AIM Services

Assessments

AIM provides behavioral, educational and psychological assessment for children and adolescents who are “at risk” for or already received the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder or other Developmental Disabilities.

AIM Early Intervention/Development Program (0 to 3 Years Old)

AIM provides an in-home early intervention program for infants and toddlers who are “at risk” for Autism Spectrum Disorders or other Developmental Disabilities. This program integrates a wide range of effective behavioral and educational treatment modalities to target specific behavioral and educational goals for the child.

          Program Structure

The infants and toddlers who enroll in the AIM Early Intervention/Development Program, is first assessed to determine their baseline functioning in areas of:

• Cognitive Skills
• Social/Emotional Skills
• Speech and Language Skills
• Communication Skills
• Play Skills
• Self-Help/Adaptive/Functional/Daily living Skills
• Motor skills
• Academic & Pre-academic Skills
• Behavioral Excesses

The AIM staff establishes goals for the child to achieve within each area of skill deficit. The goals would be written in clear and measurable terms so that the AIM staff, the parents and other service providers would be able to clearly and easily determine the child’s progress over time.

An individualized behavioral and educational program will be established for that specific child’s learning and behavioral needs, covering all of the areas of skill deficits while targeting the reduction of problematic behaviors.

AIM Early Intervention/Development Programs are established, monitored and supervised by a qualified and well trained behavior specialist. The behavior specialist trains the AIM behavioral tutors to perform the direct training for the child. All AIM staff members receive intensive training on all required treatment modalities integrated into the AIM Early Intervention/Development Programs.

Parent Training & Involvement

AIM is dedicated to working with the parents of the infants and toddlers who are newly diagnosed and/or require treatment for Developmental Disabilities. We understand the need for early intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other Developmental Disabilities. We also understand the need for the parents to be integrated into this program. The parents receive training, support and guidance from the AIM behavior specialists on a consistent basis. We also encourage the parents to actively participate in the therapy sessions to learn ways to interact with their child and to assist in skill generalization of the learned skills.

Intervention Procedures

The Early Intervention/Development Programs integrates all empirically effective treatment modalities to ensure that the child receives appropriate stimulation, training and support in the areas of skill deficit while helping the child to learn according his/her own unique way. The treatment modalities includes Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Behavior Modification, Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Teaching and Educating Autistic Children and Children with Communication Handicap (TEACCH), Social Stories, Intensive Speech and Language Training that is based on behavioral treatment methods.

Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program (3 Years & Up)

AIM offers an intensive behavioral and functional skills program for children who are 3 years and older. This program utilizes effective behavioral and educational treatment modalities to address inappropriate behaviors while teaching appropriate replacement behaviors across a variety of settings (i.e., home and the community).

Program Structure

Children who enroll in the AIM Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program, is first assessed to determine their baseline functioning in areas of:

• Social/Emotional Skills
• Speech and Language Skills
• Communication Skills
• Play & Leisure Skills
• Self-Help/Adaptive/Functional/Daily living Skills
• Behavioral Excesses

The AIM staff establishes goals for the child to achieve within each area of skill deficit. The goals would be written in clear and measurable terms so that the AIM staff, the parents and other service providers would be able to clearly and easily determine the child’s progress over time.

An individualized behavioral and educational program will be established for that specific child’s behavioral and independent functioning needs, covering all of the areas of skill deficits while targeting the reduction of problematic behaviors.

The AIM Intensive Behavioral Intervention Programs are established, monitored and supervised by a qualified and well trained behavior specialist. The behavior specialist trains the AIM behavioral tutors to perform the direct training for the child. All AIM staff members receive intensive training on all required treatment modalities integrated into the AIM Early Intervention/Development Programs.

Parent Training & Involvement

AIM is dedicated to working with the parents with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other Developmental Disabilities. We understand the need for the parents to be integrated into and be actively involved in this program. The parents receive training, support and guidance from the AIM behavior specialists on a consistent basis. We also encourage the parents to actively participate in the therapy sessions to learn ways to interact with their child and to assist in skill generalization of the learned skills.

Intervention Procedures

The Early Intervention/Development Programs integrates all empirically effective treatment modalities to ensure that the child receives appropriate stimulation, training and support in the areas of skill deficit while helping the child to learn according his/her own unique way. The treatment modalities includes Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Behavior Modification, Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Teaching and Educating Autistic Children and Children with Communication Handicap (TEACCH), Social Stories, Intensive Speech and Language Training that is based on behavioral treatment methods.

Social Skills & Life Skills Training

AIM offers individualized and group based social skills training to address social and daily functioning of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other Developmental Disabilities. Our program teaches social awareness and tolerance, understand friendships, play and cooperative skills, perspective taking, empathy, theory of mind and social language necessary for our children to navigate through social interactions with their peers and with other people they encounter. This program also targets teaching children to self-regulate, become more assertive and find ways to decrease anxiety and/or depression.

AIM also offers individualized and group based life skills training to assist higher functioning older children and adolescents to develop skills to become increasingly more independent in their daily functioning. They will learn ways to organize themselves and to develop executive functioning skills (sequential method of thinking things through) with familiar and practiced situations. They will also practice life skills with a coach, such as riding a bus, making phone calls, ordering and buying food at a restaurant, budget own money and write a check book.

In-School Intervention Programs

AIM assists families and school personnel in creating effective educational programs for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities.

School-Based Services Includes:

• Educational, psychological & behavioral assessments
• Assist in the development of Individualized Education Plans (IEP)
• Development of individualized behavior intervention/support plans
• Consultation & supervision of DTT and PRT programs
• Classroom consultations for 1:1 and small group instructions
• Educational staff training and in-services on autism spectrum disorders, ABA, and educational & behavioral treatment modalities.
• Provide shadow aide or programming and monitoring for 1:1 educationally and behavioral intervention programs.

Training, Consultation & In-Services

AIM provides training, consultation and in-services to parents and mental health service providers on topics relating to autism spectrum disorders, behavioral and educational treatment modalities and social skills training for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Individual & Family Psychotherapy

AIM offers cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for high-functioning children, adolescents and adults with ASD and other developmental disabilities and their families to address anxiety, depression, organizational skills, social skills and daily functioning skills.