Application Process

A family interested in applying for services through the BTTC Day Treatment is encouraged to schedule a time to tour the facility and observe on-going treatment over the video system. This initial tour is scheduled through Peter Fonseca, at 281-239-1420 or peter.fonseca@texanacenter.com, within the hours of 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Peter can tell parents about availability of placements within the program at a given time. If there is not a current availability parents can submit an application without a monetary deposit. When a placement becomes available Peter will contact the parent and give them the option of submitting a deposit to secure the position. To secure a placement and schedule a start date the full-time students are required to submit a $1,000 deposit which is refundable when a 30 day notice to leave the program is given. The 30 day notice is required in order to get the $1,000 deposit returned. For part-time students a $1,000 deposit is also required and 50% of the deposit is refundable when a 30 day notice to leave the program is given. For part-time students there is a $500 non-refundable application processing fee which is part of the $1,000. When 30 day notice is given for a part-time student to leave the program they will be refunded $500 of their initial $1,000 deposit.

There is a parent handbook with consent forms and information sheets for the parent to complete and return before the child starts the program. Tuition is due the first program day of each month.

There are no additional fees that the families will incur beyond the one time deposit and the monthly tuition cost. The training materials and reinforcers are supplied by the BTTC. If additional behavior intervention is needed, it is provided at not extra cost. There is no annual enrollment fee.

Right Click Here and Select "Save Target As" For An Application

How do I pay for this?

Unfortunately the cost of providing 1:1 skilled ABA technicians for 6.5 hours a day under the supervision of a BCBA is expensive. The BTTC Day Treatment is pleased to be able to offer staff full time employment with nice benefits. This enables us to provide a stable, professional staff.

Jeff Enzinna, Texana Developmental Disabilities Director, and Christie Enzinna, BTTC Community Programs Manager both provided testimony and written support for HB1919 during the 2007 legislative session, supporting the strong leadership of some parents advocating for insurance benefits for children with ASD. The bill does require Texas insurance policies written after January 1, 2008 to provide coverage for treatment of autism for children ages 3-5 years. Unfortunately most Texans are actually insured through private insurance programs which are not required to follow Texas legislative mandates. Some insurance companies have elected to provide coverage even though they are not legally bound by HB1919.

Each person’s insurance coverage is unique. It is not possible for us to tell a family whether or not their child’s treatment will be covered by insurance. For children enrolled in our program we will communicate with the insurance company and provide information requested. Because there is no other funding source beyond the private pay tuition and grants for the treatment program to be maintained, it is necessary that all tuition is paid on the first day of the month and families seek insurance reimbursement with the paperwork BTTC supplies upon request.

Many BTTC parents have had success with varying degrees of insurance reimbursement for the BTTC treatment program. Delete:Some parents have had limited success with getting partial reimbursement from their insurance companies. The BTTC cannot helpfile insurance claims but can certainly provide documentation in the format the parents need for their insurance company. Parents should contact the parent support group, FEAT, to learn from other parents how to negotiate the insurance maize. www.FEATHouston.org

Parents who have confirmed their insurance will make payment still will need the initial deposit and at least first month’s tuition since insurance companies are notorious for delaying reimbursement payments. The BTTC Program cannot operate waiting on insurance reimbursement; there simply is no other source of income at this time. The fact that HB1919 specifically lists ABA as a covered treatment for ASD eliminates the once frequent insurance response that ABA is an experimental treatment procedure. ABA is definitely a recognized treatment option in the state of Texas for children with ASD.

Some families have been able to obtain corporate or private donations to the tuition fund for the BTTC Day Treatment program which assist in keeping the cost down. Texana Center is a non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible.

Some families have taken out personal loans.

When considering the cost remember that this level of intensity is not intended to last throughout the child’s school years. This level of expertise is needed to teach the child to respond to their environment in such a way that they can benefit from a less intensive program. Typically think in terms of one year at a time.

An Information Sheet On Intensive ABA Treatment for Children with Autism Prepared for Insurance Companies By The Behavior Treatment and Training Center (BTTC)

1. ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA treatment is a research based intervention which is the treatment of choice for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, or maladaptive behaviors.

2. Research shows that autism is a life-long debilitating condition which will not improve without treatment. The costs of an untreated child growing into an adult who continues to require total care for their personal needs and close supervision for their safety will be huge across their lifetime. Additional medical costs can be expected throughout the lifetime of such an individual as they remain unable to describe symptoms, unable to care for themselves in a healthy manner (not eating right or cleaning well), and frequently causing injury to themselves.

3. Specific skill deficits which preclude a child with autism from learning through parental guidance, experiences of their environment, or general or special education include:

• Toilet trained
• Ability to sit appropriately in a chair and wait without displaying unusual looking stimulatory behavior or being disruptive to the environment.
• Ability to respond to name by looking at speaker and waiting for further instruction.
• Ability to sit next to a peer without disruptive behavior.
• Rate of reinforcement required to maintain appropriate behavior
• Ability to follow verbal directions within a group
• Ability to walk through an area without causing disruption
• Ability to follow a routine
• Ability to interact with peers
• Maintains appropriate behavior for at least 15 minutes
• Ability to request items desired or needed
• Modifications are not required to the environment

4. Research shows that many individuals with autism who receive intensive ABA treatment can be integrated into and benefit from general or special education programs through public schools, without continued special treatment costs.

5. ABA treatment breaks adaptive skills such as language, self-care, gross motor, fine motor, academic, and social interaction skills into small steps, typically referred to as training objectives, and then systematically teaches those training objectives to the individual using the principles of antecedents and consequences, taken from the scientific research literature. Progress is reported in terms of independent performance of numbers of training objectives.

6. Generalization training is needed for the child with autism to functionally use the skills trained in the natural environment. This includes training in multiple environments and with multiple teachers, including parents. Parent training is an essential component of effective ABA treatment.

7. The Behavior Treatment and Training Center (BTTC) provides a 32.5 hour intensive ABA treatment program for children with autism under the supervision and direction of Christie Enzinna, M.A., Licensed Psychological Associate #1-1760, Board Certified Behavior Analyst #1-01-0388.

For those who cannot afford the full-time treatment program the BTTC has some part-time and consulting options which may be more affordable. Individuals eligible for services through Texana Center can access the BTTC Outreach Program on an ability to pay scale. The Outreach program offers treatment in the form of clinic appointments on a short-term basis (3-5 months). Four Board Certified Behavior Analysts provide services through this Outreach Clinic.

8. The BTTC ABA programs are run under the authority of Texana Center, a public, not-for-profit organization which provides a wide variety of behavioral healthcare services for persons suffering from mental illness or mental retardation, and other developmental disabilities. The Texana Center Federal Tax ID # is 76-0253287 EIN.

9. The child’s private physician may write an order for ABA treatment. The BTTC does not employ any physicians or licensed psychologists.

10. ABA treatment is provided by a clinician who is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst or by a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst or by unlicensed therapists who are supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

11. ABA treatment is not based on a medical model, which makes it difficult to describe on most standard health insurance forms.

12. Research continues, but has not yet been able to define methods for accurately predicting the amount of progress an individual child will make with ABA treatment or the number of treatment sessions required. Research has shown that individuals who receive a minimum of 30 hours per week of intensive ABA treatment have the best results and that the younger children are when treatment is started, the greater the overall progress.

Fort Bend County, Texas, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, ABA treatment, teach, autism, PDD.

A Fort Bend County ABA treatment program to teach children with autism and PDD or other autism spectrum disorders, developed and managed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), in Rosenberg, Texas.