Function-first help for head-banging, self-biting, and skin-picking. A BCBA finds why it happens and teaches something safer, in your home.
Watching your child hurt themselves is one of the hardest things a parent lives through. Head-banging, self-biting, self-hitting, skin-picking: these behaviors are frightening, and they are also treatable. Budding Futures ABA works with Colorado families in their homes to find why the behavior happens and replace it with something safer that works better for the child. Rachel Blackburn, BCBA builds and reviews every plan.
If your child is injuring themselves severely right now, go to the emergency room or call 988. This page is about ongoing therapy, not crisis response.
Self-injurious behavior almost always does a job for the child. It may be the fastest way they have to say "this is too much," or "I need you," or "something hurts." It may provide sensory input, or end a demand. The behavior looks senseless from the outside and makes complete sense from the inside, once you find the function.
That is why treatment starts with a functional behavior assessment, an FBA. Your BCBA observes when the behavior happens, what comes right before, and what it reliably produces. Medical causes get ruled out with your pediatrician first, because a child who bangs their head sometimes has an untreated ear infection or dental pain and no way to report it. Only after the function is clear does the plan get written, because a plan aimed at the wrong function can make self-injury worse.
Self-injury is triggered by real conditions: the noise of your kitchen at 6pm, the demand of getting in the car, a sibling's birthday party. A clinic cannot see any of that. Our therapists work in your home, observe the behavior where it actually happens, and coach you through the plan in the exact situations that set it off. Parent coaching is not an add-on here. For self-injury it is the treatment's delivery system, because you are present for far more of these moments than any therapist will be.
Severe behavior is exactly where supervision quality shows. We keep caseloads intentionally lower and run BCBA supervision at roughly 20 percent, about four times the BACB minimum, so the plan gets adjusted by data and not by momentum. Our RBTs complete 40 hours of training plus a competency assessment and fingerprint background checks before they enter your home. We serve every Colorado city, in home and, where districts allow, in school, from 8AM to 8PM. And the money side is handled up front: Health First Colorado under Provider Types 83 and 84 usually covers therapy at $0, commercial plans typically run $0 to $500 out of pocket, and we verify benefits before you commit. Parents currently rate us 5.0 on Google.
Self-injury often travels with aggression toward others or with running and wandering. Those have their own pages, and one plan can cover more than one behavior.
| Ages | 18 months through 18 years |
|---|---|
| Setting | Your home, statewide across Colorado; school coordination where relevant |
| Plan basis | Functional behavior assessment first, then a function-based plan with a communication replacement |
| Typical cost | Medicaid usually $0; commercial $0 to $500; private pay $2,000 to $8,000 |
| First step | Free consultation, benefits check, medical rule-out with your pediatrician, FBA |
| Wait | No waitlist right now |
Self-injury is one of several behavioral conditions we support with in-home ABA.
No. We are an assent-based practice. Plans are built on teaching a safer behavior that works better for your child, reinforcing it heavily, and adjusting the situations that trigger self-injury. Modern ABA does not use punishment-era methods, and we would not be the right provider for anyone looking for them.
Honest answer: it varies with the function, the history, and how consistently the plan runs across the household. What you will have from week one is data, so you and your BCBA can see the direction instead of guessing. Anyone promising a timeline before an FBA has not done one.
Yes, sometimes, and we take that seriously. Pain a child cannot report is a known driver of self-injury, which is why the medical rule-out with your pediatrician comes before the behavior plan, not after it fails.
Reducing self-injurious behavior is close to the center of what ABA therapy exists for, and Colorado requires state-regulated plans to cover ABA for autism. Health First Colorado usually covers it at $0. We verify your benefits before anything starts and never balance-bill.
She writes and reviews every treatment plan, and supervises the therapists who work in your home.
Read Rachel's profileHe founded Budding Futures and runs the day to day, from a family's first phone call onward.
Read Mark's profileOne conversation is all it takes to start. We answer your questions, check your insurance, and connect you with a BCBA who will build a safe, function-based plan for your family.