The Center offers a range of services for individuals who are experiencing learning difficulties. Clients request a psycho-educational Diagnostic Evaluation, which includes an initial parent or client interview, formal and informal assessment, a final conference for reporting preliminary findings, and a written report with findings and recommendations. If a learning disability is identified through testing, clients become eligible for a period of Diagnostic Teaching, which is a limited intervention designed to determine the most effective means of remediation. Finally, Remediation Services are available to children with learning disabilities who wish to be seen in our clinic on a weekly basis. The primary objective of remediation is to address areas of underachievement identified during the diagnostic evaluation by implementing and expanding on the findings of the diagnostic teaching team. School Advocacy services for clinic clients are available upon request.
Diagnostic Evaluation
Learning Disabilities Evaluation
The goal of the evaluation is to determine whether learning disabilities in oral language, reading, writing, mathematics, or nonverbal functioning are interfering with daily functioning, academic achievement, or professional activities. The learning evaluation consists of two days of formal and informal testing, including an initial parent interview and a final conference. The evaluation is carried out by a team, including a clinical faculty member and graduate students. Following the evaluation, a written report is provided detailing the findings of the assessment. A comprehensive list of recommendations is included with each report.
Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation
The Multi-Disciplinary evaluation is designed for children for whom both language and learning issues appear to be impacting academic performance or daily functioning. This assessment includes the collaboration of a Speech and Language Pathology team and Psychologist. The testing duration is two and a half days, including an initial parent interview and a final conference. Following the evaluation, a written report is provided detailing the findings of the assessment. A comprehensive list of recommendations is included with each report.
Diagnostic Teaching
The Diagnostic Teaching phase of intervention is designed to determine the most effective methodologies for addressing underachievement in a child diagnosed at our facility. It consists of two to four one-hour sessions with members of the Diagnostic Teaching team. Clients interested in remediation services at our clinic are required to attend a series of Diagnostic Teaching sessions.
Remediation Services
The goal of Remediation Services is to improve functioning in areas of underachievement, such as reading or written language. Although schoolwork can sometimes be integrated into the remediation curriculum, these services differ from tutoring in that assistance with homework is not provided. The remediation team is comprised of a clinical faculty member and a graduate student who collaborate on the content and implementation of the remedial program. Remediation Services consist of weekly or biweekly sessions with the remediation team, which remains constant throughout the quarter. Reports explaining goals, rationales, and procedures are provided quarterly.
School Advocacy
For clients who have received diagnostic or remedial services at our center, we offer our services at school staffing. When desired, a faculty member can be available to attend educational meetings, provide information as necessary and guidance as requested.
As part of the remediation experience, each undergraduate and graduate student works one-on-one with children who have a variety of learning difficulties, including reading, writing, and math disabilities. Weekly meetings with clinical faculty provide time for reflection and collaboration regarding goals and lesson plans. Students are closely coached and supervised throughout remediation, ensuring a positive experience for both students and clients.
Along with Learning Differences we are also providing the following Autism Services which are listed below
Assessments
Our team of licensed psychologists and highly trained doctoral level assessors design testing batteries based on the individual needs of each referred client to best inform treatment programming and improve daily functioning in home, academic, social, and professional environments.
Speech Therapy
Children with ASD are most likely to be in need of speech therapy, because of the lack of social and interactive abilities. So a speech therapist uses different techniques to develop the language ability of the child and develop their functional communication skills.
Behavior Therapy
Almost everyone with ASD has at least some challenging behavior. These may range from the odd to the self-injurious to the truly dangerous. Autistic people may also find undesirable ways to avoid doing somethings. A behavior specialist suggests appropriate change and/or interventions; and troubleshoots until the interventions are successful.
Occupational Therapy
Autistic children may lack the basic personal and social skills required for independent living. Occupational therapists help them in developing these skills through specialized techniques. They might also work with their clients’ social and community skills.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists assist preschoolers and school-aged children with ASD in becoming safe in their environments, climbing the stairs and help children acquire the motor skills necessary to play in the playground or participate in physical education classes with their peers.
Remedial Teaching
Remedial education also known as developmental education, basic skills education, compensatory education, preparatory education, and academic upgrading, is assigned to assist students in order to achieve expected competencies in core academic skills such as literacy and numeracy.
Discrete Trial Teaching
In this intervention, a discriminative stimulus is presented, the child responds, and then the child receives a reward based on the response. DTT often incorporates the use of errorless learning, shaping, modeling, prompting, facing, correction, and reinforcement to encourage skill achievement. In DTT skills are taught in small, repeated steps.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
PECS is an augmentative communication strategy designed for individuals with expressive language deficits. Individuals are trained to exchange picture cards for desired items, which the therapist pairs with a verbal label for the item.
Sensory Integration Therapy
This therapy aims to help children with sensory issues. This therapy is carried out by exposing the children to sensory stimulation in a structured and repetitive way.
FLOOR TIME/DIR
It is also called “Developmental Individual Difference Relationship- based model”. Floor time is a play therapy. It encourages parents to engage with children by getting on the floor to play.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
It has been used to positively impact lives for decades. It is considered very effective in teaching skills to children with autism. ABA utilizes the principles of the science to positively reinforce behaviors that the team (parents, BCBA, SLP, and the child, if possible) determines should increase (appropriate communication, self-management, social skills, etc.) and withdraw positive reinforcement from behaviors that the team determines should not increase (crying to get items, hitting to avoid tasks, etc.) while teaching across multiple skill domains.
Behavior change is a process based on the history of reinforcement, behavior change may be relatively fast, it may take months, or sometimes it can take years. Skill building for children with autism takes time. Children with autism may not learn from their environment. Therefore, at least initially, every skill must be individually taught using the principles of ABA.
TEACCH PROGRAM (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children)
(Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children)It is an evidence based training and research program for individuals of all ages and skill level with ASD. Structured TEACCHing includes:
- Physical Organization.
- Individualized Schedules.
- Work (activity) System
- Visual structure of materials in tasks and activities
The goal of Structured TEACCHing is to promote meaningful engagement in activities, flexibility, independence, and self-efficacy.