About EIBI
The EIBI program is a comprehensive treatment for children with autism using applied behavior analysis (ABA). This autism treatment is evidence-based and recommended by the Association for Science in Autism and the Surgeon General. It is an intensive approach that has been empirically demonstrated to remediate the core symptoms of autism to a greater extent than any other treatment. Intensity is a critical factor in reaching the greatest outcome and typically 35-40 hours per week is prescribed. This intensive autism service takes place entirely in the child’s home. A team of staff will be assigned to each child to provide direct one-to-one instruction focused on language, social, and behavioral development.
Applied behavior analysis techniques are specifically taught to all of our staff so their interactions with the child increases language and social skills while decreasing difficult or problematic behavior. Our staff are trained to manage non-compliance, aggressive, destructive, self-injurious, and other unwanted behavior often exhibited by children with autism.
Additional clinical resources are provided by experienced supervisors, Board Certified Behavior Analysts and mental health providers to immediately address and remediate behavioral concerns.
The success of the EIBI autism treatment relies on the skillful use of positive reinforcement procedures. Staff will use the child’s preferred items and activities, in combination with social interactions to motivate the child to produce independent language skills. The family and caregivers will work with the supervisor to identify reinforcers specifically for the program. Skills that the child had not learned in other environments will carefully be taught and reinforced before moving on to more advanced skills. Our emphasis on fun and success is obvious when watching our staff work with a child. We strive for “no tears” in our sessions and feel that working with a happy, successful, and motivated child produces learning outcomes often never seen before.
EIBI Intervention Strategies
Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention is comprised of many intervention strategies. Some key components are: discrete trial training, situational teaching, scripted routines, functional communication training, social skills training, and behavior reduction procedures.
This approach is similar to massed trial teaching or “drills.” A number of responses to be learned are grouped together in an instructional session. Numerous opportunities to perform each response are provided.
This term describes a number of procedures used to address problems with generalization often experienced by children with autism and related conditions. Skills are taught throughout the child’s day in natural situations. Incidental teaching, milieu training, and in situ teaching are specific procedures designed to be implemented in the natural environment. Situational teaching can be used to teach language and social skills, and adaptive skills such as shopping, playing at the park, or safely riding in a car.
Conversational Skill Training:
Teaching complex interactions between people which involve conversations and activities may be facilitated by developing written scripts. Initially, the child learns to follow the script exactly but, over time, begins to emit novel responses.
Independent Skill Training:
Teaching a child to be independent in skills such as self-care activities or leisure skills often involve different teaching strategies than employed for teaching skills such as language and other social skills. Task analyses of skills are taught to a child in such a way that ultimately the child learns to perform the skill without the presence of an adult.
Prior to a child learning to speak, strategies must be employed to teach them functional communication skills so they can effectively get their needs met, using gestures, objects, or pictures. Often, intervention is required to replace a child’s unwanted or interfering behavior with effective communication.
Social interactions with siblings and friends are taught using a combination of the above techniques.
Some children may display behavior which interferes with their learning (such as tantrums or stereotypy), or with their (or other’s) well-being such as self-injury or aggression. Unwanted behavior may be effectively reduced by building alternative appropriate behavior in the child, or by implementing planned ignoring or redirection techniques.
How EIBI Works
Individual Skills Building
The first skills we teach are those that lay a foundation for learning any new skill. Learning-to-learn skills will be taught first using a high rate of reinforcement. Coming to work independently, paying attention, and choosing what reinforcer to work for are very important skills to master if the child is to master complex language. Our Language Curriculum consists of over 120 programs. The EIBI program teaches the skill domains of Learning to Learn, Social and Independent Play, Imitation, Receptive language, Social language, and Expressive language. The scope and sequence of the programs ensure that concepts are thoroughly learned with the child being successful each step of the way.
Family and Caregiver Training and Support
A significant factor in the child’s success is family skills training where parents and other caregivers first learn to generalize skills learned in sessions with the therapist, and then learn to use specific strategies to obtain and maintain low rates of problem behavior and high rates of compliance.
If the family or other caregivers are interested in additional training BDI provides a series of trainings on specific parenting strategies called Positive Behavioral Supports for Caregivers (PBSC). The series of trainings teach the family about reinforcement, responding to requests, offering choices, giving instructions, redirection, and responding to upsets. BDI can also provide assistance with toilet training, sleep disorders, feeding disorders, outings, and social skills training as part of the PBSC services.
Common Questions About the EIBI Program
The Senior Therapist of the autism program will work with the family to have preferred items or activities available to use as reinforcers to make learning fun for the child during his BDI shift and increase appropriate behavior. No one learns when upset and we strive for “no tears” shifts.
At the beginning of treatment, we will take small baby steps to teach a child how to sit at a table and pay attention to their staff and the teaching materials. As the child learns that their every effort is rewarded, sessions become more predictable and fun. The child will be given breaks as needed to keep learning at an optimal level throughout the shift, but our goal is to get as much teaching done in the sessions as we possibly can.
We have many professionals who are trained to analyze data and troubleshoot learning difficulties that are child specific for each child we serve. Additional clinical and behavioral support will be scheduled in order to ensure that the child makes steady progress. We are extremely dedicated and persistent in making sure all children show progress and learn.
If there is enough trained staff in your area, and those staff are available during the times you desire, you will have a full schedule for your child. Every effort is made to fill open shifts with all children and the hiring process is an on-going process. Although BDI staff turnover is low, there are still situations when a child will have open shifts. Ideally, the easiest shifts to fill are those during a typical work day (between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.); however, early evening and weekend shifts can be successfully filled if staff are available.
The family is required to meet with the Senior therapist weekly to discuss the child’s progress.
If the family is interested in additional training BDI provides a series of trainings on specific parenting strategies called Positive Behavioral Supports for Caregivers (PBSC). The series of trainings teach the family about reinforcement, responding to requests, offering choices, giving instructions, redirection, and responding to upsets. BDI can also provide assistance with toilet training, sleep disorders, feeding disorders, outings, and social skills training.
We start by teaching children to calmly transition to the work area and attend to relevant things in their world. We also teach children to stay calm when "fun" things are not available or paused. Beginning with basic imitation and matching skills, the child systematically moves through a curriculum to learn to understand and use language and social skills.
Children with a diagnosis of ASD or related conditions who display significant delays in development as well as severe behavior disorders are appropriately treated with the EIBI model.
The EIBI model is appropriate for children for whom their parent's goals of treatment are to restore normal functioning as much as possible, and who demonstrate strong response to treatment on objective quantitative measures. Services are typically most appropriate for children under the age of 5; however, we do not have a limit on the age a child may start services.
We do require the child be available for a minimum of 20 hours of service between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Child must be available Monday through Friday, every day for three and a half to four hour shifts for a minimum of 20 hours per week. We are only able to work around a child’s schedule who still requires naps. Additional weekday and weekend hours are available after the initial 20 hours are scheduled.
Service occurs in the child’s home; caregiver must be present
