OUR SERVICES
RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
Nova Center of the Ozarks provides services to individuals in an Individualized Supported Living arrangement (ISL) which allows the individual to live in their own home with one or two housemates. The goal for each individual is to become as independent as possible and to be able to lead a happy and productive life. Nova Center of the Ozarks’ staff are present to help each individual reach their goals in life.
The homes are typically 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch-style homes in South Central Springfield. Each home is decorated and furnished based on the individuals tastes and updates are made regularly with the help of donations. Nova Center of the Ozarks has built relationships with area landlords to help ensure each home is taken care of and are of high quality. The Department of Mental Health recognizes the individuals’ homes in Nova Center of the Ozarks’ residential services as some of the nicest homes supported by a provider agency.
DAY SERVICES
Day Services enable individuals to live independent lives in their own home or with their families. Support is provided one-on-one and in group settings in the home and community.
Services revolve around the specific needs of each individual and include:
Community Integration
Money Management
Honing Social Skills
Promoting Self-Care
Self-Advocacy
Home and Work Skill Development
Health and Safety
DAY PROGRAM
Nova Center of the Ozarks offers both onsite and offsite day services. Through Nova Center of the Ozarks’ on-site Day Program, individuals have the opportunity to work, learn, and play to develop important skills and be active in the community. Each individual is encouraged to strive for self-determination and personal growth and participate in activities that revolve around individual preferences and ISP goals. The program operates Monday through Friday, 9AM-3PM.
SUPPORT GROUP
This service will work directly with caregivers and families to provide available community resources through support groups. Support groups are available quarterly offering education, guidance, and connection for families of Nova Center of the Ozarks’ consumers and others within the community. The parent support group meets quarterly (March, June, September, and December).
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Our Employment Services Program provides a variety of employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities such as:
Career Planning
Pre-Vocational Services
Job Development
Supported Employment
Benefit Planning
Each area is based on an individualized approach involving a collaborative process in a team environment. With each service, our job is to assist each individual in achieving their employment goals by exploring different workplaces to find the best fit, building workplace skills, and maintaining integrated employment.
We also offer benefit planning supports that include assistance with understanding and maintaining public benefits such as SSI, SSDI and Medicaid.
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH BEHAVIOR SERVICES
For adults and children not receiving services through our other programs, ABA Support Services provides behavior intervention and support on an individualized basis. Due to each program being tailored to the lives of those served, what this can look like varies greatly. For some in Individualized Supported Living (ISL), our Behavior Analysts will develop a Behavior Support Plan (BSP) that offers ISL staff methods to decrease problem behaviors and increase pro-social behavior. It can also include methods for teaching individual practical social skills and social skills activities to enrich their environment and provide alternatives to problem behaviors. Our individual services can also take on the form of community-based practice of behavior support plans, social skills learning groups, and natural-home-based interventions, and more.
Services Offered:
In-home ABA Programming
Discrete Trial Training
Toilet Training Program
Feeding Program
Visual Supports
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
Behavior Support Plan (BSP)
Academic Tutoring
Community Integration
Social Skills Training
Attend IEP Meetings
Classroom Autism Awareness (Friend 2 Friend Model)
ABA Support Services
Behavior analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. Positive reinforcement is one such principle. When a behavior is followed by a reward, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning.
ABA is the use of these techniques and principles to bring meaningful and positive change in behavior. Behavior Analysis is a scientifically validated approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by the environment. In this context, “behavior” refers to actions and skills. “Environment” includes any influence - physical or social that might change or be changed by one’s behavior.
ABA services are essentially the modification of environmental influences to teach positive actions and skills.
AREA SCHOOLS
ABA Support Services provides behavioral services to area schools. Behavior Analysts work with school staff to complete a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to determine why the student is engaging in the problem behaviors. Then, a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is created to decrease the problem behaviors and teach the student how to get the same results using appropriate behavior. Behavior Analysts work directly with the student, implementing the BIP and modeling implementation for school staff. Behavior Analysts will then coach and train school staff on implementing the BIP and will eventually fade out to a consultative basis. ABA Support Services also provides homebound instruction to students that are no longer able to be served in the public-school setting. Homebound instruction can take place in the student’s home, school or another community location.
Services offered:
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
Behavior Support Plan (BSP)
Staff training on implementation of individualized BSP
Modeling sessions in which Behavior Analyst implements BSP
Coaching sessions in which Behavior Analyst observes staff implementation of BSP
Professional Development
Workshops and Trainings
Homebound Instruction
Transition Assistance for Homebound Services to the School Setting
MISSOURI FIRST STEPS
In our First Steps program, Behavior Analysts use the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to develop skill acquisition programs for children with developmental delays and/or developmental disabilities, ages birth through three. Behavior Analysts work directly with the children and their caregivers to implement these programs using Discreet Trial Training. During therapy sessions, Behavior Analysts focus on verbal behavior, and teaching the child to use a form of functional communication to get their needs met. This could include speaking, use sign language or using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Behavior Analysts also focus on decreasing any problem behaviors the child is exhibiting and teaching appropriate replacement behaviors.
Services offered:
ABA Evaluation
ABA Consultation
ABA Implementer
Transition Assistance into Early Childhood
