Welcome to The Orchid Way

Our Approach to ABA Therapy

At Orchid, ABA therapy blends play-based sessions, family coaching, and functional academics like reading, math, and telling time.

At Orchid Academy, we work alongside your family, supporting your child, answering your questions, and celebrating progress as it happens. Our approach combines compassionate care, evidence-based strategies, and a real belief in your child’s potential.

Here, your child’s strengths are celebrated, their challenges are met with understanding, and their wins, big or small, are shared with a team that knows them.

How Orchid Academy Goes Beyond Standard ABA Therapy

At Orchid Academy, we want sessions to teach skills and also be moments of joy and connection, where your child finishes with a sense of accomplishment.

Play-Based Learning: Children learn best when they’re having fun. Our sessions are built around activities your child enjoys, making therapy feel like play. We use toys, games, and pretend play to keep your child curious and engaged.

Family Collaboration: You are the expert on your child. Your observations and priorities shape your child’s program. While you know your child best, we bring years of education and experience working with children to guide you in identifying and targeting the behaviors that matter most. We keep you involved every step of the way through regular communication, progress updates, and hands-on strategies you can use at home.

Focus on Independence: We teach the skills your child needs to do more on their own. From daily tasks like dressing themselves to social interactions and school readiness, we focus on building the foundations for a lifetime of independence.

What Makes Orchid Academy Different?

Skills-Based Treatment

Our team is extensively trained in Skills-Based Treatment (SBT), a proactive and compassionate approach that reduces challenging behavior by teaching meaningful skills. SBT builds on trust between your child and their therapist, so progress doesn’t depend on pressure.

Holistic Care Across Settings

Orchid Academy provides therapy at home, in school, and in the community, so your child practices the same skills in each place and they stick.

Family Training

We give families training and tools to support their child at home and beyond, so the whole family understands what their child is working on and how to help.

Proactive Support

We understand that big emotions are part of growing up. Through compassionate strategies, we teach children safe and effective ways to communicate their needs and manage frustrations. We want your child to handle hard moments without fear.

Functional Academics: Building a Strong Foundation

Learning continues outside therapy. Dr. Flick, our founder, began her career as a public school special education teacher, earning a Master of Arts in Teaching and a PhD in Special Education along the way. With decades of experience, she has combined the best practices from school and home settings to create a program that prioritizes academic growth in a compassionate, personalized way.

Meet Dr. Flick and Orchid Academy's clinical leadership team to learn more about the experience behind this approach.

Literacy

Traditional literacy approaches often take a linear path: starting with letter identification, moving to letter sounds, and so on. At Orchid Academy, we take a broader approach. We expose all of our clients to a wide range of literacy skills, from letter recognition to phonemic awareness, all the way to beginner-level books.

We've found that each child accesses literacy in their own way. By starting with their interests, we build a love for reading and learning. Some children take an immediate interest in letter sounds, while others are drawn to stories or pictures in books, so we follow each child's lead.

We've seen firsthand how much learning to read can change. Many of our clients, including those with severe problem behavior, have made big gains once they've gained literacy skills. Reading helps with other areas of development too, from communication to emotional regulation.

Math

At Orchid Academy, we believe that math can be a source of confidence and success for many of our learners. We encourage the development of math skills because it's often an area where learners can excel and feel proud of their achievements.

While not strictly math, teaching learners to tell time is one of the most important skills we emphasize, starting as young as three. Understanding time helps learners know when work is done and play begins, which is especially important for preventing problem behaviors. When learners can tell time, they gain a greater sense of control and security over their day.

Children with autism, and typically developing children, thrive with clear schedules and routines. By teaching them how to tell time, we give them the “keys to the kingdom”: they handle transitions better and know what to expect next. Telling time reduces anxiety and builds independence.

At Orchid, we work math into daily learning in ways that feel relevant and enjoyable.

Writing / Fine Motor

At Orchid Academy, we've often been called into classrooms to observe problem behaviors in typically developing children, with teachers noting that math was the “trigger.” However, upon observation, we've frequently discovered that it wasn't math itself causing the problem, but rather when learners were asked to write out how they arrived at their solution. This is where the behavior often erupted.

Writing can be especially difficult for children with autism, many of whom experience low muscle tone. This can make fine motor tasks like writing, gripping a pencil, or even zipping a coat more challenging. That's why we prioritize fine motor skill development, so learners build the strength and coordination they need for daily tasks.

Whether it's correctly grasping a writing utensil or learning how to zip their coat, fine motor skills matter for both schoolwork and everyday independence. Building them early means less frustration when learners are asked to write.

Communication

The key to preventing problem behavior is to give children the ability to communicate. At Orchid Academy, we use a mix of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and an iPad program called Proloquo2Go so learners can express their needs and emotions.

Social Skills

Social skills help learners make friends and handle everyday interactions. We teach learners how to engage with peers, read social cues, and practice appropriate behaviors in different social settings, including group activities.

Real-Life Transformations

Here is what some Orchid Academy families have told us:

“Thanks to Orchid Academy, our son is thriving in kindergarten, making friends, and doing things we never thought possible.”
“We’ve seen our daughter’s confidence skyrocket. She’s finally finding her voice.”
“The tools we learned as parents have made such a difference. We feel like a team again.”

*Due to guidelines set by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), we are unable to solicit client testimonials. The quotes above are summaries of real experiences families have shared with us, written to protect their privacy.

ABA Therapy Services Orchid Academy Provides

Orchid Academy offers services from early intervention through school support. Each one links to details on who it's for and how it works.

Family guides

Read how Orchid's approach shows up in the decisions families face first.

Start ABA Therapy with Orchid Academy

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