Central Florida Autism Institute Home     Upcoming Events     Center for Applied Behavior Analysis & Therapy Camp CABAT     Other Resource Links     Who We Are     Contact Center for Applied Behavior Analysis & Therapy CFAII in collaboration with Holladay Child Development Services, LLC announces the opening of the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis & Therapy (CABAT Center) at 1525 South Florida Avenue, Suite 2, Lakeland, FL 33803 in January 2009. Applied Behavior Analysis Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the design, implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications to produce socially significant improvements in human behavior. ABA is the process of applying interventions based on the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors. Specifically, it is a systematic approach to the assessment and evaluation of behavior and the applications of interventions. ABA includes measurement, direct observation, and a functional analysis of the relations between the environment and behavior. The basic framework utilizes the manipulation of antecedents and consequences of behavior in order to teach new skills, replacement behaviors, and eliminate inappropriate behaviors. The manipulation of antecedents and consequences and their effects on behavior are known as the three-term contingency, which can be further explained as follows: A --> B --> C Antecedents (A) precede a behavior (B) and consequences (C) follow a behavior. Program Components         Behavior management Social skills Academics Engagement Daily living Inclusion Parent education   Center-based therapy In-home therapy (based on availability) Intern program with local colleges & universities toilet training communication & language development play & toy engagement Academics Our Methodology All children within the autism spectrum are unique and each child has their own particular learning style, which varies from child to child. Children within the spectrum require individualized instruction targeting his or her learning style. One program does not meet the needs for all children within the autism spectrum; rather each child has different skills, abilities, interests, and deficits. Research has proven that utilizing each child skills and adapting teaching methods and procedures we will be better able to meet their learning style and show improved outcomes. Our procedures and teaching methods are based on research and findings of B.F. Skinner, following the notion that "all language can be classified, and then taught, in a set of functional units" and that "language is behavior that is primarily caused by environmental variables such as reinforcement, motivation, and punishment." Following this belief our curriculum is based on Skinner's teachings and book Verbal Behavior and further teachings and manuals of Teaching Language to Children With Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities and The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (The ABLLS) by Mark Sundberg, PhD and James Partington, PhD. Our methods involve the applications of ABA, which is the design, implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications to produce socially significant improvements in human behavior. ABA includes the use of direct observation, measurement, and functional analysis of the relations between the environment and behavior. Our curriculum incorporates these teaching procedures in all areas of instruction including, language training, skill acquisition, behavior programs, child engagement, and social interactions. Parents and families are expected to be involved in the learning and therapeutic process and procedures and techniques will be incorporated in the child's home and within the community in order to ensure socially significant improvements and generalization of skills. ABA Curriculum and Procedures Our curriculum is based on The ABLLS manual (mentioned above), which incorporates both the principles outlined in Skinner's Verbal Behavior and additional skill areas found in research that are required in order for mastery and complete language development. The manual includes an extensive list of skill areas including communication, cooperation, play, academics, and self-help. Using this manual, we develop an individualized program for each child targeting different skill areas and as each skill is mastered new skills are introduced. The curriculum is developmentally sequenced and implementation is based on progress of the child. Using ABA principles, teaching methods will include one-on-one behavior intervention, small group pairing for social interactions, and verbal behavior based therapy using discrete trial training and the natural learning environment. Daily Schedule and Therapy Sessions The schedule will be based on the individual needs of the child. Each child's day may vary in duration and frequency of therapy sessions. Duration and frequency of sessions is based on the child's age and current level of learning. Therapy sessions will be provided by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst (BCABA), and/or trained behavior therapist. Interns from local colleges will assist in shadowing and data collection. For more information regarding ABA services, Email. Insurance and Payment Information ABA therapy is private pay at this time, anticipated insurance coverage in April 2009 for reimbursement, check with your private insurance company for more information. Medicaid Waiver provider approval is pending but not accepted at this time. Fast ForWard About The Software The Fast ForWord program, which was created by Scientific Learning, develops brain processing efficiency through intensive, adaptive exercises. Fast ForWord products offer tested, real-world results for educators and specialists around the globe. Fast ForWord software assumes children with auditory processing disorders almost always have at least mild working memory and attention issues -- these skills lag because they have not been adequately exercised due to the lower quality auditory input. Its main goal is to increase auditory processing and related memory and attention skills to natural language speed. It adapts to each child. It stress-tests a wide number of skills, moving quickly through the exercises that are not needed so that a student is working only on his or her specific learning needs. Targeted Skills Fast ForWord develops and strengthens 4 main skills: Auditory processing. Inaccurate listening impacts following instruction in class and reading -- sounding out in younger ones and reading comprehension and fluency later on. Working memory. Poor retention impedes reading comprehension and following instruction in class. Attention stamina. An inability to stay engaged while reading (and in class) is common in children with any kind of auditory processing issue. Sequencing. Consonants, sentences and expressive thought all require the ability to sequence with ease. Memory, attention, processing rate, and sequencing are the cognitive skills essential for learning and reading success. The strengthening of these skills results in a wide range of improved critical language and reading skills such as phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, working memory, syntax, grammar, and other skills necessary to learn how to read or to become a better reader. How The Program Works Fast ForWord automates and strengthens the same way an athlete builds muscle memory, through repetition. Each day the student is prompted to make hundreds of increasingly more complex decisions in quick succession, using the neuroscience principles of frequency & intensity, and shaping -- progressing in tiny incremental steps. Once mastered, these new skills are used everyday and so they endure, making this one-time program a compelling alternative to tutoring which tends to require an ongoing commitment. Four key components of our technology-based intervention work together to create the dramatic changes in brain function required to achieve universal literacy: Frequency and Intensity - Neuroscience research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intense time frame accelerates learning Adaptivity - Exercises adapt with each key stroke to individual skill levels and responses, keeping students continuously challenged but not frustrated Simultaneous Development - Exercises develop major cognitive and reading skills simultaneously to produce lasting improvements in learning Timely Motivation - Tiered rewards are designed to maximize motivation from start to finish. The Research Fast ForWord research combines the ground-breaking cognitive research of Paula Tallal on how children read and learn with Neuroscientist Dr. Merzenich's work on brain plasticity and how best to coax the brain to adapt and learn differently. This powerful, research based approach has vaulted Fast ForWord into a leading position in the neuroscience world and stands in contrast to most educational software which is developed based on what seems to work, generally lacking in scientific underpinnings. The most common cause of poor listening accuracy is that the brain does not process fast enough to discriminate between sounds. To improve reading, Scientific Learning came up with a simple idea: when you teach a child to hit a baseball you start slow then speed-up - why not do the same with the brain? They created Fast ForWord, a slow pitch machine for the brain. This software is the first and so far only program based on neuro-scientific principles developed by founder of Fast ForWord, Dr. Merzenich. At regular intervals students receive unexpected surprises in the form of fun activity on the screen or sounds. These surprises are designed to produce a spike in norepinephrine, activity that promotes brain change. Many of the exercises focus on memory in conjunction with other skills. Fast ForWord does this to encourage the brain as a system to reorganize. Every minute of computer time is productive, every minute working toward improved learning. The Programs Fast ForWord software consists of a LANGUAGE & LITERACY Series and a READING Series. The LANGUAGE and LITERACY products build foundational reading and language skills by exercising the brain to process more efficiently, the way physical workouts train the body to be more fit and strong. Language Basics Prepares students for the listening and attentional demands of classroom instruction, with a focus on sound sequencing, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, pattern recognition, and color-shape identification. Language v2 Moves elementary students toward grade level reading skills, with a focus on listening accuracy, phonological awareness, and language structures. Language to Reading v2 Emphasizes the link between spoken and written language to guide elementary students to become proficient grade level readers. Literacy Moves middle and high school students toward grade level reading skills, with a focus on listening accuracy, phonological awareness, and language structures. Literacy Advanced Designed to appeal to middle and high school students while strengthening their processing efficiency so they can establish a foundation for learning. The READING products increase processing efficiency and build critical reading skills so districts get the most from their existing instructional approach. Reading Prep (Elementary level) Builds pre-reading skills, with a focus on letter recognition and naming, phonological awareness, and letter-sound associations. Reading Level 1 (Elementary level) Builds critical early reading skills, with an emphasis on phonemic awareness, early decoding skills, vocabulary knowledge and skills, and motivation for reading. Reading Level 2 (Elementary/Middle/High School level) Consolidates early reading skills, with a focus on applying phonics and decoding strategies, improving word recognition, and understanding the rules for reading comprehension. Reading Level 3 (Elementary/Middle/High School level) Builds on the Fast ForWord Reading Level 2 product by concentrating on reading knowledge and fluency, with a focus on phonology and spelling, morphological properties and complexity, syntactic complexity, vocabulary and comprehension. Reading Level 4 (Middle/High School level) Expands reading skills by applying knowledge of word origins, word forms, sentence structures, and punctuation rules to improve comprehension. Reading Level 5 (Middle/High School level) Appropriate for students in upper elementary, middle and high school. It concentrates on enhancing advanced reading comprehension and expanding vocabulary skills. Language and Learning Issues Fast ForWard Addresses Expressive Language. This might be speech delays in children, limited vocabulary, poor articulation, weak conversational skills or an older child with weak vocabulary or comprehension. Receptive Language, i.e., difficulties following multi-step instructions or inability to engage in class. Retention, working memory -- the ability to retain teacher or parent instruction and/or hold what is read. Focus, attention deficits -- the ability to stay engaged in class, to study independently or while reading. Auditory processing -- the ability to process (hear and understand) language at natural language speed. If a child cannot do this, and many cannot, the world is coming at them too fast leading to avoidance behavior and a lot of missed opportunities to learn. Fast ForWard And Autism How Fast ForWord helps autism spectrum disorders. The scientists at Fast ForWord are learning that their program is able to provide PDD help, including Asperger's, because the errors they make in their language and reading are similar to higher functioning children, except that children on the spectrum make more of them. Fast ForWord is very often able to completely resolve these language and reading errors for higher functioning children. And so, if the errors are the same, there is growing hope and evidence that it should also help ASD children. New autism study results and a growing body of anecdotal evidence (including our own experience) are showing gains in language and some progress in reading. Recent Trial Results Autism Report Done in multiple sites, children diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) made significant gains in their oral language skills after using the Fast ForWord Language product. One-third of the children were diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder- autism, two-thirds were diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder- not otherwise specified. The improvements seen for the two diagnoses were similar. "Accessing" Fast ForWord Fast ForWord software requires a certain level of processing speed and bandwidth to be able to start exercising. Clinicians and scientists are finding that more children than expected on the spectrum have been able to do the Fast ForWord program. This allows them to "access" the on-ramp of the program and to benefit from the "shaping" -- the tiny, incremental steps that the the brain requires to be able to change itself. If a child is able to get started, to access, Fast ForWord, the gains outlined in the chart above are indeed possible. Who Benefits From Fast Forward? Fast ForWord is proven brain training software that targets many primary causes of reading and learning issues. By working at a fundamental level it is able to help children at all levels. Targeted students but are not limited to those with Auditory processing Dyslexia PDD Autism English as a second language Emotional and behavioral disorders At-risk students Students work at their own pace on protocols that are customized to their specific needs. For more information on research and results Click Here. Getting Started After a screening and parent interview in the center or by phone, we plan an individualized protocol of your child. Then you choose a service option depending on how close you are to a center, your schedule and mostly, what works best for your child. Choose from: In center At home At home with a CABAT coach The First Session. Your coach will work one-on-one with your child to ensure he or she understands the program and the steps needed for success. If you are at home we provide headphones, pre-installed software on a memory stick and binder full of support materials and point sheets. We put a lot of effort into your child having a great experience those first few days and your tutor will be in constant contact. We will even come to your house if need be! Motivating Your Child. We have invested heavily in motivating your child. Students earn tokens and rewards. We also provide an individualized reinforcement plan based on your child's needs. Day to day. We track progress daily using uploads via the Internet. Our primary goals are to keep your child motivated and challenged and have him or her associate the CABAT Center with fun and success. We change the protocol as needed drawing from a library of 80+ exercises. Parents receive weekly updates. Every weekend you will receive our email summarizing your child's progress. We also provide monthly status reports and parent consults. Progress through our program. Total program time is 2-6 months for most students. Younger ones take 2-3 months to complete the cognitive skills aspect of the program, older children typically take less time. At this point your child can either finish, take a break, or if the child requires reading help, he or she can move right into our Reading Series which uses these improved processing skills to develop reading fundamentals -- comprehension, reading accuracy, vocabulary development, syntax and spelling -- and then advanced, higher level skills such as drawing inferences, critical thinking and abstract reasoning. Protocol Times: Depending on the program, 30 or 50 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. Student Ages: Five years and older. Graduation and Follow up. The good news on follow up is that for your child there is none! Once your child is functioning at natural language speed and is decoding naturally, these skills are used every day and so they endure. For more information, visit www.scilearn.com or contact us Click Here This Web Site contains links to third party web sites. Access is at the user's own risk and CFAI is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any information, data, opinions, advice, or statements made on these sites. CFAI provides these links merely as a convenience and the inclusion of such links does not imply any endorsement. Mailing List Dar's By Design