Why I opened my Social Skills Groups Peer Program By Dr. Sarah Heller, Ed.D., BCBA, IBA, LBA-NY · Meaningful Metrics For years, there is a theme of conversations that has always followed me home. A parent tells me, often quietly and sometimes through tears, that their child has every therapy and every service written into the week, and still spends Saturdays alone in their room. A teacher stops me in the hallway to describe a student who follows every classroom routine withou

By Dr. Sarah Heller, Ed.D., IBA, BCBA, LBA-NY · Meaningful Metrics There is a particular kind of exhaustion that sets in somewhere around month two of your post-exam life as a BCBA. The studying is over. The acronym is behind your name. You survived, told approximately everyone you know, and updated your email signature with appropriate gravity. And then you sit down to write your first independent behavior plan and realize something quietly unsettling: you now have to know w

By Dr. Sarah Heller, Ed.D., BCBA, LBA-NY · Meaningful Metrics You have a behavior plan. It was written thoughtfully, reviewed by the team, explained to the family. Maybe you even had professional development on it. And yet ... here you are, three months in, watching the exact behaviors it was supposed to address continue to occur, possibly with more enthusiasm than before. Before anyone suggests rewriting the plan from scratch, it is worth asking a different question: is the

By Dr. Sarah Heller, Ed.D., BCBA, LBA-NY · Meaningful Metrics If you have a neurodivergent child, there is a good chance you have sat across a table from a teacher, a principal, or a well-meaning school psychologist and heard some version of the following: "It's interesting, because in school we really don't see that." And if you are the parent in that scenario, you have probably done one of two things. Either you smiled politely while something inside you quietly snapped, or

By Dr. Sarah Heller, Ed.D., IBA, BCBA, LBA-NY · Meaningful Metrics One of the questions I hear most often from families (whether we're meeting at a school table in New York or connecting via telehealth) is some version of this: "How do I keep learning after our sessions end?" It's one of my favorite questions, because it tells me the family is already thinking beyond our session time together. They're not just looking for answers in the room. They want to carry the work home,

When social skills are taught from a compliance mindset, children may learn to mimic behaviors without truly understanding them. They may smile when they are uncomfortable, agree when they mean no, or mask their differences to avoid standing out. Over time, this can create anxiety, fatigue, and a sense of disconnection from their own identity. A neuroaffirming approach views social learning through a different lens. Instead of focusing on “fitting in,” it helps children und

What ABA Support Can Offer Families Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a science of learning and behavior. When practiced in a compassionate and neuroaffirming way, it can help children and young adults develop practical skills for independence, communication, and emotional regulation. For families, ABA provides a structured way to understand what is happening beneath behaviors, identify triggers or barriers, and replace frustration with clarity. Certified professionals known

Parenting is one of the most meaningful and complex journeys a person can take. It brings moments of pride, joy, and connection, but it can also come with uncertainty, especially when children express their needs in ways that are hard to interpret. Every family experiences these moments, whether raising a neurotypical child , whose brain processes information in ways that align with common developmental expectations, or a neurodivergent child , whose thinking, communication,

When families seek support for their child’s learning or behavioral needs, they are often met with a long list of specialists: teachers, speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, occupational therapists, and others. Each professional plays an important role, yet families are often left to coordinate care on their own. At Meaningful Metrics , we believe children grow best when the people supporting them work together . Collaborative care brings every voice to the same t

When a child struggles at home, in school, or with peers, it is easy to focus on what seems “wrong.” Parents often hear messages about what needs to be fixed, such as behavior, focus, social skills, or communication, without being shown how to see what is already right. At Meaningful Metrics , we believe that lasting growth begins with understanding the whole child: their communication, their emotions, their sensory world, and the ways they naturally learn. By moving from “Wh

For many families, finding the right kind of support for a neurodivergent child can feel overwhelming. There is so much information, so many opinions, and not always enough clarity about what compassionate AND evidence-based care looks like. At Meaningful Metrics , we believe that families deserve to understand exactly what kind of support they are choosing and how that support honors their child’s individuality. This is where the concept of neuroaffirming ABA comes in. It i

Supporting children with diverse learning and behavioral needs should not feel overwhelming, yet it often does. Over the years, I have seen how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can create measurable and meaningful progress when it is delivered thoughtfully. At Meaningful Metrics , our focus is on using data and compassion together, ensuring that every intervention honors each learner’s individuality. Understanding the ABA therapy certification process is key to that mission.