Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by impairments in three core areas: communication, social interaction, and stereotyped, restricted patterns of behavior. While there is a long list of possible Autism interventions, behavioral methods for addressing these deficits have been recognized as the most effective treatment approaches to date.
Partners offers a multidisciplinary approach to teaching children with Autism. Methods of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) are a mixture of teaching techniques based on the science of behaviorism to address a broad spectrum of functional behaviors. These methods are used by our staff to teach children with autism in at least six ways:
- Increase communication to improve children’s ability to socialize and interact.
- Teach new skills to instill children with more confidence.
- Maintain treatment gains to produce sustainable results.
- Generalize or transfer behaviors from one situation or response to another to help children gain self-assurance.
- Restrict/narrow conditions under which interfering behaviors occur so that children have more opportunities to display successful, appropriate responses.
- Reduce interfering behaviors so that children experience more acceptance within their family, peer group and community.
