Our Program

Our programs include the following two main components: Reductive Behavior Component and Teaching Component. These two components work together to replace maladaptive behaviors with newly learned appropriate skills.

The Reductive Behavior Component

We focus on reducing the maladaptive behaviors that do not serve our autistic-spectrum disorder (ASD) children well by using behavior modification strategies. In other words, our goal is that behaviors such as aggression and self-stimulation are reduced while children are taught more adaptive, age appropriate replacement skills such as attending and compliance. As children acquire more skills, behaviors are generally reduced.

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The Teaching Component

In behavior modification therapy, we use positive and negative consequences to regulate and teach behaviors in the child’s areas of deficit. Below are examples of areas we target for children on the spectrum based upon their individual areas of need.

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Play Skills

A child’s “job” is to play. Children with autism typically show a variety of deficits in this area, ranging from inappropriate toy play, obsessive rituals and rigidity with toys and/or games. In addition, children on the spectrum often have difficulty accepting others into their play schemas. Deficits in joint attention can be seen as early as 12-18 months in children with autism and can result in a failure to “connect” with others during a variety of activities in play. The ASC Play Program teaches everything from simple imitative play to more abstract dramatic, interactive play in order for children to learn essential skills that can be used to replace inappropriate behaviors and as a way to socialize with others.

Recent research in the neurology of autism show impaired mirror functions. In order for a child to interact successfully and to acquire a repertoire of both play and language skills, a child must imitate their partner. Our program begins with simple imitation skills, usually with cause and effect toys, and progresses to include symbolic play, cooperative play, and finally, socio-dramatic pretend play. The Play Skills Program will also include appropriate independent play, so that the child can correctly engage with typical toys and environmental stimuli. The ASC staff receives additional training in a variety of play methodologies and can utilize them effectively to inspire and instruct children in this area.

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Academics

Teaching pre-academic and academic skills is a key component of ASC’s overall behavioral program. Students on the spectrum begin by working on key pre-academic skills, from matching to sample, categorization, knowledge of colors, shapes, objects and their functions, and community helpers. As the children master concepts, the curriculum parallels age-appropriate developmental concepts which helps prepare the child to enter into a school learning environment. With our older clients, we typically offer academic support, including adaptations and modifications to state standards in all areas of instruction. Many school-aged children receive support in school, as well as in-home, in order to facilitate grade level work. The ASC supervisory staff work in conjunction with school personnel, regular education teachers, special education and Resource Specialists to provide support and instruction as needed.

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Self Help

Functional, age appropriate self-help skills are systematically taught. These skills range from dressing to toileting skills and behaviors. Typically, a Task Analysis is conducted, in order to assess the level of independent functioning within the many self-help domains. Skills such as dressing, feeding, eating and toilet-training are taught. This area typically includes Parent Training, so that the parents and other primary care-givers are able to participate, and teach these crucial life-skills.

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Language

Language skills, ranging from functional communication to pragmatic social language, are taught and then generalized. This part of the program is usually heavily emphasized, especially at the onset of treatment. ASC works in conjunction with other clinicians, especially Speech and Language Pathologist, to develop age-appropriate, developmental targets for our clients. Language skills can be broken down into Speech, which includes articulation and production, including apraxia and other oral motor deficits, and Language, which includes syntax (word order), semantics (word meaning), morphology (grammatical structures) and pragmatics (the use of language for social interactions). Children with autism usually have delays in several areas of expressive or spoken language and may also have delays in receptive language (comprehension).

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Behaviors

The cornerstone of any behavior program is behavior management. Research supports the notion that when a child is engaging in maladaptive behavior, learning and play can not occur simultaneously. ASC has been a vendor of the Regional Center for Persons with Disabilities (in San Diego and Orange Counties, as well as Inland Regional Center) since 2000. As vendors of the Regional Centers, we are able to provide behavior modification services to a wide variety of consumers. The in-home, one-on-one behavior modification program typically consists of 8-10 hours a week of direct one to one instruction, supported by parent training and clinical supervision of the program by a Master’s level Case Supervisor. The focus of these programs is in four specific areas: Communication, Adaptive Behaviors (self-help skills), Play and Leisure, and Behavior Management.

In addition to after-school programs, ASC provides services to school districts statewide in the area of behavior management. Most often, a functional assessment of problem behaviors is conducted. This assessment is a systematic way of gathering pertinent information such as where, when and why behaviors are being utilized by the child. If one holds the belief that behaviors are a form of communication, it is is our job to determine the function and communicative intent of inappropriate behaviors, and attempt to alter that behavior and replace it with more appropriate language and/or behavioral responses.

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Socialization

Once play skills are learned, socialization with peers is taught, beginning with play dates and then into the community during everyday settings.

The Play Program systematically builds in play with peers, in order to move towards the goal of appropriate socialization. Socialization usually emerges at first with the behavioral therapist, and then begins to generalize to peers in the home, and then expands outwards to include community and school environments. Once skills are learned in a one to one setting, they can be expanded into ever increasing child and partner ratios, ultimately allowing the child access to socialization opportunities in a variety of settings. For those children who require more structured learning and practice, ASC provides several different social skills groups.

The Circle of Friends program is a multi-gender, multi-age social skills group. This group targets a variety of important social and emotional issues. It also provides a positive learning environment where reinforcement for newly acquired skills are provided and generalized.

The Teenage Boys Detective Club focuses on age-appropriate activities and skills. It provides the teenage boys with opportunities to form friendships, practice skills and participate in a variety of exciting activities within their community. Lead by two male behavioral therapists, who act as mentors and friends, this group has proven highly successful. In addition to the boys’ activities, the parents of the participants are given the opportunity to meet with a Clinical Supervisor and spend time discussing the many issues that face adolescents on the spectrum.

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Motor Skills

Both gross and fine motor skills are taught in order to promote self-help and school readiness. The ASC Supervisory staff will frequently work in conjunction with other service professionals such as Occupational and Physical therapists. In the fine motor domain, the program targets typically include manipulatives and practice with utensils and other small objects. It also targets drawing and writing, including the Handwriting Without Tears program. Gross or large motor movements such as riding bikes and playing sports are also systematically instructed.

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Theory of Mind

Theory of Mind involves impairments in perspective taking abilities and its social consequences. This skill area has been well-researched and documented since the 1980's. In order to effectively assess and target this specific impairment, the field of Applied Behavioral Analyses has expanded to include more Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy approaches. This is important for school aged children and those in inclusive settings, teaching children with autism to understand and interpret others’ actions, thoughts and feelings is a difficult, but essential part of treatment at the later stages of therapy.

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Cognition and Executive Functioning

Teaching flexibility and self regulation skills is crucial for mainstream educational success. Studies have shown that children with autism, as well as those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders and frontal-lobe injuries, have Executive Functioning deficits. This typically results in difficulty with planning, monitoring and working towards a goal. These deficits often manifest themselves in failure to organize and maintain on-task behavior. They may also cause a strict adherence to rigid, seemingly non-functional routines. Typically, parents and teachers of school-aged children and adolescents on the spectrum have the most difficulty with this area, and therefore ASC teaches compensatory strategies and improvements in executive functioning skills. In young children who are receiving behavioral intervention services with ASC, these skills are slowly built into the therapy program in order for more fluidity and flexibility later in the child’s academic and social career.

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Generalization

Once skills from all of the above areas are taught, they need to be generalized across people and environments. Studies have indicated that without systematic instruction, many skills fail to generalize independently. As such, the ASC program specifically targets generalization within the home and school therapy programs. Data is collected and analyzed to ensure that skills are not artificially mastered, but rather acquired and then included into the child’s behavioral repertoire, and then generalized to other staff, stimuli and learning environments.

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Workshops

We are able to provide “workshop services” for clients who live in other states, countries or areas we do not currently serve.

Initial Workshop

For families beginning ABA programs, an initial training day will usually begin the workshop. This day may be shared with other families and consists of an overview of autism, ABA, how to do Discrete Trial Therapy and behavior management. All family members, student therapists and any other relevant professionals who will be working with the child are encouraged to attend. New student therapists must attend this day in order to work with the child.

The initial training can be divided into two days or may be done in one day. For workshops being conducted for more than one family, it is highly recommended that this training be conducted over two to three days.

Following the training, an additional day (6 hours) will be devoted to implementing the drills set up for the individual child.

The Initial Workshop will be conducted by one of the Clinical Directors or a Case Supervisor, who will be the consultant following the workshop.

Follow-Up Workshop

After the initial workshop, your consultant will set up a schedule for phone conferences, video reviews and drill report reviews so that you have as much contact as necessary to maintain your program. Follow-up workshops are done on an “as-needed” basis and can range in frequency from one to three months.

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Getting Started with ASC

If you are interested in our services, please contact us.

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