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Integrated Development Services offers intensive in-home services to Wisconsin children through regional teams located in Madison, Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Appleton, Green Bay, LaCrosse, and Eau Claire.
Our program adheres to the best practice guidelines set forth in the National Research Council report, Educating Children with Autism (2001), which recommends:
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early intervention
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intensive year-round intervention: 25+ hours per week, 12 months per year
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daily individualized (1:1) attention
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data-guided goal-setting and program development
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goals that focus on functional, spontaneous communication; play skills; cognitive development; problem behaviors; functional academic skills, as appropriate
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In-Home Curriculum
Our Intensive In-Home Autism Program is designed for families who want an intensive, play-based, relationship-focused approach to autism intervention, and who want to be active partners in their child’s treatment program.
We teach new skills in the context of natural play routines and daily activities, rather than teaching skills in isolation and later gerneralizing them to "real life" contexts. We build mutually pleasurable joint activitiy routines within natural activities that procide opportunities to develop communication, social, self-regulation, and learning skills. Most of the time, our teaching approach includes a responsive/facilitative teaching style and flexible session structure. We also use more systematice instruction as needed to teach targeted skills.
Our core strategies draw from the following manualized, evidence-based approaches: Responsive Teaching (Mahoned & MacDonald), the Early Start Denver Model (Rogers & Dawson), SCERTS program (Prizant, Wetherby, et al), and Pivotal Response Training (Koegel & Koegel). In addition, our treatment program has always relied upon principles of applied behavior analysis. We define behaviors in observable, measureable terms in order to assess change over time. We analyze environments to identify factors that influence the child's behavior. We routinely use task analysis, functional behavior assessment, positive behavioral supports, and other behavioral principles in our everyday work.
We rely upon a database of goals informed by developmental theory and designed to improve a child's functioning in daily life. Goals are selected after doing an assessment of the child's current funtioning, the child's immediate needs in daily life, and parent priorities. Goals are organized into five "competency areas" which include:
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Regulation
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Communication
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Relationship Skills
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Learning
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Daily Living Skills
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