Diversity
Inizio works to understand the backgrounds of the clients we serve. Background factors include the following:
Culture
Gender
Religious beliefs
Sexual orientation
Socioeconomic status
In addition to diversity and inclusion training and discussions for current staff, Inizio strives to hire and retain a workforce representing the client populations we serve.
Welcome to Inizio Interventions. We are delighted to announce a long-awaited addition—clinic-based services. Our Pasadena location offers the following benefits in a positive, collaborative environment:
2020 was a challenging year for children, families, schools, and communities because of the world-wide Covid-19 pandemic. This was especially the case for individuals with autism spectrum and developmental disorders. Despite these challenges, Inizio Interventions maintained its high level of performance in 2020.
In the previous Play and Pairing article, we discussed how to build rapport and associate yourself with preferred stimuli (i.e., pairing) so that you can achieve instructional control. Pairing is a technique to help form and maintain rapport with your client by combining the learning environment, including yourself, with reinforcers.
As a new or seasoned behavior therapist working with a child, play and pairing is the foundation of instructional control. Think of it as a 3-part pyramid where play is the base, pairing is the body and instructional control is at the pinnacle.
Since the spring of 2019, Inizio Interventions has been hosting ABA-assisted peer groups for children with a diagnosis of autism or related diagnosis between the ages of 3 and 9. These popular 90-minute groups take place in the afternoons at our Granada Hills and La Canada locations and every week offers a different theme. CLUBi offers an exciting and well-rounded schedule of themed activities that include:
Social skills with peers (role-playing conversations)
Group games with peers
Gross motor imitation through music and dance
Fine motor skills through festive crafts
Snack Time (family style eating to offer support for children with feeding challenges)
Throughout Covid-19, Inizio has provided in-home services to children who require this medically necessary service. Our safety protocols continue to be updated and we hope that it gives families the peace of mind that we can safely and responsibly offer these services.
Now in its 10th year in Los Angeles, while it is not possible to have the event due to Covid-19, a special and virtual Stephanie’s Day is in the works for September! Now more than ever, families need guidance and resources. We will keep you posted and hope to see you soon!
Each year Inizio Interventions creates an annual report that examines the services we provided to children and families over the last calendar year. We are excited to share the highlights below from 2019’s report.
Inizio is here to support you during this period of self-isolation and has expanded its service delivery to include telehealth. What is it and how will it help you and your child?
Each year Inizio Interventions creates an annual report that examines the services we provided to children and families over the last calendar year. We are excited to share the following highlights from this year’s annual report.
In 2017, Inizio Interventions began issuing an annual report that examines our services provided over the past year. We are excited to share some of the highlights from our 2017 Annual Report.
Our social skills groups are returning for Fall! Inizio Interventions is hosting 8-week ABA-assisted peer groups for children with a diagnosis of autism or related diagnosis.
This year Inizio Interventions participated in the Stephanie’s Day Resource Fair. Now in its 9th year, the resource fair provided families with children with autism and other special needs a single place to gather valuable information.
This summer Inizio Interventions has been holding a social skills group for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that is enjoyed by our staff and the children who attend. The children work on fun activities that focus on fine motor, gross motor, and social skills. These activities include songs, arts and crafts, board games and more.
Remember your summers as a child? Some meaningful experiences may be going on a long trip away with your families or swimming on a hot summer day at camp with friends. One thing’s for sure, those good old days were jammed pack with tons of new experiences, social opportunities and plenty of unwritten rules of communication.
Autism is a developmental disability that causes challenges with behavior as well as social and communication delays. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) explains autism spectrum disorder and the criteria that an individual must meet in order to be diagnosed with autism.
We’re so excited to be offering a 6-week summer camp for children with a diagnosis of autism between the ages of 3-6. Each group is limited to 6 children and the camp is offered at 3 different afternoon times.
From February 7- February 10, I attended the Sequential-Oral-Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding in La Jolla, San Diego. The conference attendees primarily consisted of occupational therapists, speech therapists, and nutritionists from all over the US.
Inizio is a provider of Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®),
a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated adolescents
in middle school or high school who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends
I never felt like I was making a difference in the lives of others until I became a Behavior Therapist. Getting to work and play with kids while I was helping change their lives was the best part of the job. I saw children learn new skills that might have seemed impossible before. I worked closely with the families while I learned more from my supervisors.
My name is Nancy. I’m a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) and have been with Inizio for a little over 7 years now. I have a Master in Teaching with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). I am planning on taking the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam this year and hopefully become a BCBA.
I have been working with Inizio Interventions for nearly 6 years and currently serve as a Regional Clinical Director. I oversee the San Fernando Valley, which includes Northridge, Tarzana, Canoga Park, as well as parts of Burbank and Glendale. I began as a clinical supervisor where I trained behavior interventionists and mentored them to become certified registered behavior technicians (RBTs) to work with children ages 3 to 17 in both the home and school settings using applied behavior analytic (ABA) therapy.
I started at Inizio as a behavior therapist a little over 3 years ago in the Los Angeles, CA region. As a behavior therapist, I worked directly with children and families on behavior reduction and functional skill programs. I worked mostly in the home setting collecting data on programs, assisting parent training, and following protocols prescribed by the clinical supervisor.
The CalABA 37th Annual Western Regional Conference on Behavior Analysis poster presentation in Long Beach, CA. Cara Stearns Entz, MFT, BCBA and Sally Torrens, MFT, BCBA, in collaboration with Bill Shennum, PhD, presented Inizio’s research on Behavior Therapy Outcomes for Autistic Spectrum Disorder using the VB-MAPP Assessment. To view the conference poster, click here (link to poster).
The conference is of special interest to college and university faculty, researchers, administrators, and practitioners in behavior analysis, psychology, general and special education, rehabilitation, public health, behavioral medicine, speech and language, social work, business, and human services. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and family members of individuals with special needs are also encouraged to attend.
Inizio’s Early Intervention Center will deliver center-based Applied Behavior Analytic (ABA) programs to children with a diagnosis of autism or related development disability. Our experienced team of 2-4 practitioners with comprehensive training and supervision will provide intensive, daily intervention to children from 18 months to elementary school-aged.
We are now accepting applications for enrollment. Please contact us at (818) 937-0882 or clinic@iniziointerventions.com for additional information.
The Program For The Education And Enrichment Of Relational Skills (Peers), Inizio is a certified provider of PEERS® for Adolescents, a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated teens in middle and high school who are interested in learning new ways of making and keeping friends. During each group session adolescents are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in session during socialization activities.
Parents are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends by providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialization homework assignments.
More information, visit our Social Skills page (link to Social Skills page).
Ongoing 16-week classes are held Wednesday evenings from 4:30 to 6:00 pm or 6:30 to 8:00 pm
