Intensive Treatment and Caregiver Guidance

ARBOR Program

The ARBOR program provides intensive, customized treatment for children with autism in both individual and small group settings. With long-term goals of improving a child’s language, play, motor, social, and cognitive skills, treatment targets are determined based on the child’s current level of functioning combined with the family’s goals and developmental principals.

Our clinicians incorporate evidence-based treatment methods with theme-based learning in motivating contexts to help children develop new skills and apply their learning across environments. Additionally, we collaborate with and teach parents, caregivers, educators, and other members of the care team to promote consistency in supporting progress throughout your child’s life.

This program is designed to focus on:

Each child’s individual strengths and levels of support
Utilization and integration of multiple treatment ideologies and techniques
Immersion within a sensory-rich environment tailored to your child’s specific skills and needs
Self-initiation of communication
Participation in a variety of play-based activities to integrate language and motor skills into natural environments
Incorporating generalization while concepts are developing and emerging
Application of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) skills to promote language and increase awareness of expectations
Comprehensive education for family members on therapeutic approaches using a ‘see one, do one, teach one’ method
Family and caregiver participation in therapy to help apply therapeutic approaches throughout everyday activities
Education for families on how to determine the quality of available therapies and resources
Integration of the entire family unit including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members
Assistance for families with Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and/or Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP)

Our therapy model involves several different therapy components, including:

Initial in-person SLP and OT evaluation to determine a plan of care based on current level of functioning and family goals
60 to 90-minute group treatment sessions four times each week with family immersion
Individual 30-minute speech-language and occupational therapy sessions with a focus on family coaching and participation once per week
Minimum of 2 staff per small group, with one-to-one OT and SLP instruction incorporated into each session
All treatment sessions are led by a certified speech-language pathologist and occupational therapist
Parent training including provision of educational materials and worksheets, as well as individual consultation
Supported interaction with peers, siblings, and other children with various developmental disabilities and skill levels

Intervention approaches used within the program include:

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
Behavior Modification
Antecedent-Based Intervention
Extinction
Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT)
Social Narratives
Joint Action Routines (JAR)
Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT)
DIR (Developmental Individual differences & Relationship-based model)/floor time
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
Visual Supports
Joint Attention Symbolic Play Engagement Regulation (JASPER)

To Join the ARBOR Program

To enroll your child in the ARBOR program, please click the button below to begin the new patient intake process and ask your child's primary care physician fax the following orders to 734-527-5981.

Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
Feeding Therapy (optional, per child's needs)
ABA Therapy (optional, per child's needs)

New Patient Intake