Our Programs

Curriculum
The curriculum is individualized for each child. It builds on each child's existing skills and addresses deficits. The program's emphasis is on interaction, and effectiveness is continually monitored in order to maximize the child's progress. The key curriculum areas attempt to address the child's developmental areas such as social, cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor and self-help.

In general, the ASN curriculum addresses challenges in the following ways:

Communication
A good part of the child's program in the early years is aimed at developing communication skills. Children are encouraged to use verbal communication - speech -and are taught how to identify people and objects and how to express their needs. Our speech & language therapy team helps therapists to develop appropriate programs to encourage speech and communication.

Play
All children will have play programs as part of their one-to-one work and will be taught precise play skills with a range of toys. During playtime, the child is encouraged to play appropriately on the play equipment. They will also learn turn taking and peer play skills.

Maintaining and generalizing skills
When a child has learned a skill and moved on to another one, the existing skill is placed on maintenance. The teaching breaks down tasks, even simple ones, into a series of steps, each step preparing the way for the next. Success is reinforced with consistent praise and rewards that motivate each particular child, so that the small segments of learning gradually build up into an understood and meaningful "whole". Children with autism need to frequently practice previously learned skills in order to retain/maintain them. In addition, skills which have been learned by the children are generalized around the house and surrounding area. So if, for instance, a child has learned to say "tree" when presented with a picture of a tree, then a staff member might take the child to look at a tree.

Handling difficult behaviors
Children with autism can display challenging behaviors which disrupt their learning. In dealing with challenging behaviors, therapists will use the least intrusive and most natural technique that is effective. The aim is to reduce unwanted behaviors and to increase desirable ones by encouragement and praise (positive reinforcement). Where a child is in danger of hurting himself or someone else, they will be safeguarded.

Monitoring children's progress
Central to good practice in ABA is that decisions regarding the child's progress and the next teaching steps are data driven. Therapists collect data for each child's program and the Supervisory Team monitors the child's progress and supports therapists in developing programs that facilitate learning. Skills the child has learned are recorded for parents in a report, and information is also given about the child's general progress and behavior.

The parents' role
The role of parents is essential in helping children gain the most from their therapy. Full and regular information is provided on each child's progress and behavior and parents are encouraged to support and help generalize skills learned during therapy sessions. The more that ASN's therapists and parents work together, the faster each child will learn appropriate behaviors and new skills.