1 min read: I've been asked by a few people as of late to elaborate a bit on the behavioral help available to families with children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. ABA Therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis) has grown in popularity since the late 1980's because of its evidence based best practice treatment as indicated by the US Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association.
The practice involves individualized programs based on a strict assessment of a child's needs whereby a trained (typically masters or PhD level) therapist uses their expertise in observing and promoting behavior to help an individual learn important social and academic skills that he/she may not otherwise have learned in their natural environment.
The therapy is not cookie cutter and often times involves intensive programs of up to 40 hours or more per week of learning in a combination of natural environment and one-on-one settings.
For more information I would suggest starting at autismspeaks.org as they have an abundance of resources for therapies.
richard@harkera.com