Early Intervention
Early Intervention at Morning Star ABA Therapy includes infants, toddlers and children ranging in age from 12 months to 4 years who have been diagnosed with autism or other related disabilities.The focus of early intervention is on communication, developing social relationships, learning, and interacting with their families and peers and achieving developmental milestones. Our Early intervention programs main goal is to minimize the impact the disability has on a child's and their family's life. Early intervention both remediates existing developmental problems and can help prevent their occurrence. We imbed ABA goals within fun, enjoyable games and play in order to capture each child’s motivation and maximize their success. Relationship and rapport building is essential to our early intervention program; this helps facilitate trust, motivation and learning. Parents are taught ABA tactics and interventions to implement with their children in the home environment. Beginning early intervention as soon as a diagnosis is given is vital to achieving the best long term outcomes for your child. Many study's have shown the beneficial long term effects of beginning early intervention as early as possible, while children's brains are still so malleable. In the preschool years learning is the most rapid so it is vital to capitalize on this developmental stage to maximize learning.
Early Intervention Focus
Our early intervention program focus is on creating opportunities for the child to positively interact with others in their natural environment. A large focus in on teaching our clients that they can get their needs and wants met through others by using the appropriate verbal and non-verbal behavior. This process pairs other people with the clients preferred reinforcers which helps to make people more reinforcing to the child and helps build social relationships. Problem behavior reduction is also a goal of early intervention as well as teaching appropriate replacement behaviors to problem behaviors. Imitation and basic learning skills are focused on as well, as these are imperative to learning in all areas.
The following areas have been identified as vital skills to develop in children with autism spectrum disorders and are components of our early intervention programs:
The following areas have been identified as vital skills to develop in children with autism spectrum disorders and are components of our early intervention programs:
- Following directions
- Developmental milestones
- Receptive and expressive language
- Functional, pretend, interactive and parallel play
- Attending skills
- Functional communication
- Problem behavior reduction
- Joint attention
- Teaching alternatives to problem behavior
- Potty training and self care skills
- Phobia desensitization
- Imitation
- Social relationships
- Pre-academics
Early Detection
Early detection is the first step to early diagnosis and intervention. The following is an excerpt from Autism Speaks found at http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/learn-signs
The following "red flags" may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. If your child exhibits any of the following, please don’t delay in asking your pediatrician or family doctor for an evaluation:
The following "red flags" may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. If your child exhibits any of the following, please don’t delay in asking your pediatrician or family doctor for an evaluation:
- No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
- No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months
- No babbling by 12 months
- No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
- No words by 16 months
- No meaningful two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months
- Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age