At their meeting on May 8, Winnfield’s Rotarians learned from Stratton Etheridge and Lacey Hylton, PhD, who appeared at the request of Rotarian of the day Melissa Trammel, that Winn Parish is blessed with local services for children in need of behavioral analysis and training. 

The service, Behavioral Specialists, is located here because its founder, Jay Bamburg, son of beloved football coach Jerry Bamburg and his wife Jeanette, grew up in Winnfield and wants to serve children in Winn Parish and the surrounding rural communities. Behavioral Specialists also has locations in Shreveport and Natchitoches.

According to Hylton and Etheridge, applied behavioral analysis [ABA] involves assessing behavioral disorders associated with developmental disabilities, intellectual delays, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder [ADHD] and other behavioral health disorders in children and adults, and developing an individualized treatment and training program for each patient. 

Then the staff uses behavioral concepts and techniques to teach functional behavior and coping skills. In addition to training the child, Behavioral Specialists help parents and teachers understand behavioral presentations and teach them tools to help the child use the functional behaviors and skills taught by Behavioral Specialists.

The goal of BS staff is to achieve school readiness with each child, so he or she can take on tasks intentionally and complete them successfully, as well as socialize with children, teachers, and other adults in functional ways. The training method is one-on-one training with each child using repetitive actions and positive reinforcement, combined with social group interactions to implement the individual training in group settings. 

The services of Behavioral Specialists are covered by health insurance including Medicaid.