The child leads
Sessions are built from activities your child already loves. Motivation isn't manufactured with rewards; it comes from the play itself.
Our Approach
Naturalistic therapy, designed for families
Naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention, NDBI for short, is what happens when developmental science and applied behavior analysis stop competing and start collaborating. This page is the full story: what it is, what a session actually looks like, how we measure progress, and the research behind it all.
The Model
Two sciences, one joyful method
NDBIs are a family of early-intervention approaches for young children. The best known, and the one our clinical program is certified in, is the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), developed by psychologists Dr. Sally Rogers and Dr. Geraldine Dawson for children roughly ages 1 to 6, when the brain's capacity to learn from relationships is at its peak.
It weaves together two traditions. From developmental science, NDBIs take their understanding of how all young children learn: through relationships, imitation, shared attention, and play they care about. From applied behavior analysis, they take precision: clear teaching objectives, careful measurement, and decades of research on how skills are built step by step.
The whole family of models shares one promise, and it is the promise our clinic is built on: therapy that looks like play and works like science.
The Principles
What makes naturalistic teaching different
Relationships first
Warm, responsive interaction is the delivery mechanism. Shared smiles, turn-taking, and back-and-forth games carry every learning objective.
Data decides
Every objective is measured in every session. If a strategy isn't producing progress within a set window, the plan changes, not the expectations of your child.
Family is key
NDBIs were designed from the start to be shared with caregivers, so the strategies live in your home and routines, not just in our clinic.
Inside a Session
It looks like play, because it is play
Core sessions at our St. Louis Metro Area clinic are one-to-one: your child and a clinician trained in naturalistic teaching. Parents have an open invitation to observe sessions. Sit in and you'll see blocks, bubbles, songs, and snack time. Look closely and you'll see something more choreographed. And one-to-one is only the beginning: our social skills groups put growing skills to work with peers.
- Joint activity routines: therapist and child build a shared game with a beginning, a theme, variations, and an ending. Inside that structure live a dozen teaching moments.
- Embedded objectives: one round of block-stacking might carry a communication goal, a motor goal, and an imitation goal at once.
- Every communication counts: words, gestures, signs, glances, and devices are all received and built upon. We respond to how your child communicates today while growing what's possible tomorrow.
- Following through with warmth: when something is hard, we make it smaller and more supported, never colder and more forced.
Beyond One-to-One
Skills are built in sessions. Friendships are built in groups.
The connection skills your child grows in one-to-one sessions don't stay in the therapy room. Our social skills groups give them a real place to land: peers, play, and belonging.
Plus One Program
A supported pairing: your child practices connection alongside one peer, with a clinician nearby. The gentlest first step from 1:1 into social play.
Kid's Clubs
Small-group fun with a purpose: games, projects, and shared adventures that turn social learning into something kids ask to come back for.
Friendship Clubs
Ongoing groups focused on the real ingredients of friendship: sharing, listening, taking turns, and celebrating each other.
Measuring What Matters
How we track developmental progress
Our flagship model, ESDM, comes with its own assessment: the ESDM Curriculum Checklist, which maps your child's skills across developmental domains and turns them into concrete, individualized objectives.
The cycle, every 12 weeks
- Assess: the Curriculum Checklist reviews skills across communication, social interaction, imitation, play, cognition, fine and gross motor, and self-care.
- Set objectives: from the assessment, we write specific, measurable goals for the next 12 weeks, chosen with you, in language you understand.
- Teach and measure: clinicians collect data in every session, so decisions rest on evidence rather than impressions.
- Review together: you see the same charts we see. Progress reviews are conversations, not report cards.
When behavior gets in the way of learning, we start from a neuroaffirming question: what is this behavior communicating? A child who drops to the floor during transitions isn't giving us a problem to eliminate; they're telling us a transition is too hard, too sudden, or too unclear. The plan that follows builds skills and supports, like predictable routines and better ways to say "not yet," so the hard moment stops being necessary.
The Evidence
Why we trust this model
Among NDBIs, we lead with the Early Start Denver Model because the research earned it, and our program is led by a certified ESDM therapist. These findings come from published, peer-reviewed studies of the model.
+17.6
IQ points gained
In the landmark randomized controlled trial, toddlers receiving two years of ESDM gained an average of 17.6 IQ points, versus 7.0 with standard community care, with gains in language and adaptive behavior too.
Dawson et al., 2010, Pediatrics
640
Children studied
A meta-analysis spanning 12 studies and 640 children found significant benefits for children receiving ESDM, strongest in cognition and language.
Fuller et al., 2020
1st
Of its kind
ESDM was the first comprehensive early-intervention model for toddlers with autism validated in a randomized controlled trial.
CEBC program reviewResearch findings describe outcomes across study groups; every child is different, and we design treatment and measure progress individually.
Our Commitments
Evidence-based and neuroaffirming
Some families worry that a structured model means a rigid one, or that data-driven therapy means a child molded to a chart. Here is where we stand:
- Goals serve your child's life, never their resemblance to other children. We do not write masking goals. Ever.
- Stimming isn't a target. Self-regulation that harms no one needs no intervention.
- Assent matters: we read and respect your child's signals about what feels okay, and we teach them that their "no" has power.
- Strengths lead: an intense interest is an open door for learning, not a distraction to remove.
Common Questions
NDBI questions, straight answers
What does NDBI mean?
Naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention: a family of early-intervention approaches that teach through play, everyday routines, and relationships rather than table drills. The Early Start Denver Model is the most-researched NDBI and the one our clinical program is certified in.
Is this a type of ABA?
Yes. ESDM applies the teaching principles of applied behavior analysis inside naturalistic, play-based, relationship-centered routines. It's ABA delivered the way developmental science says young children learn best. Insurance plans that cover ABA typically cover ESDM-based treatment.
What ages are these models designed for?
The Early Start Denver Model was built for children roughly 1 to 6 years old. At Developing Minds, our Early Intervention Program serves ages 1 to 3, our Transition Program serves ages 3 to 6, and our Social Skills Groups serve ages 6 to 12. Our team can help you find the right fit for your child's needs.
How many hours per week will my child need?
There's no universal right number; intensity is individualized based on your child's assessment, your family's life, and what the research supports for their goals. We'll recommend a plan and explain our reasoning during intake.
Will therapy make my child "less autistic"?
That's not the goal, and we'd encourage caution with any provider who promises it. Naturalistic therapy helps your child build communication, connection, and independence skills that make their life bigger. They will still be wonderfully, permanently themselves.
What's my role as a parent or caregiver?
Central. You'll help choose goals, learn the strategies through caregiver coaching, and review progress data with us every cycle. Research on ESDM includes parent-delivered versions for good reason: you are your child's most important teacher.