Admissions Process

Our children are our greatest joy and accomplishment; their struggles are our greatest heartbreaks. Raising a family is an epic journey that we wouldn’t trade for the world. The process of seeking and securing answers and assistance for any child’s needs can be complex and stressful in any system. Those needs and processes were the impetus for Journey Center. We are here to help families navigate this Journey through all the highs and lows to secure the best possible outcomes for all.

This journey begins when it becomes apparent that your child’s needs are different and will benefit from involvement in supportive treatment systems. Journey Center’s ABA approach specializes in treating the needs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorder diagnoses.

Acquiring IBHS-ABA (Intensive Behavioral Health Services-Applied Behavior Analysis) for your child starts with an inquiry call to our office at 814-201-2773, to connect with our staff.

When you contact our office a member of  our staff will gather the following information:

• Basic information about your child’s and/or family’s circumstances to preliminarily determine location, setting, therapeutic, and staffing needs.
• Insurance information to verify your child’s coverage and benefits.
• Presence of current and/or past services (if any), diagnosis, IBHS prescription, etc.

We will explain the next steps in the enrollment process.

• We will review the services we have available and answer all your questions.
• We will review the current status of our program availability. If we do not have current service availability, you may choose to join our waiting list.

If you choose to join the waiting list, the steps below will apply to you:

• We will offer you a list of other local providers you may call.
• You may send in information about your child that we will keep in a preliminary service inquiry file.
• You may come in to visit our program.
• You should call providers back routinely to check on availability changes.

All clients must have a diagnosis from a psychologist/physician to receive ABA services. To qualify for services a child, youth, or young adult must have a behavioral, medical, developmental, and/or other health diagnosis listed in the most recent edition of the DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) or ICD (International Classification of Diseases).

We do not currently have a staff psychologist to provide initial testing and diagnosis, but we can provide you with a contact list of local and specialty providers to help you in this process.

Here are the main steps in the diagnosis process:

• Your family and child will schedule, and attend one or more appointments for testing and
• When you accompany your child, youth, or young adult to their appointment(s), be certain to complete a release of information for Journey Center, so that we may receive those records from you as the parent/guardian or request these medical records from the physician’s office.
• After your child, youth, young adult has completed their testing & received a diagnosis, that physician may provide you with a prescription (written order) for ABA services. If they do not, then we can schedule a written order evaluation at Journey Center.

When you attend the written order, you will be asked to provide/sign the following documents:

• A copy of your child’s initial ASD diagnostic report.
• A copy of your child’s insurance card(s).
• Releases of information for the diagnosing professional, your child’s PCP, and other relevant providers that we may need to communicate with.
• Preliminary intake and consent forms.

The written order evaluation:

• Is conducted by a licensed professional whose scope of practice includes the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health disorders and the prescribing of behavioral health services, including IBHS.
• May involve their assigned BC-ABA/ BCBA.
• Includes your child, you (their parent/guardian), and any additional supports /family you wish to attend.
• Takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete.
• Builds upon your child’s diagnostic evaluation to further determine strengths & needs for service provision.
• Allows time for your child to become comfortable in a new setting and spend time in our center with peers
• Must occur within the 12 months prior to the initiation of IBHS-ABA services.
• Includes the previously obtained DSM/ ICD diagnosis

The written order prescribes ABA services for the child, youth, or young adult, and includes the following information:

• Clinical information to support the medical necessity of each ABA service ordered.
• The maximum number of hours per month for each ABA service ordered.
• The settings where ABA services may be provided.
• The measurable improvements in targeted behaviors or skill deficits that indicate when services may be reduced, changed, or terminated.