For Immediate Release

Bolton, MA​

​

Having a child diagnosed with Autism is life changing. But for two local dads, it has altered their paths beyond any scope they could have imagined. "I have had to change everything," says Brian Kovalski. The two dads have altered life to meet the needs of their children, changing all day to day activities in their homes. In a dual interview, the two explained the impact of their sons on the courses of their lives. Consequently, they have had to endure the unstable state of Autism related services, namely ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), which can only be described as under-served. Now, they have decided to do something about it by opening up their own ABA practice. Brian Kovalski and Dave Iborra, both have 11 year old sons on the Autism Spectrum and both have worked tirelessly to help their children achieve the best possible outcomes. "ABA is the best thing for families like mine," says Iborra as he describes having this therapy since his son was about 4 1/2 years old.

​

ABA, or Applied Behavioral Analysis, is the science of human behavior and it is one of the only validated, evidenced-based methodologies for treating individuals on the Spectrum. "It's one of the first and primary recommendations on every child's diagnostic report from a diagnosing doctor," says Kovalski as he recalled how he first pursued ABA for his son. "The bottom line is that it works and it works on anybody; you don't have to have Autism," Iborra points out. "Many Fortune 500 companies employ the same type of clinicians (BCBAs) that we do as a way to track, monitor, and "change" or influence consumer behavior, ultimately to get you to buy their products or services."

​

ABA therapy has become more popular (and harder to obtain) as insurance reform laws are sweeping across the nation. Currently, 46 states and the District of Columbia have passed insurance reform laws. "Ever since the Commonwealth passed the ARICA (An Act Relevant to Insurance Coverage for Autism) law in 2011 ( which makes ABA and other medically necessary treatments accessible through private health insurance) the demand for ABA in Mass has skyrocketed," says Iborra. "The addition of the Autism Omnibus Bill in 2015, which made ABA accessible to individuals on MassHealth, has only added to this demand," he added.  "Agencies are overwhelmed with service inquiries," Kovalski states while adding that this lopsided supply vs demand has created a serious quality control issue.

 

"We have both been burned," says Iborra as both recount stories of poor delivery of service, unreasonable requests from providers, long wait lists, and high staff turnover. "It ultimately affects our children. I think we both had seen enough and have been around enough to know what it takes to create an agency that can better cater to the demands of a typical but unique household." says Iborra. "At the end of the day, ABA is a science. Science calls for great controls and a scientist does not really like variables that are outside of their control; it can alter the speed of results and make things inconsistent. ABA agencies in Massachusetts are typically owned and operated by clinicians who saw an opportunity to open a business. You see that all the time" Iborra continued. "Worse yet, some agencies are opened and/or operated by venture capitalists who understand that the law in Massachusetts protecting children's access to the therapy is very aggressive. Brian and I felt that bringing a parents perspective to management would bring a new opportunity to ABA services in the Central Mass region."

​

"Clinicians are extremely smart and extremely talented, but they are typically working within a company culture or policy that was created by a peer, by a scientist. That's one area where we differ," points out Kovalski. "They often times just don't create their policies with a parental perspective. We've been living with Autism for over 20 years combined and that's where FPI comes in. We understand what it's like to be the parent who is still at home after the therapist walks out the door. We know what it's like to have to carry on the therapy while working full time, up-keeping a household, or caring for other children" says Kovalski.

 

Mr. Iborra added, "It's isolating and there are so many difficulties that nobody can really understand. But what we can understand is exactly how parents feel, how they suffer. It's very difficult; the easiest things like transitioning from the house to get into the car can be impossible some days. And let's not talk about transitioning from the house to the school bus," he added with a laugh. "It's become my normal and not many people understand it. I recall when my son was about 5 and I was told by my ABA provider that my boisterous but typically-developing 3.5 year old was 'obstructing the session' and 'being a distraction'. I thought to myself, 'Well, what the hell do you expect a 3.5 year old to do when you walk into his house with a big box of toys and only engage with his brother!?'" says Iborra as he ponders back. "Something had to change there and it was not my 3.5 year old. He only wanted to be, well, a 3.5 year old. We tried a lot of things, but eventually his brother had to be made part of his sessions." 

​

Both dads had met during events organized by the local autism support center -HMEA's Autism Resource Central - an autism resource  center that services 64 towns in Central Massachusetts. "I was actually working there," mentions Iborra. "I had transitioned from retail to Autism-related employment in early 2011. Life sort of demanded it. As a part of my duties, I was asked to facilitate a Dads Group and Brian (Kovalski) was an active dad at the center and began attending my group events. One afternoon, over two years ago, we stopped for dinner after a resource center event and, as most Autism parents do, began discussing our personal experiences with ABA providers. The operations managers in each of us joked that we should open a place, a place that sees individuals and families from the parents perspective, not just from a data perspective".

 

Unbeknownst to the two at the time, Family Perspectives Inc was born. Kovalski, a graduate of Bridgewater State University with an MBA, was working for Verizon at the time while Iborra was employed by Autism Resource Central, supporting families on the DDS Autism Waiver Program. "It took us some time, because we wanted to do it right". The pair are looking to take over a space in Bolton, MA and will begin to transform it into a state of the art ABA center with hopes to begin offering center based services in June 2018. "We plan to have an open house and  invite providers, professionals, officials, and parents to come and see our center. We will honor HMEA's Autism Resource Central and their families for being a beacon of light to families like ours." In home services should begin earlier in 2018.

​

Born out of love for their families, we are so excited and fortunate to bring FPI to the many families who need services. "It's going to be the next great adventure in our lives, brought to us by Autism," both men said smiling. Family Perspectives Inc is set to open in early 2018. For more information on Family Perspectives Inc, please visit www.fpiaba.com or contact them at 866-922-2374. (866-9ABA-FPI)

​

​

Family Perspectives Inc.

BY PARENTS. FOR PARENTS.