About Bright Futures

Hello! I’m Kelli Thornton

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I have a Bachelor of Psychology from Troy University and a Master’s in Exceptional Student Education from the University of West Florida. I have worked in Applied Behavior Analysis since 2008 and I have a passion for helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

What is Bright Futures?

We Practice ABA

ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA therapy is an evidence-based practice which simply means that all courses of clinical practice are based on sound scientific evidence with proven results. ABA therapy is typically prescribed as a treatment for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. ABA therapy looks at learning as a method to change behaviors.

Who We Are

At its core, Bright Futures is a husband and wife team: Kelli and Dustin. As more children are being diagnosed with Autism, we realized there was a heavy need for quality ABA providers in the Wiregrass area (Dothan, Enterprise, Fort Rucker and Ozark Alabama). Our mission is to always provide exceptional, professional, and ethical ABA services to families in the Wiregrass and that is the core of everything that we do. We have many years of combined experience in both ABA and the healthcare field. We know how tough it can be when a child is diagnosed with Autism, but our goal is to do everything that we can to help as many families as we can—even if it’s not with us.

How Does the Process Work?

If your child has been diagnosed with Autism, your healthcare provider will refer him/her to ABA therapy. Once we receive the referral, we will contact you and schedule an intake meeting where we will gather information about you and your child such as demographic information, insurance information, current medications, other therapies they are involved with, and any other necessary information.

After the intake, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will perform an assessment to determine an appropriate treatment plan for your child. Every child’s treatment plan is individualized and specialized to him/her based on the assessment by the BCBA. After the assessment, we will meet and discuss recommendations and begin scheduling therapy sessions.

Throughout the course of your child’s therapy, you will be involved in discussions about your child’s progress and parent training so that efforts can continue outside of the clinic.

Insurances We Accept

We work with as many insurance companies as we can. If your insurance does not cover ABA therapy services or if you are unsure, please contact us. We also can set up private pay therapy services that are affordable.

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Alabama
  • Tricare Standard & Tricare Prime
  • Alabama Medicaid
How the Process Works

ABA Therapy

Diagnosis
Intake
Assessment
Therapy
Parent Training
Your primary care provider will take the steps to diagnose and refer your child for ABA.
A meeting with the BCBA to discuss your child’s needs.
The BCBA works directly with your child to determine their Treatment Plan.
Direct one-on-one therapy between your child and a BCBA or RBT.
Weekly meetings with the BCBA to discuss the current Treatment Plan.

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
What ABA Treats

ABA Can Help With

  • Social Delay
  • Communication Delay
  • Repetitive/Ritualistic Behaviors
  • Tantrums
  • Nonverbal Behavior
  • Self-help Skills
  • Social Skills/Groups
  • Play Skills
  • Preschool Prep
From the blog

What’s New?

ABA 101: Shaping
ABA 101: Shaping

Children quickly learn at a young age that the easiest way to get what they want is to engage in problem behavior.

ABA 101: Functional Communication Training
ABA 101: Functional Communication Training

Last time we talked about communication skills and problem behaviors. Psychologist B. F. Skinner led the way in identifying the different areas of language development