Pictured from left to right are Practice President Behavioral Health Support Jeff Krepps; Behavior Services Manager Rachel Miller, LBA, BCBA; Area Director Eliza Lipp, LCSW; Associate Director Marchet Fullum; Chief Operating Officer Home Care Services Linda Siessel; and Minister Kumu Kekoa.

A life-size wall made of giant Legos provided the perfect backdrop during a ceremony to mark the grand opening of BAYADA’s Center-Based Services program on Oahu. The celebration follows the successful launch of center-based services on Maui in 2017. BAYADA Home Care is a nonprofit organization that provides behavioral health services throughout Hawai’i

The Lego wall is a signature feature of the center, along with brightly colored floor mats, a crash pad, a climbing structure, bean bag chairs, crayons, puzzles, books, balls, and blocks. It’s all used as part of an evidence-based approach called applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to treat individuals with an autism spectrum disorder and related learning or social disorders.

Through a partnership with the University of Hawai’i, BAYADA Home Care’s behavioral health services has received grant funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services to train and employ Registered Behavior Technicians™ (RBT®). The funding is designed to help recruit RBTs in rural and underserved areas. BAYADA Home Care is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to serving the home health care needs of the citizens of Hawai’i.

BAYADA President and Founder Mark Baiada (4th from left) joined BAYADA staff for the grand opening of the new Center-Based Services Program serving individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities

Walk onto the second floor of the office building at 427 Ala Makani Street in Kahului, Maui and you’ll be greeted by more than 1,500 square feet filled with brightly colored floor mats, over-sized Legos, a trampoline, a teepee, bean bag chairs, crayons, puzzles, books, balls, and blocks.

At first glance, this warm, inviting space may seem like the back drop for a typical day care center, but upon closer look, you’ll discover it is so much more. It’s all part of the Maui Center-Based Services program developed by BAYADA Home Care, a non-profit organization that provides behavioral health services throughout Hawaii. The new center uses an evidence-based approach called applied behavior analysis (ABA) to treat individuals with autism and related learning or social disorders.