Mission

Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics is founded on the premise that early identification, intervention and treatment are key to maximizing potential and preventing major challenges throughout a child’s life. We also know that children often have multiple issues and diagnoses. That is why we offer an interdisciplinary approach that unites all areas—science, medicine, therapy and education—to treat the problems and injuries that affect a child’s development. In addition, we offer a wide spectrum of care, including outpatient, day treatment, community and home-based programs.

At Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics we take an interdisciplinary approach to ensuring we meet your child’s needs. Our team includes:

  • Licensed Psychologists
  • Board Certified Behavior Analysts
  • Licensed Mental Health Counselors
  • Registered Behavior Technicians
  • Speech and Language Pathologists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Certified Teachers

Stories from our Staff

John was brought by his parents to Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics when he was 10 years old, because he was having trouble focusing and concentrating at home and at school. He was struggling with grades at school, and his teacher was sending home frequent reports of behavioral difficulties.  Completing homework was a nightmare; he would only complete it if his mother sat with him throughout and continuously redirected him back to the homework. John’s ability to stay on-task was less than 50% during the afternoon. He also had a lot of problems going to sleep at night. It often took him one to two hours to fall asleep after his mother first sent him to bed, leading to sleepiness in the morning and during the day. John also had daytime toileting accidents, often multiple times per day.

We gave John a comprehensive psycho educational assessment, which confirmed a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Presentation. John and his mother attended weekly individual therapy sessions over the course of six months. Sessions focused on establishing homework routines and bedtime routines, teaching John self-monitoring strategies and his mother strategies for managing off-task behaviors, and developing a toileting protocol for John. The therapist also helped John get academic supports in the form of a 504 Plan at school.

As John began to improve, we set new goals of focusing on broadening improvements to additional areas and increasing John’s independence. As John began to achieve his treatment goals, we reduced the number of sessions to every other week and then once a month.

 By the time he was discharged from our services, John’s grades had significantly improved, with no more reports being sent home of behavioral difficulties. Homework was no longer the nightmare it once was; John’s mother could be in the other room cooking dinner and doing other things, only checking in with John periodically. John’s ability to stay on-task was well over 80 percent. John no longer had problems falling asleep, often falling asleep within 15 minutes of being sent to bed. And, only one toileting accident had been reported over the previous three months.

Emily was brought by her parents to Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics when she was two. She had been given a provisional diagnosis of autism. She didn’t speak or produce sounds and didn’t use her tongue and lips effectively.

 Keystone’s collaborative approach worked well for Emily, by providing her with occupational therapy, speech and ABA (applied behavior analysis) services. After one year of treatment, Emily had an expressive vocabulary of about 25 words and was able to express her wants and needs more effectively, which resulted in decreased tantrums.

Ryan is a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Ryan was struggling academically in traditional schools because he had significant problem behaviors, so his parents turned to Keystone’s Day Treatment Clinic for an alternative school placement. When Ryan first started at Keystone, he had daily tantrums that included being aggressive, injuring himself and destroying property. These episodes could last as long as 45-minutes and posed a significant risk of harm to others or him.

 Ryan’s treatment team at Keystone developed a comprehensive plan focused on improving his functional communication that has increased his ability to tolerate anxiety-provoking events and helped him gain many prerequisite skills necessary for him to be successful in a traditional classroom setting. After just six months, Ryan’s problem behavior had decreased significantly and he had established a repertoire of skills that allowed him to transition successfully into a private school classroom. Due to the progress made through Keystone’s Day Treatment Clinic, Ryan is finally finding success in a traditional classroom setting. He is able to socialize with peers and handle the learning curriculum more independently and in a less restrictive setting.

Jonathan is a 15-year-old male whose parents sought services through Keystone’s Anxiety and OCD Clinic in order to address frequent and significant anxiety and panic attacks. Jonathan reported that he experienced anxiety and panic on a near daily basis and that it was creating substantial barriers to his ability to function in social and academic settings.

 Through weekly individual therapy focused on Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness Meditation, Guided Visualizations, and Exposure and Response Prevention, Jonathan has learned and honed skills that have helped him to manage and in some cases stop panic attacks and anxiety as they occur. Jonathan and his parents have reported that his symptoms have reduced considerably over the past few months and that he is happier and more relaxed.

 Additionally, Jonathan has reported that the reduction in his anxiety has allowed him to have the courage to join an extracurricular club at his high school, something he could not have imagined six months ago. Jonathan is continuing to progress each week and expects that he will have a very good handle on his anxiety within a matter of months.