Growing Minds Behavioral Health

Growing Minds Behavioral Health Growing Minds Behavioral Health delivers high-quality ABA therapy for children with autism and developmental needs.

Our team works closely with families to build skills that support learning, communication, and independence.

Autism doesn’t have a look because autistic people are beautifully diverse.Some autistic people are verbal, some use AAC...
05/26/2026

Autism doesn’t have a look because autistic people are beautifully diverse.

Some autistic people are verbal, some use AAC. Some flap, rock, pace, hum, or seek movement. Some need high support, some need low support, and many move between both depending on the day. None of these experiences make someone “more” or “less” autistic. Autistic people exist in every race, culture, personality, gender, and age group.

There is no one right way to communicate, play, regulate, connect, or experience the world.

At Growing Minds, we believe children deserve spaces where they feel safe being themselves. So much of the world asks ch...
05/22/2026

At Growing Minds, we believe children deserve spaces where they feel safe being themselves. So much of the world asks children to suppress, mask, rush, or fit into expectations that may not align with how their nervous system naturally works. We want our clinic to feel different from that.

We normalize movement, sensory needs, communication differences, emotional regulation, and individuality because children are not robots meant to perform perfectly. They are human beings with unique strengths, challenges, personalities, and ways of experiencing the world. The goal is never to change who a child is.

Children are human too. They get overwhelmed. They have off days. They feel embarrassed, frustrated, anxious, overstimul...
05/21/2026

Children are human too. They get overwhelmed. They have off days. They feel embarrassed, frustrated, anxious, overstimulated, tired, excited, and misunderstood just like adults do.

The difference is that they are still learning how to process and communicate those feelings. Sometimes we expect children to regulate emotions that even adults struggle to manage. Sometimes we expect instant compliance without considering sensory overload, exhaustion, hunger, anxiety, or simply having a hard day. Behind every reaction is a nervous system, a feeling, a need, or an experience we may not immediately see. Children deserve patience, respect, support, and emotional safety too.

Sometimes the most important part of teaching doesn’t look like teaching at all. It looks like playing on the floor, lau...
05/20/2026

Sometimes the most important part of teaching doesn’t look like teaching at all. It looks like playing on the floor, laughing together, being silly, and taking the time to build trust first.

Kids are so much more likely to learn from people they feel safe and connected with!

That’s why pairing and rapport matter so much. Before jumping into demands, expectations, or goals, we focus on the relationship. We want children to feel excited to engage, not pressured to perform. And a lot of the time, that connection becomes the reason they’re willing to try hard things later on.

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Some children are carrying invisible overwhelm every single day. What looks “small” to someone else can feel incredibly ...
05/18/2026

Some children are carrying invisible overwhelm every single day. What looks “small” to someone else can feel incredibly big to a neurodivergent child. These experiences are often brushed off as “being dramatic,” “too sensitive,” or “behavior problems,” when in reality, their nervous system may just be working overtime to process the world around them.

Sometimes understanding starts by realizing that not every struggle is visible. The goal shouldn’t always be to make children tolerate discomfort silently. Sometimes it’s to listen, support, accommodate, and make the world feel a little safer for them.

This is why so many families feel confused at first. What you see in your child might not match what you’ve heard about ...
05/15/2026

This is why so many families feel confused at first. What you see in your child might not match what you’ve heard about autism, and that doesn’t make it any less valid. The goal isn’t to fit a label perfectly, it’s to understand how your child experiences the world so you can support them in a way that actually works.

Every reaction we see from our child is telling us something, even when it doesn’t look the way we expect. What might co...
05/14/2026

Every reaction we see from our child is telling us something, even when it doesn’t look the way we expect.

What might come across as defiance, frustration, or “overreacting” is often a child trying to navigate a feeling they don’t yet have the tools to express. When we shift from asking “how do I stop this?” to “what might they be feeling right now?”, it changes how we respond. That’s where connection starts, and where real support can happen. 🩵🩵

05/14/2026

Here’s a little behind the scenes of what our staff trainings look like. In this one, we talked about rapport, what it is and why it matters so much.

Rapport is just a fancy word for connection. It’s getting to know your child, what they like, how they communicate, and what helps them feel comfortable. Before we expect any learning, we focus on building that relationship first. Because when a child feels safe and connected, everything else comes easier.

Progress doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it’s one extra second of waiting, one word instead of a ...
05/13/2026

Progress doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it’s one extra second of waiting, one word instead of a behavior, or trying again after a hard moment. 🤍

Those things might feel small, but they matter. They’re signs your child is learning, growing, and building skills at their own pace.

Address

9701 Apollo Drive Ste 100
Upper Marlboro, MD
20743

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+13014564787

Website

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