It's Behavioral
Overcoming Challenges, Increasing Independence, Improving the Quality of Life...
One Child at a Time
Applied Behavior Analysis
At It's Behavioral, we practice Applied Behavior Analysis, (ABA), which uses systematic, evidence-based methods to improve socially significant behaviors in children on the Autism Spectrum (ASD), ADHD, developmental and intellectual delays. Behavior analysis is a recognized profession that requires specialized training and regulatory practices, overseen by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board® (BACB®).
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All to bring about socially significant changes!
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​Why Does ABA Work?
The power of ABA lies in the systematic and scientific application of the concept of reinforcements to motivate people to increase desired behaviors and reduce undesirable behavior (tantrums). Well-crafted and implemented ABA programs are powerful tools that can be used to help children, adolescents, and adults to reduce challenging behaviors, increase cognition, and to teach new skills to promote independence in learning and everyday tasks.
ABA therapy breaks a child’s behavior down into objective, measurable units so that behavioral data can be collected and observed in order to assess the child’s behaviors, identify the skills the child needs to develop, and record the effectiveness of the therapy over time. This evidence-based approach makes ABA therapy’s results clearly demonstrable. According to a 1999 Surgeon General’s report: “Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior.“
Home-based Intervention​
The professionals at It's Behavioral provide ABA therapy in the child's natural environment. The unique treatment benefit for autism in the home is the opportunity to teach the skills that a child uses at home and in their natural world - school, grocery store, and park. These skills include teaching children to feed themselves, go to bed at a certain time, use the bathroom independently, and negotiate their world independently and successfully.
Parent Education and Support
Parents are important partners and the professionals at It's Behavioral offer resources for parents to help navigate the bumpy road of Autism, ADHD, and other developmental delays. We provide targeted parent education to support parents and caregivers.
Overcoming Challenging Behavior
A Functional Behavior Assessment, or FBA, is conducted in ABA therapy when a child engages in challenging behavior. It is a comprehensive set of assessment procedures to help understand why problem behavior occurs so that the therapist can best provide intervention services. FBA involves an indirect assessment, direct observational data collection and sometimes a systematic, structured assessment called a functional analysis. The results can reveal a cause and effect relationship between a problem behavior and what is maintaining it.
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Defining a Plan
After assessing challenging behavior, specialists at It's Behavioral develop a collaborative function-based treatment plan with parents to reach a set goal. The team discusses the best therapeutic methods and measurements of success to try under the ABA plan.
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Developing New Skills
The Behavior Technicians at It's Behavioral are trained in the most-effective ways to teach children with autism. Some of these methods include discrete trial training (or breaking down a task into small, achievable pieces), positive reinforcement, shaping, chaining, incidental strategies, Natural Environment Training, environmental modifications, and altering antecedent stimuli. These strategies help children learn adaptive skills and overcome challenging behaviors.
We Are
"Living in the light of childhood"
Professionals trained in the evidence-based practice of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Dr. Jena Mehrotra
CEO/Program Director/Owner
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Dr. Mehrotra, MSc, PhD, BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a doctorate in Child Development and Family Studies from Virginia Tech. She is also a CPI Verbal InterventionTM Certified Instructor. She has been working with parents and children for over 30 years. Jena has a doctoral degree in Child Development & Family Studies from Virginia Tech and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has worked as an Early Interventionist, Parent Educator, Child Development Specialist, Early Childhood Educator, and was an Assistant Professor at North Dakota State University. A long-time resident of Ventura County, California, she is always seeking new ways to enrich the lives of parents and children.
Maya Mehrotra
Program Coordinator
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Maya works closely with the Program Director to implement individualized plans and ensures services are delivered effectively and efficiently. Her passion for working with different abilities stems from a genuine desire to promote inclusion, equality, and social justice. She is poised to graduate with a degree in Early Childhood Education from CSUCI
Lexi Sakabu, BA
Clinical Supervisor
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Lexi is a dedicated and motivated individual, passionate about changing the lives of children. She is a graduate of CSUCI with a degree in Psychology and is currently on her way to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
E. Cheryl Fletcher
AAC Consultant
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Cheryl, MA, CCC, BCBA is a licensed speech pathologist, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst who holds a certificate in Assistive Technology Applications (ATAC) and is a certified LAMP Words For Life consultant (language and motor planning). She has over 30 years experience working with children with complex communication needs. She has published and presented nationally and internationally on communication issues in autism and on AAC. She also provides independent educational evaluations (IEEs) for students, assessing their speech, language, social communication and AAC needs. With a long association with It's Behavioral, Cheryl continues to guide and advise on speech and language issues.
Join Us!
We have openings for full-time, part-time, and interns for up to 30+ hours a week.
Clinical Supervisor
Create a career in Behavior Analysis by earning a BCBA or a BCaBA. We’ll guide, support, and mentor you with all we know and give you the hands-on experiential hours you need.
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You’ll need a bachelor’s degree and the desire to make a difference - one child at a time.
Reach Out Today!
Behavior Interventionist
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You Will Need:
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A High School Diploma
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Some college level classes in Early childhood education, child development, sociology, and/or psychology
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Valid Driver's license
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Reliable transportation, valid automobile insurance
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Clean background check
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We offer
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Mentoring
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Supervised hours
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Health insurance
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Mileage reimbursement
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Enrollment in CalSavers
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