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THE NEW BUILDING
"You can do it," a firm, barely audible, friendly voice replies, ignoring the unruly behavior. "Do this!"
Since 2001, Reaching Potentials has been a haven for autistic children in the Fredericksburg/Stafford County area. Using scientifically proven behavioral teaching techniques, the staff at Reaching Potentials (RP) strives to maintain a comforting, quiet, one-on-one learning atmosphere that enables children with autism and related disorders to form important connections that other children develop naturally.
"Our treatment approach is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is widely recognized as the most effective, science-based treatment available for young children with autism," said Pamela Gorski, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and executive director at Reaching Potentials.
Now Reaching Potentials is expanding its impact window. The new office has 3200 square feet of space (as opposed to the 1,000 square feet in the older building), tripling the center's capacity to provide therapy for delayed children.
"We expect to triple our staff, just as we've tripled our faculty, to meet the increased demand," explained Gorski.
Every one in 150 children now has autism, according to an Associated Press report earlier this year. Every 20 minutes a new diagnosis is made*-- despite the narrowing of diagnostic criteria over the past few years^.
As the demand for aid soars, ABA continues to be one of the most effective therapeutic teaching techniques available. The Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities' Autism Task Report, revised in February 2000, went so far as to say that ABA was the only scientifically proven teaching method for autistic children. Other studies have confirmed the effectiveness of ABA. Many of these children refuse to make eye contact, hide in corners or by windows, rocking or flapping their hands, and may not develop any coherent communication--until they receive ABA therapy.
"The emphasis on one-on-one teaching and the repetition really helped him," said one mother of her child's progress at Reaching Potentials. "He did much better with ABA than he did in a classroom setting because he needs rigorous, moment-by-moment attention."
Therapists must have the patience to give the same prompt again and again, hundreds of times until they receive a positive response from a pupil. A child is rewarded with a favorite game or treat with the successful completion of a task, or encouraged to "try again" if they did not accomplish the goal. This is repeated until a child has a consistent success rate, usually around 90 percent accuracy across two different therapists, before moving on to a more difficult task. Negative behaviors, such as flapping, biting, screaming and squirming away, are ignored or gently corrected and slowly replaced with positive behaviors, such as verbal expressions of want.
Volunteers who want to work with the children must put in a substantial amount of time training and practicing, making this a good summer project for young people who want to impact the community through the long, often empty vacation months. Otherwise, administrative assistance is appreciated, and people can come to help craft materials, such as flash cards and schedule boards for the children.
The most rewarding part of working with these children?
"Watching the children's progress," answered Gorski. "And working with the family--it's really about hope."
*Exkorn, Karen S. The Autism SourceBook HarperCollins: New York: 2005
^Grandin, Tempel. Thinking in Pictures Vintage Books: New York: 2006
Jen Veldhuyzen is a senior at Colonial Forge High School.