Yes, I'm looking for a qualified DAN! doctor for my child with ASD, please share!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:See if the early intervention program will provide these services. I live in Montgomery county MD and my DC received 10 hours ABA per week through a contract they had with CSAAC. ABA is helpful because ASD kids are not incidental learners but need lots of repetition and reinforcement. While ABA works from the outside in, don't forget to work from the inside out by getting proper medical guidance from a DAN who is also an MD/developmental ped. My child made much faster progress with ABA after we started addressing the root medical cause of his autism, which was inflammation in the brain

Can I ask how often does your child see the developmental Ped? what factor/ or how you get the doctor to check on the cause of his autism? my son's developmental ped asked us to see her again in 6 months, that's it! no further discussion on how to proceed forward except therapy recommendation.

I have the same question. I am wondering how to get further test on my son to figure out any possible cause, if he needs medication etc. How did you get the dev. ped to proceed with the brain diagnosis?

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:See if the early intervention program will provide these services. I live in Montgomery county MD and my DC received 10 hours ABA per week through a contract they had with CSAAC. ABA is helpful because ASD kids are not incidental learners but need lots of repetition and reinforcement. While ABA works from the outside in, don't forget to work from the inside out by getting proper medical guidance from a DAN who is also an MD/developmental ped. My child made much faster progress with ABA after we started addressing the root medical cause of his autism, which was inflammation in the brain

Can I ask how often does your child see the developmental Ped? what factor/ or how you get the doctor to check on the cause of his autism? my son's developmental ped asked us to see her again in 6 months, that's it! no further discussion on how to proceed forward except therapy recommendation.

See if the early intervention program will provide these services. I live in Montgomery county MD and my DC received 10 hours ABA per week through a contract they had with CSAAC. ABA is helpful because ASD kids are not incidental learners but need lots of repetition and reinforcement. While ABA works from the outside in, don't forget to work from the inside out by getting proper medical guidance from a DAN who is also an MD/developmental ped. My child made much faster progress with ABA after we started addressing the root medical cause of his autism, which was inflammation in the brain

Hi All,
My 2 year son has been diagnosed with autism and i have approached the infant and toddler early intervention. But I am interested in doing intensive ABA therapy for my son.
Can you suggest/recommend good ABA therapist in fairfax county who can do one-on-one home or class room sessions?

OP - how old is your child and where are you located? DC? VA? MD? Depending on the specific county you are in, you may be able to participate in a school-based program. We live in Fairfax County, VA, and our daughter has been in the FCPS Preschool Autism Program (PAC) since she was 2 1/2 years old. The program provides very individualized instruction (6 kids, 1 teacher, 2 instructional aids), and the program focus is ABA/VB. The program is publicly funded, and she attends a local elementary school. I know every child is different - mine thrives in this environment where she can learn not only from the teachers but from her peers and the peer models they bring in. I know that Arlington and Montgomery County have similar programs. DC does as well, although I'm not as familiar with the quality there. It's something to consider!

Little Leaves is fabulous. Couldn't recommend it more highly. They will tell you if your child can benefit from their services.

There's also the new Little Leaves program being run out of the Auburn School.

Could any one of you provide more info about Kennedy Krieger's ABA program? Whom do we need to contact and how is their waiting list?

Autism learning center out of falls church. Expensive but very good program.

www.basicsabatherapy.com provides in home services.

CSAAC provides ABA in-home therapy. It is expensive, but they are very good. If your child is younger than 3 and you live in Montgomery County, you should contact Montgomery County Infants & Toddlers and have your son evaluated. They can provide therapy for you child at no cost, although it may not be the recommended 20-40 hours/week. If your child is older than 3, then the public schools have programs for autistic children. My daughter is in the CAPP ("Collaborative Autism Pre-School Program") program at the Montgomery Primary Achievement Center, it's a very good program. Not all autistic children respond to ABA, although it's the most well-known, there are lots of other approaches available (Floortime, Son-Rise, RDI, etc.). Your child may benefit from a combination of approaches -- it all depends on their specific area of needs. The delivery system may vary, but fundamentals are the same -- some parents call it the "get in your child's face" approach. Basically, you have to actively engage them -- get them to interact with you. If you can figure out what motivates your child, you can use those motivators to reward and reinforce the behaviors you want to encourage.

Years ago I worked as an ABA therapist and for the parents it's expensive and requires a lot of time and attention. They require that a parent be present (just in the home) during the sessions, which are about 30+ hours a week for a child. Monthly sessions are then conducted with the child, therapists and parents once a month to go over what the child has learn and discuss any progress/issues etc...

It's very intense but I believe very effective. If you would like any more information (I'm not sure how much help I would be...) I would be happy to speak to you. I can be reached via e-mail at wetnoz2003@yahoo.com

Best,
Christina

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy is very effective for children with Autism or Autism related disorders. Typically developing children learn without our intervention--that is, the 'typical' environment they are born into provides the right conditions to learn language, play, and social skills; whereas, children with autism learn much, much less from the environment. They are often capable of learning, but it takes a very structured environment, one where conditions are optimized for acquiring the same skills that typical children learn 'naturally.' ABA is all about the rules for setting up the environment to enable our kids to learn.

Not sure of any places that specialize in ABA in Northern Virginia or DC, but Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore has a wonderful ABA program.

Does anyone have experience with an ABA therapist whom they would recommend? My son with autism is doing OT and I am wondering whether ABA would be helpful to add -- still not sure what the benefit/purpose of it is.