ABA THERAPY

AAC & ASL

Augmentative / Alternative Communication (AAC)
American Sign Language (ASL)

Research supports that learning to sign is an amazing first step toward developing vocal speech! We are huge supporters of the use of ASL with children on the autism spectrum and love to marvel in the wide range of developmental skills that often increase on their own without the need for intensive intervention.

Many children not only learn to sign and talk, but also learn generalized imitation skills, learn to make eye contact while signing and even learn to initiate and respond to joint attention! We have witnessed the many miracles of teaching ASL to children on the spectrum. We love to sign and would love to help your child and family to sign too!

AssistiveWare: Proloquo2Go

Despite early intensive behavioral intervention, some kiddos have such extensive motor impairments that they don’t learn to talk or to sign. Never fear, because non-vocal does not mean non-verbal! We can help give your non-vocal child a voice by teaching him verbal skills with the use of an Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) device, such as the Proloquo2Go app for the iPad.

This innovative tool is an affordable and user friendly alternative for families seeking to communicate with their loved ones. Lotus Behavioral Interventions is a proud resource for AssistiveWare users and would love to teach you how to use one with your child!

Karelix Alicea

M.S., BCBA, ITDS

Founder / President of Lotus Behavioral Interventions

Miss Alicea received both her bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology with a specialization in behavior analysis under the direction of the esteemed Dr. Jacob L. Gewirtz at Florida International University (FIU), and is currently in the process of completing an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership and Applied Behavior Analysis from Nova Southeastern University.

Following a period of almost 10 years of experience in the field, she founded Lotus Behavioral Interventions in 2009. Miss Alicea taught undergraduate-level behavior analysis coursework for several years at FIU and Carlos Albizu University, and is a graduate-level intensive practicum supervisor at Simmons College, Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and University of South Florida (USF), all of which are Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) accredited programs.

She has presented on the benefits of sign language and telehealth services for children with autism in addition to ethical service delivery, supervision and entrepreneurship at various professional conferences, including the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (FABA) and ABAI.

Miss Alicea is an active member of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA), and can render services in English, Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL) both face-to-face and via telehealth with the use of HIPAA-compliant technology.