Can autistic children experience recovery?
The team at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders or CARD says in many cases, they can.
This summer, the group will open a facility for the treatment of autism in Woburn to serve the greater Boston region.
Founded in 1990 and based outside Los Angeles, CARD currently has 23 treatment centers worldwide. The Woburn facility will be its second in Massachusetts; the first is in Plymouth.
CARD treats individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders using what is called applied behavior analysis, according to spokeswoman Stacy Price. It focuses on social skills, play, cognition, language and motor skills, breaking down tasks into small components.
Therapy occurs in a range of everyday environments, from classrooms and playgrounds to restaurants and the childs home.
Kate Dalcour, supervisor of the Woburn facility, called applied behavior analysis therapy the "most effective method." The intensive process uses repetitive techniques to promote positive behavior and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning.
Positive reinforcements or rewards are used to increase the positive behaviors.
"For children who are non-vocal, we would teach replacement behaviors," Dalcour said. "Instead of having a tantrum, we would teach them to say I need a break, using an icon or card. Then teaching them to talk, we would teach individual sounds, then blends, and increase into the length of a sentence."
Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial to a childs success, she said.
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Autism center opens in Woburn