Clinic Services

School-Focused Parent Outreach Clinic for Autism (SPOCA)

The School-Focused Parent Outreach Clinic for Autism (SPOCA), funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board, provides parent education and training to families of school-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across Texas, with a particular focus on families who have restricted access to resources and services. SPOCA expands our telehealth focus on reducing disparities in access to autism-related support by strengthening collaboration among families, schools, and professionals.

Through individual and group parent training and Parent-Implemented Intervention (PII), caregivers will learn strategies to better support their children at home and in the community. A primary emphasis of SPOCA is helping families understand and support their child’s school-related needs and goals, including Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, in collaboration with school professionals.

Two services are offered: 

1. Parent Implemented Intervention (PII): Families get one-on-one training that is customized to fit their child’s and their own needs. Training may address strategies for supporting their child's learning, behavior, independence, and school-related goals.
2. Group Parent Trainings: Families join group workshops to learn about behavior change tips, strategies, and resources.

Parent-Implemented Interventions

Parent-Implemented Intervention (PII) focuses on parent education and support. This service helps parents learn how to use specific behavior change techniques with their child who has autism. After the SPOCA team completes the assessments, parents will receive one-on-one training from professionals on a specific intervention designed for their child. This includes role-playing with the SPOCA team and real-time coaching while parents practice with their child. Upon conclusion, the team will recommend the next steps, which may focus on helping caregivers support skills related to their child's educational programming and IEP goals at home and in other natural environments.

Group Parent Trainings

Group Parent Trainings are group workshops designed for families and caregivers of school-aged children with autism, who may not have access to high-quality training resources. These workshops can be in-person or through telehealth technology. They will be held in Lubbock and across Texas, in collaboration with Education Service Centers. Training topics may include behavioral strategies, supporting learning and independence, understanding and supporting school-related goals, and other topics identified as important to participating families and communities.

Please send us an email to request a group parent training near you: mobile.burkhartclinic.educ@ttu.edu

Areas we serve

The THECB grant currently allows the SPOCA to provide services to families in Lubbock or surrounding areas. Services may be available in-person or through tele-health. Please send us an email for more information.

Any families in Texas outside the above radius may contact us for Telehealth services. 

Families will participate in services through SPOCA either in-person, in which services will take place at the Burkhart Center clinic or telehealth services based primarily on their geographic proximity to the center. Families who live within reasonable driving distance of the Burkhart center will receive face to face services at the center while families residing outside the Lubbock area or for whom regular travel to the center is not feasible will primarily receive services through telehealth. Options will be determined on a one-by-one basis for the modality best suited for each family. Telehealth services will use computers, mobile devices, and video to connect families across Texas with BCBAs and clinic team.

Telehealth Services

Families throughout the state of Texas requiring additional intervention or training may qualify for Telehealth Services through SPOCA. Telehealth utilizes computers, mobile devices, and video to connect clients to our Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and clinic staff at the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research in Lubbock, TX, in order to receive additional training and intervention. The convenience of this service will help families that have no specialists in their area or limited availability to travel because of work commitments.

Would you like the Mobile Outreach Clinic to visit your community?

If you reside in a rural area of West Texas and feel your community or a member of your community may benefit from our services, please fill out the contact form and a member of our Mobile Clinic team will reach out to you as soon as possible.

The Mobile Outreach Clinic continues to operate at this time as tele-health sessions, conducted via video conference.

ABA Services

If you are seeking ABA services that go beyond what we offer through our grant funded services, we do not accept insurance at this time. All services provided would be an out-of-pocket expense to your family.

Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. 

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. 

• You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees. 
• Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. 
• If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. 
• Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. 

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or contact us by phone at (806) 742-4561. 

Research

Data collected as part of the intake and assessment components of the services provided to you and your child will provide information to possibly be used for research purposes. If you choose not to include your information as part of the research component of our project, you can still receive services through our clinic but we will exclude your information from statistical analysis and retroactive records review. For more information about your data and how it will be used, contact: mobile.burkhartclinic.educ@ttu.edu 

For additional information about all of our services and access to support throughout the Lubbock Community, please see our online resource guide for more information.

Children’s Autism Program

The program provides focused Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) services supervised by a BCBA. Treatment includes minimizing challenging behavior and maximizing social and/or adaptive skills in a specific area.

Treatment is limited to 180 hours within a 12-month period and a maximum of 720 hours during the child’s lifetime.

A child is eligible for treatment if the child:

• Has a documented diagnosis on the autism spectrum made by a qualified professional.
• Is 3 to 15 years old (services end on the child’s 16th birthday).
• Is a Texas resident.

For more information, including how to apply, fill out the following form:

Inquiry Form