My son recently completed 3.5 years of ABA therapy at Caravel. It’s hard to put into words how life changing his time there was for ALL of us. From our first meeting with Stephanie (BCBA and Lead Clinician) I knew we were making the right decision. She consistently laid out an ever evolving, yet clear and concise treatment plan. The knowledge I gained, as a parent, during our regular meetings has proven to be invaluable. The work our entire family put in was/is just as important as the work my son had to put in everyday.
Another great thing about Caravel is the fact that they take Forward health and not just solely private insurance- a rarity these days. ABA therapy is all about consistency, and while Caravel is very flexible and understanding of illness or inclement weather (for example), they are prudent in stressing the importance maintaining your child’s schedule. That was something that I valued greatly. They were also so communicative and made it as easy as possible to call or text regarding absences, being late, scheduling meetings, or even just answering questions.
My son was there from the age of 2.5 – 6 years old working with Stephanie and a number of other amazing and memorable therapists like Ally, David, Anne and countless others that have impacted our lives so greatly. Nikki, the director there, also played an instrumental role. During the last year or so of therapy Stephanie even tried to model his treatment plan and surroundings so that it would somewhat mirror what school would be like. She introduced group activities and the type of structure that he would have to get used to upon starting in “mainstream” school. My son started kindergarten in the fall and he is absolutely thriving. He’s making friends and he’s the best reader in his class. I only wish they could all see how wonderful he’s doing!
It’s hard to imagine what our lives would look like had we not spent those crucial years immersing ourselves in my son’s treatment. It was easily the most valuable decision I have ever made and I’ll never be able to thank Stephanie and the rest of the staff enough. My son still asks about Steph and Caravel quite regularly and they will always have such a special place in our hearts. Thank you Stephanie! Thank you Caravel!!
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Jenna M.