Every Child Is Different
Your child deserves a plan built for them
Not a template. Not a one-size checklist. A BCBA-designed program that addresses your child's specific challenges.
ABA therapy and speech therapy both help children communicate, but they work differently. ABA focuses on the motivation and function behind communication. Speech therapy focuses on speech production and language mechanics. Budding Futures uses verbal behavior ABA techniques across Colorado and coordinates with speech-language pathologists so both therapies reinforce each other.
Elopement means a child leaves a supervised, safe space without permission. Bolting out the front door. Running from a caregiver in a parking lot. Walking away from a classroom. A 2012 study found 65% of children with ASD who eloped had close calls with traffic, and 25% faced drowning risk. The Interactive Autism Network reports the behavior peaks around age 5.4 years and is strongly associated with communication difficulties, sensory overload, and anxiety. For Colorado families, elopement risk increases in open suburban neighborhoods and near water features common along the Front Range.
ABA therapy for elopement starts with a Functional Behavior Assessment. Your BCBA identifies what triggers your child's bolting and what function it serves. Is your child escaping something overwhelming? Seeking something specific? Running because it feels good? The answer changes everything about the intervention. Budding Futures builds individualized plans using Functional Communication Training to teach your child to request a break or ask for what they need instead of running. Differential reinforcement rewards your child for staying in safe areas. Environmental modifications and safety skill training add layers of protection. Children with co-occurring ADHD are at higher risk for elopement driven by impulsivity, and children with speech delays may elope because they can't verbally express what they need. Because Budding Futures delivers therapy in your home and your child's school, we address elopement where it actually happens, not in a clinic where the triggers don't exist.
Most ABA providers address elopement with generic safety plans. Budding Futures takes a different approach. Our BCBAs build environment-specific strategies for each setting where your child elopes, whether that's home, school, daycare, or the community. Our parent coaching program teaches you how to respond in the moment and reinforce safety skills between sessions. Research shows parent-mediated ABA interventions produce stronger skill generalization, and for elopement, that consistency between sessions can be the difference between a close call and a safe day. Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, our Clinical Director, oversees all elopement-related programming. Learn about how the initial evaluation works and ensures plans adapt as your child's triggers change.
Colorado Medicaid covers ABA therapy for children under 21 with an autism diagnosis through EPSDT. Most private insurance plans also cover ABA under Colorado's autism insurance mandate. Budding Futures verifies your benefits before your first session at no cost to your family.
One conversation. That's all it takes to find out if Budding Futures is the right fit. We'll answer your questions, check your insurance, and connect you with a BCBA who'll get to know your family.