Our intervention program begins with an assessment conducted by our highly skilled staff to systematically evaluate the child’s developmental skills in areas that are essential for optimal growth and learning (i.e., language, communication, observing, listening, problem-solving, reading, and writing) across environments.  In addition, because behavior is the primary mode of communication, a child’s challenging behaviors are studied to determine the communicative intent of the behavior in order to understand its function. 

After identifying a child’s skill and behavioral strengths and weaknesses, a customized curriculum and treatment program is designed to meet specific educational and developmental objectives.  Vital to a child’s success and advancement in our Competent Learner Model treatment program is the continuous monitoring of progress through data tracking in order to assess progress toward current objectives and to develop subsequent objectives.  Data tracking also serves the critical purpose of determining whether a developed skill is persisting and is being observed in a variety of environments where the skill has not specifically been taught.  The maintenance and generalization of skills are ultimate objectives of our treatment program because they provide the necessary bridge to a child’s happy and independent living. 

Treatment is typically delivered across the child’s environments (e.g., home, school, community) using one-to-one instructional methods that rely on principles of applied behavior analysis (e.g., reinforcement, differential reinforcement), direct instruction, and precision teaching to arrive at desired behavioral, educational, and adaptive goals.

Autism Connections’ expert staff is effective in delivering treatment to your child.  However, the most successful intervention program is one that extends across each of the child’s environments, in particular the family environment.  Even in the most intensive treatment program, parents spend more time with their child than do educators and treatment providers. Thus, the active and collaborative participation of parents in learning effective behavioral and teaching strategies is a key component of the Competent Learner Model and Autism Connection’s treatment program.  Parents contribute by monitoring their child’s progress, providing useful information toward treatment goals, and ensuring the extension of the treatment program into the home environment.