NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2010 — In the past, parents of children with autism worldwide had little hope of finding effective and affordable treatment services for their child. Today, parents are discovering that they can now easily apply the latest research to help their child learn at home. Evidence-based research suggests that a key to effective learning is the use of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to teach children with autism. A company making ABA best-practice treatment tools accessible to parents around the world through the Internet is Rethink Autism (http://www.rethinkautism.com).
"Since beginning the Rethink Autism lessons, we have discovered a new child. He is smart, he has great potential, and he learns so fast," said Latifa Hajoui in Hesse, Germany, who began using the Rethink Autism platform in November 2009. "Rethink Autism gives me the tools that I need to work with my son directly when he doesn't have access to his ABA therapist."
Ms. Hajoui's son receives ABA therapy six hours a month, far less than the clinically recommended 25+ hours per week. She tried to learn from the therapist how to work with her son for the remainder of the time. However, her son was making little progress so Ms. Hajoui subscribed to Rethink Autism's platform and followed the individualized curriculum. "The therapist visited us recently, and she couldn't believe that [my son] had learned so much in such a short time," said Ms. Hajoui. "He can match shapes, letters, numbers, and words. He can imitate a peer, and he can imitate actions with object, sequencing actions, build model. He can also imitate words."
When using Rethink Autism, a parent assesses the child by filling out a skills checklist, and the program then formulates an individualized ABA-based learning plan for the child. "Our goal is to make ABA accessible to families without clinical jargon or a diagnostic maze. Each lesson plan includes several step-by-step videos that show ABA therapists working with a child with autism, so that parents know how to work with their children through very specific needs anytime and anywhere," said Jamie Pagliaro, executive vice president of Rethink Autism.
Rethink Autism offers 1200+ video lesson steps that are consistent with ABA methodology. Endorsed by the US Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics, ABA is the only treatment for autism that has been consistently validated by independent scientific research.
Even in the U.S. where there is a high level of awareness about autism, parents can still struggle to know where to find the ABA tools they need or professionals that can help. "Every parent should know that there is help out there. With Rethink Autism, my child has made incredible progress," says Evelyn O'Neil Brown, mother of a 5-year old son with autism in New York.
"Before joining school for the second time, my son was unable to sit down with a group or even imitate steps to a song," said Khadeeja Abdullah, from Bangkok, Thailand. "However, after starting the Rethink Autism ABA curriculum, he was able to sit with others for the first time. Even if he didn't sit with them for too long, he was paying attention to activities and doing work while sitting. I simply cannot credit this program enough for its help in guiding how I work with my son. It has helped me build a solid foundation for his education."
About Rethink Autism
Rethink Autism, Inc. (http://www.rethinkautism.com) seeks to ensure that every child on the autism spectrum has access to effective and affordable research-based treatment options by providing professionals, parents, and family members with the tools and information necessary to teach children with autism in a way that is easy to understand and apply. Rethink Autism was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters at 19 West 21st Street in New York City.
Press Contact:
Jamie Pagliaro, EVP
Rethink Autism
Email
646-257-2919 ext. 205
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