Ms Kadayer's knowledge and skills in the area of Verbal Behaviour (VB) is extremely relevant in the field of autism and her continued presence within our community would be of great benefit to all families touched by this disability.

Mr Smith, Herts
Louise is very accurate in her analysis and catching every opportunity to motivate new learning - not only on the child's side but also for the "grown-ups" around. Our son's programming could not be in better hands.

Anonymous, Norfolk
Under Louise's guidance Omi has made significant and remarkable progress, his eye contact has improved dramatically, his periods of social isolation has decreased and he has begun to enjoy the company of others.

Dr Jones, Berkshire
I have known Shelley Brown for 6 months through the work she has undertaken with my autistic son. She has made a significant contribution towards my son's language acquisition and I have no hesitation in referring her to other families.

Mrs Christine Labios
Louise has provided us with hands on education and has visited our home many times to demonstrate with our son practical ways of interacting with him.

Dr ASM Ziaul Hoque
Louise first came to our home in December 2006 and within just four weeks we had seen remarkable progress in our 3 year old son.

Gareth & Sarah Squire
"It was a pleasure to have our consultant Shelley in our home for 2 days. She discussed strategies, demonstrated them, then coached us as we worked with our son. We were delighted to see an immediate improvement in our boy. We really look forward to our next consultation."

Wendy Kiefel, Australia

Autism

A diagnosis of Autism can be a frightening event for parents. Autism is a complex and wide ranging disorder, with varying degrees of severity and consequently a huge range of affects in almost all areas of a child’s physical, social and psychological development. The condition prevents a child from interacting normally with others and it is believed that Autism affects more than 10 children in every 100,000. There are multiple reports showing the occurrence of autism to be as high as 1 in 100. Autism usually appears in early childhood prior to school age.

Autism is defined and diagnosed behaviourally and can be understood using operant principles. This manifests in an inability to process social stimuli and triggers sometimes disruptive behavioural patterns. However, with early diagnosis and intensive applied behaviour analysis and treatment, learners can become almost indistinguishable from typically developing children.

What are the signs of Autism?

Autism is usually diagnosed in children between the ages of three and five years by a qualified child mental health professional. There are a wide range of symptoms associated with Autistic Disorder, which become apparent after approximately a year of appropriate developments. Each autistic child will demonstrate a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms. Many autistic children have difficulty communicating with others through the use of language and often engage in repetitive behaviour. Breaks in routine can gender an extreme reaction and some also display hypersensitivity in their senses of touch, taste, smell and hearing. To be diagnosed with Autism, a child must meet six of a range of specific symptoms across the categories of social interaction, communication and behaviour.

Some of these include:

  • An inability to appropriately use non-verbal social cues
  • Delay in or lack of spoken language
  • Repetitive behaviours, interests and activities
  • Abnormally intense or focused patterns of interest or behaviour
  • Inability to carry a conversation (in those children with language skills)
  • Repetitive or idiosyncratic use of language
  • Rigid adherence to routines and rituals
  • Failure to develop appropriate peer relationships

How is Autism treated?

Contrary to popular believe, autism does not automatically require medication or residential care. Because of the varying degrees of the condition, many learners with autism can show remarkable advancement with simple verbal behaviour interventions and cognitive treatment that specifically concentrates on the development of language and communication skills. These can include non-verbal communication as well as spoken language development, incorporating the child’s interests and focuses of attention to facilitate a two way communication between the child and the parent or carer. Verbal Behaviour can teach new and appropriate motivations. Praise and reward for specific behaviour can encourage the child to develop the social skills needed to interact with their peers on an equal basis, gradually increasing the complexity of the behaviours and giving clear distinctions regarding the appropriate exhibition of these actions. Speech therapy is often incorporated into the treatment plan, using Verbal Behaviour. Expressive communication must be taught to reduce the risk of frustration through not being understood and the subsequent inappropriate behavioural traits that this may lead to.

At VBC, we have a team of highly experienced professionals who are able to work with both the learner and the family to encourage typical development, and with an intensive support network and the very latest in treatment methods, many learners with autism can show equal developmental progress to children of their own age. The earlier the intervention, the more dramatic the results can be, with many children going on to be indistinguishable from children with normal developmental processes. Whatever the age of the learner with autism, they can be helped. We have had adults who have never spoken in their lives say their first words during our first consultation.

If you would like us to help you and your child cope with Autism, contact us now in confidence to discuss your requirements, for help and support in coping with this much-misunderstood condition.