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Autism Society of North Central Indiana

Welcome!
Please visit our site by clicking here!  autismlogosb.jpg

Who are we?

The South Bend Chapter of the Autism Society of North Central Indiana (ASNCI) was formed by a group of families with young children on the autism spectrum.  Our main objectives are:

*Increasing autism awareness, and the importance of early intervention for the treatment of autism, in the community

*Helping other famlies in the community by providing support and information about available resources in the community, and

*Working to increase the availability of early intervention services to all families in the community, regardless of income, through fundraising efforts and community involvement.




Early Intervention
 
There are a lot of different types of therapies out there being done with children on the autism spectrum.  All of the families currently in our group are using a type of one-on-one therapy based on Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA.  In simple terms, we break skills down into smaller parts, and teach those skills separately before combining them into more complex parts.  During all of this, we keep data to show specifically what progress is being made towards our goals and objectives.  We have found this method to be incredibly effective. 

There are a lot of other therapies that can be helpful as well; each one has to be evaluated individually, considering the needs of the individual child and the resources and abilities of the family.  These therapies include such things as Greenspan's DIR Model (also called "Floortime" or "Play Project"), TEACCH, Auditory Intergration Therapy, Biomedical approaches (including medications and special diets), Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy, among many others.  Many of these approaches can also be used in conjuction with each other; for example, most of the children in our group are also receiving speech and/or occupational therapy, and some are following speical diets, and /or taking medication.

All this information can be overwhelming, but the most important thing to remember is that even if you aren't sure what to do, you need to do something!  You may try something and discover that it doesn't work for your family, or it doesn't help your child.  This is OK.  The sooner you start trying to do something, the sooner you will discover what works best for you, and the more help your child will receive.  And that's really what our goal is!

For more information on specific therapies and and approaches to autism treatment:

What is ABA?

The Floortime Foundation - Stanley Greenspan's DIR Method

The TEACCH Method

Auditory Integration Therapy

GFCF Diet (Gluten and Casein Free)

Would you like to read more about some of our families and what early intervention has done for us?

To read about Mateo, Ginny, and Darby, and the progress they have made, CLICK HERE 

To read Austin's story, CLICK HERE
 
 
© ASNCI