www.bcotb.com
PRESS RELEASE
May 21, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Julie Capobianco, 813-892-5756
AUTISM PRESENTS UNIQUE CHALLENGES FOR SOME MILITARY FAMILIES
  
Military Insurer TRICARE Provides Therapy
TAMPA, FL - May 21, 2009 -  MacDill Air Force Base is home to more than 12,000 active duty military dependents who have spouses or parents currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. 
 
Parents of a child diagnosed with autism often have a difficult time managing what would seem to be simple tasks, but when one or both parents are on active-duty, the daily challenges can be demanding for the entire family.
 
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. and the statistics continue to rise.  One in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism, which breaks down to 67 new cases a day or one new diagnosis every 20 minutes. Four in every 5 of those children are male.
 
Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, or ABA, is the science of human behavior and is the only therapy with more than 30 years of research and more than 500 published studies in scientific journals proving its effectiveness on children diagnosed with autism. 
 
TRICARE, the U.S. military's health care plan, currently covers up to $36,000 a year of ABA Therapy and up to $200,000 over a lifetime.  While families can depend on support from their TRICARE policies, there is also a local, quality resource for ABA therapy available to military families in the Tampa Bay area. 
 
Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay is a local organization with offices in both Hillsborough and Pasco counties and is committed to assisting children using ABA therapy.  The highly trained staff at Behavioral Consulting has aided the development of more than 200 children diagnosed with both autism spectrum disorder and other problem behaviors using ABA therapy. 

About Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay
Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay implements Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs with an emphasis on verbal behavior.  Our skill acquisition programs, customized for each child's learning needs, focus on evoking language and communication, self-help skills, compliance behavior and appropriate peer and social skills.   We provide discreet trial teaching in addition to natural environment teaching, while using error-less learning techniques.  To maintain a consistent level of quality, our Board Certified Behavior Analysts oversee programs and evaluate and document progress every 4 weeks.
 
Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay compared the rate of development in 18 clients who were between the ages of 2 and 7 years old during the onset of services.  All received our intensive instruction averaging 10 hours a week for 5 months.  We found, on average, the group more than doubled their original skill set.  Based on these findings, we're confident that all children, regardless of skill deficits, diagnosis, or behavior, can learn skills and develop behaviors never before thought possible if a quality behavior analysis program is implemented.  
 
Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay has 2 locations to serve you: 6916 W. Linebaugh Avenue, Suite 102 in Tampa and 3717 Turman Loop, Suite 102, in Wesley Chapel.  For more information, please visit their website, www.bcotb.com, call 813-265-0210 or send an email to info@bcotb.com.