Category: Behavioral Healthcare

A mother once told me she felt like she was fighting battles on multiple fronts, barely holding on. Her 11-year-old son, bright and curious, had been labeled ‘disruptive’ at school. He wasn’t misbehaving on purpose—he just couldn’t sit still or follow directions like his classmates. When he pushed or shoved, she had to leave work to pick him up. Every phone call from school brings dread.

She tried everything the teachers suggested—behavior charts, rewards, consequences—but nothing worked. Some staff hinted at alternative placements. Others suggested medication. Then came the moment that broke her: The school talked of suspension. ‘We just don’t have the resources to manage his behaviors,’ they said.

That night, she sat at her kitchen table, staring at a stack of disciplinary notices, exhausted and defeated. She questioned everything—was it ADHD, something sensory, her parenting, even autism? Why was no one trying to understand his behavior instead of just punishing him for it?

Desperate for answers, she turned to parent forums, disability Facebook groups, and school district websites. That’s when she came across something she had never heard before—Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). And for the first time, she had a name for what her son needed.

But knowing about FBAs was only the first step. Now, she had to fight to get one.

What Is a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?

A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a data-driven evaluation used to identify the reasons behind a child’s behavioral challenges. Instead of punishing behavior, an FBA helps schools and caregivers develop effective intervention plans tailored to the student’s needs.

Why is this important? Research shows that early behavioral assessments significantly reduce school suspensions, improve academic performance, and provide students with long-term coping skills.

Why Are FBAs Underutilized?

I hear stories like this all the time. Parents don’t usually find out about FBAs until they’re in crisis. Schools rarely bring them up unless a parent specifically asks, and even then, they might be told there aren’t enough staff to conduct them. They want to support students, but usually the staffing and specialty required to conduct an FBA is not there.

Too many families go through years of frustration or resort to hiring educational advocates before learning FBAs even exist. That’s not okay. Understanding a child’s behavior shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for the wealthy or those who know what to ask for. Every child is entitled to an education that meets their needs, and it is the responsibility of our educational system to ensure equitable access to appropriate support and services.

New Federal Guidance on FBAs & Funding Availability

Stories like this are why behavioral assessments aren’t just a ‘nice-to-have’—they’re essential. And policymakers are starting to recognize this too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Education have recently emphasized the importance of early, proactive behavioral assessments to reduce disciplinary actions, improve academic outcomes, and support students’ social-emotional development.

Additionally, new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education encourages schools to utilize FBAs more broadly to understand and address behaviors that interfere with learning. This guidance highlights various federal funding sources that can support the training and implementation of FBAs, including Titles I, II, and IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

While Medicaid and school districts have traditionally been primary payers, families and educators should be aware of additional sources of funding.

FBA Funding Sources to Explore

1. Private Insurance Companies

Many health insurance plans cover FBAs under Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy benefits, but coverage applies mainly to individuals with autism or developmental disabilities.

💡 Tip: If your insurance denies coverage, don’t take the first ‘no’ as final! Appeal the decision, ask your provider for a Letter of Medical Necessity, and check state mandates—many require insurers to cover ABA services, including FBAs.

2. State and Federal Education Programs

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Schools must conduct FBAs for eligible students with disabilities. IDEA Part B funds can cover FBA costs within an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
• Section 504 Plans (Rehabilitation Act of 1973): Students without an IEP but needing accommodations may have FBAs funded through general education budgets.
• Titles I, II, and IV of ESEA: These programs offer funding to support behavior interventions, teacher training, and school-wide behavioral support initiatives.

3. Early Intervention & State Medicaid Waivers

• Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers: Some states fund FBAs for children at risk of institutionalization or those needing intensive behavioral support.
• Early Intervention Programs (EI): State-funded programs may cover FBAs for children under age 3 when behavior impacts development.

4. State-Funded Behavioral Health Programs

Mental Health Block Grants (MHBGs): Federal SAMHSA grants fund behavioral health services, including FBAs, in some states. Others provide additional children’s mental health initiatives or crisis intervention programs that fund FBAs.

5. Regional Center

In some states, Regional Centers fund FBAs for individuals with autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, or other developmental conditions. They usually act as a last-resort payer when Medicaid or private insurance cannot cover costs. Families should work with a service coordinator to determine eligibility and request funding under an Individual Program Plan (IPP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

6. Private Pay

Families can privately fund an independent FBA if they disagree with a school’s assessment. (It’s how I got my daughter’s first FBA ten years ago when we were still living in Taiwan!) Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) may help offset costs.

7. Juvenile Justice & Foster Care Systems

Juvenile justice programs fund FBAs for at-risk youth needing behavioral interventions. Child welfare agencies also may fund FBAs for children in foster care.

Expanding Access to FBAs

Organizations like curaJOY are committed to expanding access to behavioral health support for marginalized communities. Some nonprofits like Autism Speaks, The Arc, Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) also provide grants to families needing FBAs.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Navigating the system to secure an FBA (or any psychoeducational support) can be exhausting, and sometimes, it feels like doors are closing left and right. But here’s the thing: your child deserves the right support, and you have options. Keep asking questions. Connect with local parent advocates and nonprofits. If one funding source doesn’t work, try another. And if you need guidance, get in touch.

Take These Steps Today:

👁️ Check your school district’s policies—Some districts list FBA request procedures online.
‼️ Submit a formal written request—Verbal requests can be ignored; written ones trigger legal timelines.
✅ Explore alternative funding sources—If your school won’t conduct an FBA, look into insurance, Medicaid, or grants.

Have you successfully secured funding for an FBA? Share your experience in the comments or reach out—I’d love to hear what worked for you!

In a world where demand for mental and behavioral health services is at an all-time high, access to qualified care remains a significant barrier, particularly outside North America. With only about 4.7% of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs)—specialized practitioners who assess and treat behavioral challenges—practicing outside the United States and Canada, millions of individuals, families, and schools worldwide face limited access to essential behavioral health support.

Addressing a Global Behavioral Health Challenge

Behavioral health, unlike mental health, focuses on how behaviors impact overall well-being and includes conditions that involve observable actions, such as autism, ADHD, and substance use disorders. Mental health typically centers on emotional and psychological well-being, while behavioral health addresses behaviors that can influence both physical and mental health. A crucial part of behavioral health care involves Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs), which analyze patterns to identify root causes and guide effective interventions.

However, conducting FBAs is labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring certified practitioners to observe and interpret complex behavioral patterns. This challenge is exacerbated by the shortage of BCBAs globally, especially in regions with limited resources. That’s where curaJOY’s latest research comes in. Our team developed an innovative solution using Chain-of-Thought prompting with Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate and streamline FBA analysis. Our AI model has achieved 82% accuracy in identifying antecedents (the events or conditions leading up to a behavior) and 72% accuracy in labeling consequences (the events following a behavior). These results surpass current human providers, marking a significant leap forward in automating behavioral assessments and expanding care access.

How This Technology Works

Our approach breaks down complex behavioral narratives into manageable steps that AI can analyze with high accuracy. This method, known as Chain-of-Thought prompting, guides the model to logically work through each step of the behavioral analysis, resulting in a level of precision previously reserved for human practitioners. By automating parts of the FBA process, our AI technology reduces the time practitioners spend on data collection and analysis, enabling them to focus more on designing individualized, effective interventions—ultimately improving the quality of care while expanding access to those in need.

Empowering Behavioral Health Professionals Through Upskilling

curaJOY’s commitment goes beyond developing AI-driven tools. We believe that true impact comes from empowering the people at the heart of behavioral health care. That’s why we’re actively working to upskill behavioral health professionals by providing them with knowledge and training in AI and machine learning. By involving practitioners directly in the AI development process, we ensure that our models align with clinical needs and support real-world applications.

This upskilling initiative does more than just refine our technology; it builds an ecosystem where behavioral health experts help shape the AI solutions they use, fostering trust, ethical application, and sustainability. In this way, AI becomes a complementary tool that enhances human expertise, helping close skill gaps and creating a more resilient approach to care.

Why This Breakthrough Matters

curaJOY’s AI-driven approach addresses a critical equity issue in behavioral health: lack of access to qualified practitioners. Starting with psychoeducational assessment, we open the door for regions with limited resources to conduct high-quality behavioral health assessments without requiring in-house BCBAs. This impact is especially transformative for rural and underserved communities, where individuals and families often face limited access to specialized behavioral health services. curaJOY’s solution doesn’t just make assessments faster—it brings meaningful support closer to those who need it most.

A Step Toward Equitable Behavioral Health Access

As curaJOY’s technology evolves, we see it playing a vital role in democratizing behavioral health care. By using advanced AI tools to address gaps in global health access, we’re helping make high-quality behavioral health services a reality for all communities, regardless of geographic or economic barriers.

We are honored that this work has been recognized by the 23rd IEEE/WIC International Conference on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology. curaJOY’s data team lead, Jeevan Beedareddy, will present our research at WI-IAT’s AI for Social Good workshop this December. This recognition is a testament to curaJOY’s commitment to using AI for positive social change and to empowering communities worldwide.

What’s Next for curaJOY?

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue refining and expanding this technology. We’re exploring partnerships with educational institutions, health organizations, and community groups to pilot our solution in underserved areas. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to a world where every person has access to the behavioral health resources they need, regardless of location or socioeconomic status.

There’s an unspoken game all the rage in behavioral healthcare–ghost networks. It is a silent crisis that is largely overlooked but causing real damage to families seeking care. Despite assurances that behavioral healthcare is accessible, these ghost networks make it nearly impossible to get the help we need.

Two years ago, my family was hit hard by a wave of losses—deaths and illnesses of people close to us. To make matters worse, just a week before school started, one of my daughter’s teachers tragically committed suicide. I knew firsthand how difficult it would be to secure an appointment (having been down this road too many times), but given how much we needed grief counseling, I steeled myself for the inevitable wild goose chase. The emotional toll was simply becoming too much.

The Frustration of Ghost Networks

Our pediatrician gave us a list of mental health providers, and I reached out to our insurance company for an appointment. They handed me yet another list of providers. My kids’ school also sent out communication, assuring all parents and students that grief counseling was available. Armed with these resources, I began calling. I contacted 15 different providers and agencies. Out of those, three had automated messages saying they weren’t accepting new clients. I actually spoke to just two, both of whom placed us on a waitlist.

Ghost networks—providers who are either no longer part of the insurance network or may never have existed—are a harsh reality. A Senate Finance Committee investigation found that an astounding 80% of Medicare mental health providers were “ghosts,” unreachable, not in-network, or not taking new patients.

Real-Life Impact on Families

Fast forward to today, and my daughter is still waiting to talk about her dead teacher, along with a lot of other issues that have piled up in the meantime. I’m a parent who deeply values emotional wellness and I’ve made countless calls, and dedicated endless hours to navigating this broken system. The school says there’s grief counseling, but there’s no clear way to schedule an appointment, and no one is available. What happens to children whose parents cannot play this waiting game?

Insurance policies and mental health legislation promise that we are guaranteed a non-emergency behavioral health appointment within two weeks of a request. But who’s holding them accountable? How is this being tracked? I thought about doing an exposé on this impossible journey of getting mental health care for my family. But with children who still need help, I realized I couldn’t afford to make enemies of a system I still depend on.

The Gap Between Mental Health Legislation and Reality

Today, my kids are home sick, and I’ll be speaking with their pediatrician through a video visit in a few hours. (Yes, there is a big difference in getting care for physical illnesses that can quickly accompany prescription scripts.) She may ask me again why I haven’t arranged ongoing weekly therapy for them. After all, she’s made the referral several times. Once again, I’ll be the “good mom” and start calling through every provider on the list. But I already know—it will take hours away from an already overstretched mom, and we’ll likely end up back where we started: waiting.

Ghost networks are not just a glitch in the system—they are the system. The gap between the availability of mental health care and the promises of insurance companies and legislation is a deepening crisis for families across the country.

Maybe I’ll decide to do 100% private pay just so that somebody sees us–I just always naively thought that’s what health insurance was for. No family should have to navigate an endless maze to get the mental health services they desperately need. What’s your experience been?