We believe it is our responsibility to address effectively the unique challenges each of our clients face. To achieve this goal, in addition to using tried and true interventions, we are continually reaching beyond what we know today, developing new approaches to teaching children with ASD.  

 

 We believe in the abilities of all children.  Children with autism and other neurological disorders are capable of far more than most people realize.  Each child has innate abilities and talents, and we capitalize on those strengths to help them overcome their learning deficits.

  
We believe a successful treatment program addresses a child’s intellectual, physical, and social development.  Each of our individually-designed programs include these components:

 

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and discrete-trial teaching activities, based on Doctor Lovaas’ program for educating children with autism, form the foundation for our Early Intervention Programs. 

• Activities designed by speech therapists to enhance speech and language development.

• Exercises developed by occupational therapists to promote gross- and fine-motor skills.

• Exercises designed by neurodevelopmental specialists to increase communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain in the effort to heal affected areas.

• Activities that promote social interaction and play with parents, siblings, and peers.

We believe in creating positive learning experiences for our clients.  Not only do we want our clients to learn, we want them to have fun along the way.  At the beginning of each program, we learn our client’s interests and integrate those interests into our learning activities, enhancing the child’s motivation to learn. 

 

 

We believe children learn best through a combination of adult- and child-led activities.  Experience has shown us that children learn best when taught through a combination of discrete-trial teaching, child-led play, incidental teaching, and natural environment teaching (NET).  Whether implementing discrete-trial teaching or integrating learning into playtime, we believe in making every minute we spend with a child a moment of quality instruction.

 

We believe children with ASD can develop meaningful relationships.  We know children with ASD are capable of developing friendships with their peers.  However, playing with adults alone will not help children with ASD play with other children.  Nor will it help them become more comfortable with their peers.  The most effective and only successful way to help children with ASD develop socially within their peer group is to provide them with multiple opportunities on a weekly basis to engage with peers.  In order to foster meaningful peer relationships, our program includes a combination of facilitated play dates, social skills groups, and interactions with peers in community and school settings. 

We believe each child deserves a treatment program custom designed to fit his or her unique abilities and needs.   As soon as we meet a client, we begin assessing his or her strengths and deficits, and then we design an individualized program for the child.  Our programs follow a developmental sequence, teaching skills in the order in which they are learned by neurotypical children. 

We believe that in order to develop effective treatment programs, Directors must work hands-on with their clients, not only observe staff-client interactions and provide consultation.

We believe that parent participation and training is a key component to the child reaching his/her potential. Milestones staff provide hands on, direct training to parents, care takers, and any other family member who wants to learn how to effectively teach the client.