FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions

Do your methods work?

Education: For the educational aspects of our program, we use methods like Discrete Trial Teaching (one method of Applied Behavioral Analysis) that have been extensively researched and shown to be effective with children on the autistic spectrum (Lovaas and others). We also use behavioral assessment and behavioral strategies to deal with problem behaviors. The effectiveness of these methods is well supported by research.

Relationship: Most of the research done to date in the field of autism has investigated learning strategies and reducing aberrant behavior. In our experience, there are other agendas that many parents want to accomplish with their children that have received little or no attention from the research community. Some of these topics include: increasing the child's affection, allowing touch by parents, increasing indications of happiness while interacting with people, and increasing eye contact and attentiveness. Growing Minds Director Steven Wertz has 19 years of experience in addressing these issues during one-to-one work with over 1,000 children on the autism spectrum. This experience has provided him with a tremendous amount of field research and makes him an authority in the area of teaching children with autism to improve their capacity for relationship.

The Growing Minds staff is currently involved in a more formal research project, in which we hope to address this type of parental concern. Although many people who are not familiar with the scientific language of behavior describe our methods as "loving," the procedures that we use to enhance the parent / child relationship are firmly grounded in behavioral principles.

Sensory and Biomedical concerns: There are a number of biomedical and sensory interventions that people are trying with children. In our experience, many of these interventions have been helpful. For example, it is difficult to toilet train a child who suffers from chronic diarrhea caused by microbial overgrowth in the intestines. Much can change for that child when his or her bowels are helped to be in order. Even if a treatment has been shown to be effective for some children, it may or may not help every child. We encourage parents to try one biomedical intervention at a time. We help parents to become better observers of their children, by getting a baseline of certain behavior, beginning the intervention, and evaluating whether the intervention is truly effective. We encourage the parents in our programs to establish an appropriate biomedical program in conjunction with their chosen medical professional, and we also refer parents to professionals who specialize in interventions for children with autism.

Why do you utilize elements from different approaches?

Different children need different kinds of help. Each child is unique. We believe in adjusting the approach to fit the child, and not in trying make the child fit into a fixed approach. Many children that we teach have multiple difficulties in addition to autism, such as motor problems, seizure disorders, speech defects, and visual, auditory or other sensory problems. These children require every tool at our disposal.

For each aspect of a child's program, we consider a variety of resources that may be suited to the particular child. Many interventions have helped some children on the autism spectrum to recover or to improve substantially and we want to consider all possible methods of help for each child. The following statements support our belief.

"Autistic children are very different from one another and come to autism along different developmental paths. So what significantly helps one child may not help another. Treatment for children on the autism/ PDD spectrum is likely to require a package of measures: physiological and medical treatments, improving relationships and supporting development and learning." Dr. John Richer (Introduction to Conference Programme and Abstracts. The Search for Coherence from the Fragments of Autism, September, 1999.)

"You can't just deliver a standard treatment to autistic kids…there's so much variability among the children that what works for one child doesn't work for another child. Our hypothesis is that unless you individualize treatment, you're not going to get the best result". Robert Kogel, Ph.D. The University of California, Santa Barbara (Quoted in "The Monitor," The American Psychological Association, September, 1999)

Some people say that combining a relational approach with structured education cannot work and can be confusing to the child. What is your response?

We teach parents and program staff how to work in such a way that the child is not confused. For example, we may begin the session by following the child's choice of activity and responding to his or her cues. This is interactive playtime. The child learns that he or she can direct the activity. During this time, the child may become assertive, and may direct or control the play.

After a period of such interactive play, we invite the child to the table, and work in a highly directive style. We give clear instructions, we prompt if necessary and we make the work highly rewarding for the child. Curriculum goals are set and accomplished. During these times, the child is learning to imitate, to develop a student/teacher relationship, to acquire skills and he or she is stimulated intellectually. When that work period is over, we invite the child to leave the table, and we again follow his her lead in another interactive playtime.

We use different methods to help the child know when they can take the lead and when they are expected to follow directions. These may include visual schedules, timers, or other visual cues, such as the table, written labels, etc. In our experience, the overwhelming majority of children grasp the structure quickly and adjust without difficulty.

Can it be confusing for parents to embrace more than one approach?

If you wanted to build a house, would it be confusing to use more than one tool?

We help parents develop a basic set of priorities for their child and an order for accomplishing those priorities. Then we teach them various skills and tools needed to accomplish the priorities. When parents have clear priorities, there is no confusion.

We believe that the first priority for children on the autism spectrum is relationship and social interaction. This is initially more important than the acquisition of cognitive skills. We are interested in gaining the child's cooperation by giving the child control. Some programs get compliance by taking the child's control. We believe that this compromises the relationship. In our programs we cultivate cooperation, co-control and co-direction. We begin by actively encouraging and supporting behaviors that will benefit the child socially, such as affection, enjoyment of interaction and simple communication. This first phase of the program (relationship building) is often substantially accomplished in a relatively short time. Once established, relationship and rapport are maintained during all phases of our program.

Once the child displays deepened relationship, we begin to prioritize cognitive and communication skills. At this point, clear agendas are created and specific "programs" for fulfilling those agendas are implemented. At this stage, the acquisition of skills becomes as important as relationship-building. The child begins to accept direction and to participate in activities that the parent initiates and leads. Now that the child is ready to receive direction, it is critical for the parent or teacher to have a clear curriculum. This becomes a second phase of our programs that we refer to as "Give and Take." We alternate between play periods of intensive interaction, and instructional periods with set curriculum.

As the child continues to grow in his/her ability to accept teaching and direction, we then begin to create time schedules and specific formal learning sessions. These sessions are structured and directed by the parent or teacher. This work prepares the child for the academic environment.

What is your approach to dealing with challenging behaviors, such as violent tantrums, head banging, etc?

Growing Minds addresses two dimensions in dealing with these challenging circumstances. One dimension is the attitude and feelings of the parent. Often parents may feel afraid, angry or emotionally upset by these extreme behaviors. However when people get upset, they may react in ways that tend to inadvertently reinforce the behavior they want to discourage. When they become more comfortable, they're likely to have more effective responses to their child's behavior. Also, when parents are more comfortable, the messages they give their children are clearer, more effective and more loving. Based on this, we focus first on the parents' feelings and attitudes about the challenging behavior.

The second dimension involves actual strategies for responding actively to the behavior in question. Here, many children benefit from a behavioral strategy. The combination of increasing the adult's comfort level along with establishing behavioral strategies for the child has a powerful effect on reducing the behaviors.

Does your program require seven days a week, 12 hours a day in a playroom?

No. The real question here is: how much time is enough? To date, there is no conclusive answer for this. In the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (vol. 28, No. 1, p. 15 - 23), Stephen Shienkopf and Bryna Siegel reported no significant difference in IQ gains between a program that operated 32 hours per week and one that ran 21 hours per week.

Our approach is to observe the child's progress and recommend program hours accordingly. Various factors determine the number of hours that are most beneficial for a child. Not all children derive greater gains from longer hours. In addition, many families have a ceiling on the number of hours they can sustain without creating emotional, physical, marital or financial strain. These factors must be considered.

We also teach parents to make better use of non-program hours by using program principles and methods outside of sessions, through "incidental" teaching. This is much easier to accomplish when parents have specific curriculum agendas. For example, if you are teaching your child to imitate you, you might introduce this during a formal lesson. Then, in a variety of living circumstances, you can continue with this lesson. If you are bathing your child and you want her to raise her arm, you can use the same program for her imitation that you used in the session. If your son is having trouble cutting his food at lunch, you can model the skill, ask him to imitate and prompt him just as you did in the session. In this way, learning is generalized and applied to more than one environment.

Finally, not every parent chooses to create a formal program at home and some who might wish to do so have circumstances that make it impossible. Others are satisfied with their child's school, but want to enrich learning after school and on weekends. We support parents in creating the best possible program for their child in their specific situation. We frequently design part-time programs and we occasionally design programs that consist entirely of incidental teaching.

Have there been other advantages of having more specific curriculum?

One advantage has been in the area of "accountability." Without clear curriculum goals, it is hard for parents to demonstrate progress to schools or other authorities. The child may be more "connected." His or her eye contact may have increased or perhaps he or she displays more delight in interaction. Beyond that, it can be hard to demonstrate progress. For this reason, many school systems have not been supportive of play-based programs. By using regular assessments and individualized education plans, we hope to get more support for the families' efforts from their school systems. Many families using the Growing Minds program are receiving funding or other forms of support from their school systems or educational authorities, particularly in England. This support can be crucial to the family's ability to maintain the program.

What is your stance on the various biomedical interventions available and the DAN protocol?

We feel that any effective program for a child with autism will incorporate key elements: biomedical (and sensory) intervention, relational work and educational dynamics.

We are educators, not medical professionals. However we do have years of experience supporting families who are pursuing various treatments, diets, etc. Currently, we are working with a number of families who are working with British autism specialist Dr. Edward Danczak, with offices in London, Manchester and Glasgow. The families who work with Dr. Danczak and his protocol tend to be extremely pleased with the results. Although we are still collating data, it appears as though the children using the Danczak protocol are generally making faster and more substantial progress than families who are not.

Dr. Danczak can consult with families by mail and phone, including families in the United States and other countries outside the UK. Contact Dr. Danczak at his website: www.autismmanagement.com

While we recommend Dr. Danczak, we are aware that it is critical for parents to use interventions that fit with their beliefs and experience. We support parents in the choices that they make, and join with them to make every effort to create success in their individualized program.

Your comprehensive program is very expensive. Can you explain what your fee includes?

The fee for the comprehensive program ($9,200.) covers all tuition for a five-day program at our location in Florida, plus six months of support and training by phone and Internet, plus an evaluation, plus a detailed individual education/curriculum plan.

The portion of the fee that is charged for the five-day in-person program alone is $6,000. This is full tuition for parents, child and support people (up to six adults) for a program that runs six hours per day, Monday-Friday. During these five days, your group will receive approximately 60 hours of direct training from our staff. We spend several additional hours in planning, program design and support activities (during the evenings).

The remaining portion ($3,100.) is tuition for the six-month distance training, including the evaluation and individual education plan, twelve 50-minute telephone sessions and on-line support up to two times per week.

After we cover our costs, such as rent, supplies and administrative expenses, the average hourly fee for training services in this program is considerably less than our regular "per session" fee of $135.

Our fees do not include the costs of lodging, meals (we do provide lunch) or telephone charges for phone sessions.

Can we attend for only the five-day program without the six-month distance support program (or vice versa)?

Some families have had considerable prior training, and they do not feel the need for a five-day in-person program. We are happy to register these families for only the six-month distance support program (with no in-person services) at a fee of $3,100. Please see the Distance Training Program description for the full details of this program.

We generally do not accept families for the five-day program without the comprehensive continuing support provided by the six-month distance program. Years of first-hand experience has convinced us that it is very difficult for most families to implement and sustain a home-based program after just five days of training, no matter how effective that training may be. We want families to be successful, and we are convinced that continuing support is the key to success.

Occasionally we make exceptions for families in unusual circumstances. For example, a language difference might make telephone sessions impractical. In other cases, the child has become established in school and the family is completing their program, making continuing support unnecessary. Sometimes the family is simply unable to obtain funding for the entire Comprehensive program. In these and other situations, we work with the family to arrange services that will best meet their needs. Generally this includes the five-day program plus the evaluation and written education plan, at a cost of $7,900.



15096 115th Avenue North, Jupiter, Florida 33478
Phone: 561-748-9697 Fax: 561-748-6543

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