Kokomo-area partnership would support more families in need of services

With families across the state waiting months for a diagnosis or treatment plan for their children with autism, an Ivy Tech Community College partnership aims to help. 

Through this new initiative, Ivy Tech and its partners seek to increase the number of Registered Behavioral Technicians, or RBTs, who are frontline behavioral health workers that support individuals — especially children — with autism and other developmental or behavioral challenges. 

The partnership between Ivy Tech’s Kokomo campus and Engaging Minds Autism Services and Hope Behavioral Services expands upon RBT training typically done using online modules to prepare for the certification exam. Through the partnership with Ivy Tech, the training was modified to include 40 hours of in-person classes, helping students better connect with the material and increasing retention, said Katie Loman, vice chancellor of Ivy+ Career Link for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area. 

In the pilot program at the Kokomo campus started in 2025, students are in class three days a week for one week, and two days a week the following week at Ivy Tech. Students are at their clinical site on the other days, applying what they have learned in the classroom. They can then bring back questions to the instructors about their experiences. 

That differentiation is critical for Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, therapy, which is one-on-one therapy for children with autism that helps with developing new skills and reducing negative behaviors.  

With the prevalence of autism, RBTs are in high demand both to provide ABA services and to meet the growing number of children who require behavioral and developmental support, Lyons said.  

“The wait list for both diagnostics and ABA is months long, and that can be difficult for families who really need that support,” she added. 

Bonnie Devers, program manager for Ivy+ Career Link, said the pilot program has been a success so far, with six cohorts and a nearly 85 percent completion rate. 

The goal now is to expand that pilot program, which was supported by an Our Kids First Grant through United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties, to more partners and campuses, including partnerships with school districts. 

“Already, Ivy Tech is partnering with Kokomo Schools but has also been meeting with special education directors from multiple area school districts to talk about what RBT training would offer to their staff and, in turn, their students,” Loman said. 

“This is such an important service for the families who need it and expanding it will only benefit the community. We would love to have more partners and continue to see this grow.” 

For more information, contact Kokomo-CareerLink@ivytech.edu and learn more about how you can get registered for the ABA Technician Training Prep Course through Ivy Tech Kokomo.