How can we help?

Our ESDM model includes a structured fidelity framework: clear, objective criteria that define what effective, high-quality therapy looks like in every one-on-one session. It gives us a standardized way to measure how aligned and effective each therapist is. We take that seriously, which is why we build in multiple layers of supervision to continuously coach our team and catch any deviation from our clinical standards early.

It depends entirely on your child. Rather than putting every child on a standard full-time, 40-hour-per-week schedule, we recommend hours based on what each individual child needs to make meaningful progress toward their goals. After an initial assessment, your child’s BCBA recommends a schedule built around their specific needs, and we adjust it over time as they grow. Our focus is the right amount of therapy to help your child gain skills and work toward graduation, not a one-size-fits-all number.

A question we hear often is what systems we have in place to keep children safe and support high-quality care. No system can eliminate every risk, but here’s how we work to reduce it:

• Hiring. Candidates complete standardized assessments, including their ability to interact safely and appropriately with children, and only those who meet our bar move forward.
• Background checks. Every staff member must pass a background check, and our RBTs complete an additional state child abuse registry check.
• Training. We built a custom training series rooted in the ESDM with researchers from our Clinical Advisory Board. New RBTs must demonstrate defined competencies and pass our “Ready to Soar” review before working independently. An abbreviated version of our care-model training is free on our website.
• Caseload and supervision. We intentionally keep smaller BCBA caseloads, about eight children per BCBA, so each RBT gets more coaching and oversight. Every center also has a Clinical Trainer who provides extra BCBA-level observation and support.
• Proactive review. Through a program we call Beacon, we proactively review sessions using a mix of AI-driven and human review, so we can catch anything that falls below our standards and act early.
• Compliance and reporting. We have a formal compliance program and incident-reporting system to make sure incidents are reported, investigated, and resolved, supported by video cameras that let us review what happened. We work hard to build a culture of reporting, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Absolutely. Before enrolling, just reach out to schedule a tour. Once your child is enrolled, we have an open-door policy and welcome family visits, plus monthly Family Treatment Guidance meetings and quarterly Progress Meetings where you’ll review your child’s care with their team.

It’s our policy to notify families the same day, with a clear account of what happened and how we responded. You’ll always have a clear point of contact for any question or concern.

Our staff is trained to respond immediately to keep your child safe. We document every incident, and our policy is to notify families the same day, with a clear account of what happened and how we responded. When a situation calls for it, we also report to the appropriate regulatory and enforcement agencies. Clinical leadership then reviews the incident and adjusts our policies and practices to help prevent it from recurring.

Entry to our centers is controlled, and only the authorized adults you’ve designated can pick up your child. Visitors sign in at the front desk and are accompanied while on site.

Before anyone works with your child, we run extensive background checks, including state and national criminal searches, a national sex offender registry search, global watch list verification, and a Social Security number trace, plus state-specific child abuse and neglect registry checks for our RBTs. Every RBT also completes a 40-hour, BACB-compliant training program, including CPR and Basic Life Support or First Aid, and a structured four-week onboarding with competency checkpoints before earning their BACB certification within their first 45 days. We verify every certification and license, and our team includes BCBAs, RBTs, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists.

At Soar, our core therapy is built around one-on-one support. Your child is paired with a dedicated member of their care team, with a BCBA overseeing their care, and that individualized attention extends to group activities as well. Typically, a group of four children means four staff members are present.

Safety is built into how our centers are designed, who we hire, and the rhythm of every day. Children are supervised by trained staff at all times, work one-on-one with a member of their care team during therapy, and learn in secure spaces built for young children. For more information, visit our Commitment to Safety page.

Most appointments will take place via telehealth with your child at home or at their Soar center.
Some in person appointments may be indicated on a case by case basis.

The initial visit includes a detailed history, time for parents to share questions, observation of your child during play or therapy, direct interaction between your child and the provider, and creation of a collaborative care plan with recommendations for follow-up, therapy coordination, or outside referrals.

Yes! Every child is different, but there are a variety of needs where our medical team can provide additional support.

Sleep: Difficulty falling or staying asleep can affect mood, learning, and daily routines. We help identify causes, create a plan, and, when needed, use lab tests or medication to support better sleep.

Genetic testing: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has many contributing factors. In some cases, we can identify a known genetic cause associated with autism. Our team can guide testing, make referrals, and screen for related medical concerns.

Challenging behavior: When behaviors affect progress in therapy or daily life, we partner with families and clinicians to create a tailored plan. We also check for medical factors and may use data-driven medication support when appropriate.

We strongly encourage ongoing care with your child’s pediatrician and specialists! Our role is to provide additional developmental and behavioral expertise and to collaborate with your child’s medical and therapy team so care is seamless, coordinated, and supportive.

Your child’s pediatrician provides general medical care, while our providers bring additional expertise in developmental and behavioral pediatrics. We focus specifically on challenges related to autism, sleep, behavior, ADHD, anxiety, and related conditions, and work closely with your pediatrician to ensure continuity of care.

Children with autism can benefit from a medical consultation to review common comorbidities, consider genetic testing, and address medical concerns related to neurodevelopment. These visits help ensure their medical needs are fully understood and integrated into care.

Some children may need frequent appointments (e.g., for medication management or close monitoring), while others benefit from annual visits to review progress, developmental milestones, and available resources. Families also seek medical services when therapy alone doesn’t fully address:

• Developmental or behavioral concerns needing further evaluation
• Sleep difficulties affecting learning, mood, or health
• Anxiety, irritability, or frequent behavior challenges impacting daily life, progress in therapies, or safety
• Feeding issues with underlying medical concerns
• The need for coordinated care across multiple providers or subspecialists

Our approach is whole-child: gathering developmental history, reviewing challenges, and collaborating with your family and therapy team. From there, we create a personalized plan that may include medical management, lab work, coordination with specialists, and when appropriate, medications.

Our medical team includes pediatric nurse practitioners with specialized training in developmental and behavioral pediatrics. We also collaborate closely with your child’s Soar therapy team, pediatrician, and subspecialists to ensure coordinated, comprehensive care.

Conceptually, there are 3 broad categories of treatment modalities used to support children with autism: 1) behavior and communication approaches, 2) medications, and 3) complementary and alternative medicines, including dietary approaches. What is needed for each individual child will vary and should be based on a consultation with an expert provider in autism.

A wide body of scientific research supports that early detection of speech delays and early intervention is beneficial to young children. Indeed, the CDC has a campaign called Learn the Signs, Act Early to encourage early detection of potential delays in young children.

It’s important to note that the initial signs of autism in children can vary significantly for each child. Different children will often show different signs — some children may show many signs and other children may show few signs. The time course can also vary by child, with some children showing signs at a very young age (first few months of life), others showing signs after 1-2 years of life, and still other children appearing to have a normal development for their first couple of years and then appearing to regress and lose abilities they used to have (such as losing communication skills). And it is also possible to have some of the symptoms of autism but not have autism spectrum disorder. Because of this complexity, a specialized health care provider is needed to establish a diagnosis of autism.

The underlying biology in the brains of people with autism is not fully understood by researchers and scientists, and a single underlying process in the brain has not been found. The general consensus among scientists is that genetic factors cause changes in brain structure and connectivity, which in turn affects socialization and communication skills and causes the characteristic behaviors in people with autism. A significant amount of research time and funding is ongoing to better understand the biology of autism. We have additional details on the biology of autism and links to research in our new parent kit.

There are a wide range of causes of a speech delay. Some children may have only a delay in language, for which many children “catch up” as they get older and undergo therapy. Other children may have a more general developmental condition where speech delay is one sign of a broader condition, such as autism. Still other children could have other issues such as a hearing impairment. If you notice speech delay in your toddler, you should speak to your pediatrician or a specialized health care provider about your concerns.

Absolutely! Several of our team members joined without direct experience in ESDM. Soar ensures that all interested team members have access to ESDM training throughout their career progression.

Yes! You can still apply if you’re interested in a location that hasn’t opened yet. Typically, we have employees join an existing center then transfer to the new center once it is up and running.

To allow new employees to acclimate to the ESDM care model, we start all new employees out on the same level. However, experienced new hires have the ability to accelerate their progression timeline.

You do not need a license or certification for our RBT position. However, for all clinical roles (i.e., BCBA, OT, and SLP) you are required to have a license or certification that allows you to practice within the state of the center you applied to.

Yes. For our RBT, BCBA, OT, and SLP positions, you can be considered for all local centers in your area with one application. You are not required to submit multiple applications.

If your insurance information changes, please inform us as soon as possible to ensure uninterrupted coverage of your therapy services. You can update your insurance information by contacting your center director for children already in service, or to our admissions team for children not yet in service. Providing us with timely updates helps prevent delays in service and billing issues.

All of Soar’s services are covered by most insurance plans. However, in rare situations, we find that insurance plans may apply caps to care, for instance a cap on speech therapy or occupational therapy visits. In these rare instances, if a service is not covered, we will inform you in advance and discuss the cost and potential options. Our goal is to ensure you have access to the services you need without financial barriers.

Please make sure to tell us about all active plans that the child is covered by. Having more than one plan can be helpful, and can reduce out of pocket costs for families by limiting the impact of deductibles, copays, or coinsurance.