A Flexible Approach to Autism – Autism Partnership Method
Key Elements of the APM™
At Autism Partnership (AP), we adopt our very own treatment method called, Autism Partnership Method (APM™).
AP Method™ is a progressive model of ABA and is a high quality treatment approach for ASD. It is based on nearly 30 years of research and effective clinical practice. In contrast to conventional ABA, the AP Method™ focuses on “in-the-moment analysis” and “clinical judgement” and is a highly flexible, yet systematic and compassionate approach, meeting the individual needs of people with ASD.
What makes Autism Partnership different from other agencies is that we focus on building strong learning foundations.
Teaching children “how to learn” is essential. Our approach to intervention utilizes evidence-based principles of learning to maximize progress. By actively leading the child, we can speed up the rate of learning and reduce the developmental gap. Time is precious and children deserve the kind of teaching that best enables them to learn and ultimately enjoy the highest quality of life.
Learning how to learn
Behaviors that interfere with learning
Language
Play
Social skills
Self-help
Independent Living
The APM™ focuses on:
- Developing strong and natural reinforcers so that learning can easily transfer to the real world.
- Helping children so that they learn not only in 1:1 situations, but in small and large groups
- Helping children learn in natural settings that includes the types of distractions that occur in schools and the community.
- Focusing on the whole child: not only is communication and academics important, but teaching children all the skills they need to develop meaningful and long-lasting relationships. This includes developing social and play skills.
- Teaching children the skills that will allow them to become truly independent.
- Providing therapy in natural forms so that children develop natural language and are able to engage with the natural world.
Key Elements to Achieve the Best Outcomes by Children with ASD
There are several studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for people diagnosed with ASD, including a study conducted by Autism Partnership (2011). In these studies, the children with the best possible outcomes had these key elements in common:
Treatment Intensity
Intensive Supervision
Parental Expertise
Consistency of Treatment
Utilizing quality intervention: APM
Autism Partnership Reveals Promising Treatment Results.
A new study conducted by Autism Partnership in 2011 has provided strong evidence on how Progressive ABA can help children with autism.
Another study in 2005 looked at how children has performed in three different kinds of treatment. The research showed that doing more hours of the same treatment was more effective than doing a variety of different treatments at the same time.
“A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism”
– Research in Developmental Disabilities 26 (2005) 359–383
Howard, et al(2005) conducted a 14-month study and looked at three treatment groups. The results showed that children in the ABA group made more gains in all areas than both the other groups added together. This was an important finding as it is often cited that only the number of hours you commit to ABA matters. However, the research has shown that the type of treatment you choose also affects the treatment outcome significantly.