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| A home-based programme provides each child with an
individualized treatment plan that is derived from an autism-specific
curriculum. Initially a programme develops the learning readiness skills of
attention, imitation and co-operation. Through the acquisition
of these skills a child "learns how to learn." |
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| Each programme targets the development of skills
from different areas of learning, including communication, language,
socialization, play, abstract conceptualization and school readiness. A
data-driven teaching approach allows for on-going evaluation of each child's
learning pace and style from which appropriate prompting levels, reinforcement
schedules and programme content can be determined. Regular parent meetings take
place in order to discuss the generalization of skills outside of the therapy
room and into everyday family life. CEAT is committed to providing functional,
meaningful programmes, the content of which fun and rewarding for both the child
and the family. |
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ATTENTION
Attention to learning and to people is taught through
activities such as imitation, matching and puzzles. Imitation plays a key role
in developing new skills through observational learning. By increasing a child's
ability to jointly attend to an activity and to copy from their peers we
increase the likelihood that they will learn from group instruction.
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LANGUAGE
Children learn to understand and use
simple language by following directions and labeling familiar people, objects
and actions. More advanced language skills focus on function, feature and
classification and the ability to respond to and use "wh" questions and to
engage in conversation. |
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COMMUNICATION
Communication is an essential skill
for all children to develop. Communication can be through speech, picture
exchange or sign language and it is exceptionally important that a child is
taught to communicate through repeated opportunities which result in positive
reinforcement. The development of a communication system empowers a child.
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SOCIALIZATION
Children are taught to participate in
small group activities in which they take turns with parents, siblings and
peers. Programmes and support systems are introduced teach children to initiate
and respond to greetings, to comment on events and to show interest in another
child. Programmes also aim to develop a child's understanding of non-verbal
communication, thereby promoting joint attention. |
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PLAY
Play is fundamental to the way a child
learns therefore we aim to incorporate a very high level of play into all the
children's programmes. Children learn to play with toys functionally and to
engage in gross motor and turn-taking games. Pretend, symbolic and imaginative
play is targeted throughout a variety of fun activities.
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SELF-CARE
Independent daily living skills are
taught through "shaping" and "chaining" of target behaviours identified in a
task analysis. This detailed approach to skills such as dressing, eating,
toileting and washing allows for a child to learn to accomplish self-help skills
without becoming frustrated or reliant upon high levels of
prompting. |
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ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION
Developing a child's ability to
understand abstract concepts advances their ability to understand the
complexities of language, to think about an event, to evaluate and to make a
decision based upon the facts. More advanced programmes focus on
semantic-pragmatics skills and executive
functioning. |
SCHOOL READINESS
Once children have "learned how to
learn" they require the skills to be able to follow a classroom structure,
attend to group instruction, complete work independently and play with their
peers. Further to this, programmes introduce children to the early stages of
reading, writing, counting and art activities. |
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