Northeast Arc Creates New Specialty ABA Services Division

Northeast Arc, a not-for-profit organization that helps children and adults with disabilities or autism become full participants in the community, has created a new Specialty Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Services division. Kristy Murphy, a resident of Melrose, will be the director of the division.

Northeast Arc’s Specialty ABA Services provide a continuum of consistent evidence-based direct care and services for children, teens and adults with autism and other related developmental disabilities throughout their lifetime.

The division includes four applied behavioral analysis programs:

• The Learning Center: ABA in a community child-care setting with an integrated center model for children 15 months to 6 years
• Building Blocks: ABA in-home or community services for children under 3, in collaboration with Northeast Arc Early Intervention
• Building Bridges: ABA in-home and community services for children 3 and older
• Spotlight: Community-based ABA social skills for individuals 6 and older

The ABA programs were previously part of the Family Services division, and have a long history of supporting individuals and families across the North Shore. The longest running program, Building Blocks, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. All treatment programs are developed by a Board Certified Licensed Behavior Analyst (BCBA/LABA) based on assessments, consultation, and person-centered plans, and are individualized to meet the goals and cognitive, social, and behavioral needs of the individual.

"This change will streamline service delivery to families while also helping create a natural progression of supports," said Kristy Murphy, the director of the Specialty ABA Services division. "We look forward to continuing to offer evidence-based supports to children and their families.”

Murphy started at Northeast Arc in 2001 and has always worked within ABA services, serving as program director since 2019. She received her bachelor’s in psychology from Stonehill College, and also has a graduate certificate in autism from UMass-Lowell. She has completed graduate work in education from Cambridge College, and this fall will attend the Graduate Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management at Suffolk University.

The ABA team is hiring for a variety of positions, and interested applicants can view openings on the Northeast Arc careers site.