Pediatric Behavioral Services Implements the Innovative Tool Skills® to Enhance Treatment for Its Clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Jacksonville, Fla. (PRWEB) April 16, 2014 -- Pediatric Behavioral Services (PBS) is now utilizing Skills®, a web-based tool, to assess its clients’ strengths and weaknesses, design individualized and comprehensive treatment plans, and track progress. PBS, headquartered in Jacksonville, treats children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities and is gradually introducing Skills® with each of its clients. PBS provides center-based and home-based behavior analytic services to children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities in and around Jacksonville and Orange Park. It specializes in treating ASD and drives treatment using the principles of ABA therapy. PBS’s goal with the implementation of Skills® is to provide the highest quality of care possible while helping its clients reach their greatest potential.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every 68 children in the United States is diagnosed with ASD. Moreover, in the study “Symptom Severity and Challenging Behavior in Children with ASD,” published in the November 2010 journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 94 percent of the children with ASD who participated in the study exhibited some form of challenging behavior. These behaviors include repeated and unusual vocalizations, aggression towards others, property destruction, leaving the supervision of a caregiver without permission, and repeated and unusual body movements. Effective treatment of such behaviors requires function-based behavior intervention plans.
“Skills® includes the Behavior Intervention Plan Builder for challenging behavior which utilizes evidence-based practices and emphasizes least-intrusive procedures,” said Eliana Ferreira, Skills® director and general manager. “It also streamlines the process of assessment, treatment planning, and progress tracking, providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment centers with innovative solutions that assure individualized treatment and uniform quality of care, leading to more efficient and effective professionals and, ultimately, having a meaningfully positive impact in the lives of the children they support.”
“We are excited about the new opportunities that the Skills® Assessment and curriculum offer in regards to addressing deficits in the areas of executive function and cognition,” said executive director of Pediatric Behavioral Services Alysia Gilliam, MA, BCBA. “Skills® will support our goal of providing comprehensive and individualized behavioral services to help every child reach his or her highest potential.”
The Skills® Assessment was recently validated by research published in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders on Jan. 9, 2014. According to the study, the Skills® Assessment has excellent concurrent validity between parent report and direct observation, allowing treatment to be more individualized, targeted, and efficient. Accurate assessment is vital to curriculum planning and skill acquisition for children with ASD. To read the study, visit http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S175094671300250X.
About Pediatric Behavioral Services (PBS):
PBS is a privately owned organization specializing in servicing children with autism and related disorders. It provides comprehensive and effective behavioral services, including behavior reduction and language acquisition programming. PBS is committed to providing scientifically-based services with the highest quality to children and youth affected by autism and other developmental disabilities. It is dedicated to changing the lives of families and children by providing quality behavioral services. For more information, visit http://www.pediatricbehavioralservices.com.
About Skills®: The Online Autism Solution is a web-based tool that gives users the ability to assess an individual’s strengths and weaknesses, design individualized and comprehensive treatment and teaching plans, and track progress. The program is based on the evidence-based principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Although Skills® will automate lessons, it also allows users the flexibility to tailor the program to an individual’s unique needs. Each of the nearly 4,000 lessons includes worksheets, visual aids, tracking forms, and video lessons. Skills® is used in over 14 countries, in several school districts, and by autism treatment providers and insurance companies nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.skillsforautism.com.
Stacey Price, Skills®, http://www.skillsforautism.com, +1 310.740.5146, [email protected]
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