “Instead of wondering where to start with family guidance, we can give them a tool that has really robust evidence already built into it.”

How the Attend|Behavior Partnership Benefits Hopebridge Families

During this pilot program at Hopebridge, the usage of Attend|Behavior in tandem with our clinician support has been a helpful tool for family guidance sessions.

Stewart noted that when using Attend|Behavior, families typically spend an extra 40 minutes to an hour per month on training than families who are not using the app. Results for new patients are even greater, with approximately an extra 90 minutes per month, on average, spent on family guidance. This increase in engagement time is significant, as it correlates with improved outcomes for children.

Here are some of the ways Attend|Behavior benefits the families we serve:

1. 1. 1. Attend|Behavior provides a roadmap for caregivers.
         With various modules to follow, the tool is easy to use alongside the support BCBAs provide our families, helping them dip their toes into learning about ABA therapy. Attend|Behavior has been particularly effective with families who are new to Hopebridge and ABA therapy, as the initial engagement sets a positive tone and enhances the overall therapeutic experience.
      2. The tool allows for personalization and flexibility in programming.
         Just like our ABA programming, family guidance is not one-size-fits-all, and Attend|Behavior allows our clinicians to customize the families’ experiences. “We recognize every family’s needs are unique, and the tool accommodates this variability and personalization. This flexibility ensures that our programming meets families where they are, providing the necessary support at each stage of their journey,” said Jana.
   

   Image courtesy of Attend|Behavior

   1. There are options to work independently or with more support from the clinician.
      Every family’s needs are different, and this tool enables our team to cater to the way each caregiver learns best. One family may take part in the assigned content lessons to independently build knowledge and then use their time with the BCBA to model and work on clinical problem-solving and individualized application. Another family may have more difficulties accessing or understanding the information, and in those cases, the clinician can meet and review the content together with them, answer questions and provide additional support before diving into the behavior skills training.
   2. The app offers real-time support for families.
      One of the most significant advantages of Hopebridge’s partnership with Attend|Behavior is the ability for Hopebridge’s clinicians to engage caregivers and support them in real time through instructional courses, assessments, reminders, progress tracking and quizzes to reinforce learning and application.

   How Attend|Behavior Benefits Hopebridge Clinicians and Expands Their Support

   The response from clinicians using the Attend|Behavior tool as part of Hopebridge’s family guidance has been overwhelmingly positive.

   “Since using Attend, not only has it helped with having regularly scheduled family guidance sessions, but I am now able to structure my meetings based on what I have assigned the parent to review,” said BCBA Carson Adams from Hopebridge in Columbus, GA. “I feel more supportive as their BCBA and am able to adequately guide the parent rather than train the parent.”

   Here are some of the reasons why our Georgia BCBAs have found Attend|Behavior useful within their practice:

   1. Attend|Behavior provides a structured framework for clinicians.
      The tool enhances the family guidance process by serving up ready-to-use content, giving clinicians a helping hand as they approach their sessions together, plus can set the stage for further programming. For example, once the clinician introduces Attend|Behavior to a family, they will ask them to complete the “ABCs of Behavior,” which is the first course. It asks questions about what behaviors families want to cover in therapy, which can help shape the behavior plan.
   2. The tool can help reduce preparation time for BCBAs.
      The technology solution makes it easier for clinicians to focus on what is most important for the child by giving them more time to aim their attention on direct interaction with families. Jana notes, “Attend|Behavior gives our behavior analysts ideas for their next lesson and how to describe it, which as a result, gives them the ability to offer more guidance. By taking away the planning of the lesson and the gathering materials, clinicians can choose to focus on time with families rather than behind-the-scenes work.
   3. Attend|Behavior provides valuable data.
      Organizationally, this pilot allows Hopebridge to get a larger view of family guidance and gather additional data to determine best practices for future sessions. Hopebridge realizes the need for specific training for clinicians around families, too, in order to ensure they can then effectively train caregivers on the curriculum elements and other techniques.

   Get More Support for Your Family from Hopebridge

   Our partnership with Attend|Behavior represents a step forward in making autism therapy more accessible and effective for families. By integrating technology with evidence-based practices, this collaboration provides learnings to help us enhance ABA education and guidance for our families.

   To learn more about how Hopebridge can support your family’s journey and to explore the innovative services available that can make an impact on your child’s life – and yours, too – reach out to us at hopebridge.com/contact.

   Or, are you looking for your own way to make a meaningful impact? Check out the open positions available at Hopebridge, where a job can change not only your life, but also the lives of the children and families you serve.

*Informed consent was obtained from the participants in this article. This information should not be captured and reused without express permission from Hopebridge, LLC.