Dignity before data
Measurement matters and we take it seriously. It never outranks a child's dignity, comfort, or right to be heard.
About Us
A Practice Built Around Your Family’s World
We are an ABA provider that chose the living room, the playground, and the grocery aisle over a clinic room — deliberately, and for reasons we can explain.
Our Mission
Community Horizons ABA exists to make meaningful skill development part of everyday life rather than something confined to a clinic room. We deliver home- and community-based ABA therapy, partner closely with caregivers, and measure ourselves by whether the skills we teach are actually used in the places our children live, learn, play, and belong.
“Therapy rooted in home, family, and community.”
Our story
Why we built a community-first practice
The name is not decoration. A horizon is where a person's world actually ends and the next possibility begins — and for many children with autism and related developmental needs, that line is drawn too close by barriers rather than by ability: a shop that is too loud, a playground with no way in, a family outing abandoned after ten minutes, a relative's house nobody wants the trouble of visiting.
Clinic-based therapy has its place, and we respect colleagues who do that work well. But a child's day does not happen in a clinic. It happens in a kitchen, a classroom, a car, a park, a library, a grandparent's living room. If a skill cannot survive those places, it has not finished being taught.
So we built a practice around the environments instead of around a room: therapists who work in your home, sessions that go outside on purpose, caregivers trained as genuine partners, and goals chosen because they change something your family can see.
Where we work
In-home, community-based, and school-based ABA therapy in Statesville, North Carolina and the surrounding area within a 50-mile radius.
- Statesville, NC
- Surrounding Iredell County communities
- Within a 50-mile radius of Statesville
What we mean by “horizons”
A horizon is the edge of what a child currently does on their own. Our job is to move that edge outward — one usable skill at a time — and to be honest about how far each step actually takes a family.
- Home-based by design
- Daily-living skills taught inside your real routines.
- Community-based on purpose
- Planned practice in parks, stores, and libraries.
- Caregivers trained, not briefed
- Live coaching inside the routines that need to change.
- Ethics stated openly
- BACB Ethics Code, assent honoured, plans approved by parents.
Our values
The Commitments Behind Every Programme
These are not aspirational poster words. Each one is something a family can hold us to when it is inconvenient for us.
Neurodiversity-affirming practice
We do not treat autism as a presentation to correct. Self-expression, self-regulation, and autistic ways of communicating are respected.
Families as experts
Caregivers hold the longest record of anyone on the child. Their observations are treated as clinical information.
Practical usefulness
Every goal should earn its place by making a real day easier, safer, or more enjoyable for the child and the family.
Honesty about limits
We say what we can and cannot do, what is and is not confirmed, and when another provider or setting is the better answer.
Community belongs to everyone
Inclusion is a two-way street. We support children to participate and we work to make community settings more workable.
Clinical philosophy
Our Clinical Philosophy
Five commitments that shape how programmes are designed, and what families should hold us to.
Principle 1
Assessment before assumptions
Programmes begin with a real assessment of the child's skills, motivators, communication, sensory profile, and the family's priorities — not a pre-written curriculum applied to whoever walks in.
Principle 2
Teach alternatives, don't suppress behaviour
Behaviour is communication. We look for what a behaviour is accomplishing and teach a more effective, more dignified way to accomplish it, while changing the environment that made it necessary.
Principle 3
Reinforcement over coercion
Sessions are built on things the child genuinely wants and enjoys. Where restrictions on access are ever clinically indicated, they are individualized, time-limited, ethically reviewed, and explained to parents.
Principle 4
Caregiver competence is an outcome
A programme that makes a family more dependent on a therapist has failed. We teach caregivers, fade our own presence, and treat independence as the endpoint.
Principle 5
Decisions follow the data
Goals are measured, reviewed on a predictable schedule, and changed when the data says so — including the decision to reduce or end services.
Ethical standards
Our practice follows the ethical and professional standards of the field, including the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Ethics Code for Behaviour Analysts, and the guidance of applicable state licensing authorities. Families may request a copy of relevant policies at any time.
Our team
People Who Care About Your Child’s Journey
Families ask us this question more than any other: who is actually going to be in my home? Our leadership team brings clinical expertise, community experience, and a deep commitment to family-centred care.
BCBA
Walter West
Founder & BCBA
Walter is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst focused on quality care across home, school, and community settings. He prioritises family involvement to ensure plans are comprehensive, realistic, and support meaningful progress.
Amy Dodd
Director of Operations
Amy brings a unique perspective through her background in child development, her experience as a daycare director, and her personal journey as a parent of a child with special needs — supporting a warm and family-informed approach across our services.
Our promise
What we commit to families
- Show up on time, or call ahead when we cannot.
- Explain every goal in plain language and put it in writing.
- Answer the phone or return the message, and tell you who is responsible for doing it.
- Share progress data regularly, including the parts that are not going well.
- Honour a child's communication — including refusals — during every session.
- Tell you honestly if we are not the right provider for your child.
These are commitments about how we work, not guarantees about clinical outcomes. Every child's progress is individual.
Working with your wider team
With your written authorization we coordinate with schools, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, feeding teams, and physicians — sharing what is needed, nothing more, and keeping you copied.
See how coordination works
Next steps
Want to know if we are the right fit for your child?
Tell us what you are seeing at home and what you want to be different. We will answer honestly — including when another provider or setting would serve your family better.