Comprehensive, Coordinated Services

Early identification and initiation of comprehensive child intervention and family support
Family guided IFSP process with ongoing family service coordination and autism resources
Family/Professional collaboration in service delivery decision-making process
Interdisciplinary teaming with integrated service delivery as appropriate
Comprehensive team membership including formal and informal supports for family
Consistent timetable for monitoring progress on outcomes across all service providers

Community- Based Program

Instruction and support occurs in the natural environments of the child and family
Emphasis on building capacity and problem-solving for families and community providers
Supports and specialized services provided to enhance child’s participation in everyday activities
Education and resources for community program personnel and caregivers as a team
Plan for transition to regular public school inclusive program is initiated

Flexibility in scheduling and implementation of intervention responds to child and family needs
Intensity of program is appropriate for chronological and developmental level of child, includes caregiver interventions, matches family and child needs (range~ to 20 hours per week)
Instructional program increases amount of time child is actively and productively engaged
Methodology utilized is evidence-based, consistent and coordinated among all service providers
Planned activities and routines are provided systematically in arranged environments
Adequate ratio of caregivers to child(ren) to enhance development and peer interaction
Individualized instruction occurs in caregiver-child dyads and small group interactions with peers

Comprehensive, developmental, curricular-based assessments provide general skill measures
Goals and objectives are individualized for communication, social skills, imitation, play, relationships and peer interaction
Sensory, motor, cognitive, and adaptive skills are embedded as appropriate
Functional communication is emphasized
Increased engagement and flexibility in developmentally appropriate tasks and play, including the ability to attend to and respond to the environment
Generalization is increased by teaching in family identified, child preferred naturally-occurring, meaningful activities and routines with caregivers, peers, and extended family
Objectives and instructional methods are updated monthly using monitoring methods that document observable and measurable changes in multiples settings with caregivers

Prevent development of problem behaviors or replace problem behaviors by teaching effective communication, social interactions and play
Environmental arrangement and other antecedent strategies are used to prevent behavior problems and increase initiation, interaction, and independence
Functional assessment is used to identify problem behaviors and design interventions
Principles and methods of the Individualized Support Program (Dunlap & Fox, 1999) are available to families

Provide education and training about special issues pertaining to autism and advocacy
Help families seek appropriate referrals to other professionals and resources as needed
Enhance participation of formal and informal supports among families and within the community