Meet Dana Harris | Board Certified Behavior Analyst & Licensed Behavior Analyst

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dana Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I am the proud owner of 2 centers that provide Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for individuals with Autism. 21 years ago, I took an elective course called Behavior Modification in undergrad. Our professor, who owned an ABA center, brought a client and therapist into the classroom to provide a model for us as to what an ABA session looks like. I was immediately intrigued. I became an intern for the ABA center and started working with clients across the spectrum; verbal and non-verbal, high and low functioning individuals, many who engaged in severe aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and property destruction. Over the years, I learned more about the field, worked for various centers, and became an advocate for the families and clients. My goal was and continues to be to help clients reach their maximum potential, give families tools for success, disseminate knowledge of ABA, and to increase acceptance and understanding of Autism. While it seems that working with such a vulnerable population would automatically ensure that care and compassion are at the forefront of services, I learned very quickly that this was not the case. These children were viewed as dollar signs, as profit, and I could not just stand back and watch. I went back to school to obtain my master’s degree in psychology and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2010. By 2011 I began working on opening our first clinic in Kingwood, and by 2016 we opened our second center in Missouri City. We stand by our ethics and morals within our centers because our clients deserve nothing less than the best. This thought process that quality services can be provided while having a successful business is what drove me to open Spectacular Kids ABA. Almost 11 years later, we have proven that it is possible to provide quality services and maintain a sustainable business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Spectacular Kids ABA provides an intensive therapy service called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for children with Autism between the ages of 1 and 10. While we are a medical facility, our clients are with us anywhere from 15 to 40 hours per week (similar to school hours) and work one-to-one with a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). The goal of ABA within our center is to help clients build the foundational skills to be successful in less restrictive settings (i.e. a school setting), at home, and within the community. ABA is also widely known for reduction of maladaptive behaviors such as aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and property destruction. One of the many cool things about ABA, is that we get the opportunity to work on all areas of development, in conjunction with other service providers (Speech and Occupational therapists). We target increasing communication, whether it be vocal communication or the utilization of a communication device for our non-verbal peanuts, cognitive skills, receptive language skills, imitation, self-help skills such as toilet training, and social interactions. There are numerous things that set us apart from other ABA centers. We are privately owned by myself, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. There are several centers who are owned by investors who may not set quality of care as the most important value. Our clients and their progress are always our first priority. Additionally, we ensure that we have several Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) housed at each location. Our BCBAs have small caseloads to ensure they can provide the quality care necessary for their clients, and dedicate time to supporting their staff. Our training however, is one of the highlights of Spectacular Kids. We take a lot of pride in training our new staff, as this is where their foundation is laid. We spend 3 weeks introducing them to the world of ABA, understanding terminology, building rapport with the clients, and conducting sessions with the clients with a trainer. We also build strong relationships with the families of our clients. Transparency, honesty, and training are just a few of the ways that we develop such strong relationships with our families. I developed and run this center the way I would expect a center to be run if my children were attending there.
We are where we are today because of hard-work, perseverance, late nights, early mornings, and the mindset that quitting is never an option, we have to figure it out. Nothing was handed to us, this was literally built from our blood, sweat, tears and savings! Entrepreneurship is one of the most difficult, rewarding, challenging, self-growth experiences anyone could have, and our journey certainly has not been an easy one, but we did not get to where we are by giving up. I’ve learned that what I thought was difficult last year, has nothing on the challenges I’m going to face the next year, but regardless of the difficulty of the challenge, taking a step back, analyzing the situation, coming up with a plan and executing it is the only way out.
Spectacular Kids is more than just an ABA center. We are a family, and we love our clients as if they were our own children. We set high expectations for our clients and our staff, and we accept nothing less. I take my responsibility of making a significant impact in the lives of these families very seriously, and I am honored that our families trust us with assisting in the development and growth of their children.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston is known for good food and a good time. If I had a friend visiting the area, I would definitely take them to some of my favorite restaurants; Lucille’s, Pappadeaux’s, Moxie’s, The Breakfast Klub, Trez Art & Wine Bar. I’m a homebody, a workaholic, and a mother of 2, so I don’t get out of the house too much, but when I do get a chance to have a night out, The Flats, 5015, or anywhere with live music would definitely be on the agenda.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many individuals have served as support systems to help Spectacular Kids become the awesome service provider we are today. My husband has absolutely been my rock, my strength, and my “we don’t have a choice, push through” motivator. His love, support, candidness, and work with the company is invaluable. My children Ashton and Mackenzie are my constant drive to my best and serve as a role model for them, to ensure they know that they can truly do anything they put their mind to. My mentor Jennifer Dantzler who is also an amazing owner of an ABA center working with individuals through adulthood was extremely instrumental in supporting me not only when we first opened, but continuously through the years. My dear friend Hellen Adipe, also an owner of 3 ABA centers, has been a vital part of my sanity. Our ability to be vulnerable, transparent, and supportive of each other has certainly gotten me through some really rough patches. Susanne Spears, my right-hand gal and business manager literally carries the world of Spectacular Kids on her shoulders. She sees the good the bad and the ugly on a daily basis and helps me to put our plans in place and keep the consistency of process implementation within the centers. And of course, I absolutely could not do this without the help of our amazing staff (there is literally no me without them). From our Intake Coordinator Amalia Gonzalez who has been with us for 7 years, to our Billing Administrator Lauren Rutledge, a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst who has been with us for 8 years, Amy Wang, our Clinical Director at our Missouri City location, Caitlyn Metoyer who is currently training to take on the Clinical Director position at our Kingwood location (these ladies allow me to focus on the business and take on so many responsibilities in the clinics), Christina Drayden, our HR who is just outstanding and always willing to go above and beyond, our Scheduling Coordinators Chariti Wright and Amber Kloosterman, our amazing Administrative Assistants who always make sure we have everything we need Maria Brewer and Becky Clough, and our incredible Clinical Auditor Darnetta Jackson. Our amazing supervisors, Bria Peete, Mary Signorella, Christine Biddle. I have to highlight our supervisors Alex Penzell and Stephanie Esparza who have also been with us for about 8 years, and our amazingly dedicated hardworking direct care staff, our Registered Behavior Technicians (way too many to name). They are the heartbeat of our centers, as they are the ones who work with our remarkable clients every day.

Website: www.speckidsaba.com

Instagram: speckidsaba

Linkedin: Dana Harris, M.A., BCBA

Facebook: Spectacular Kids ABA Therapy & Consulting

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