maximumpotentialkids.com — Our Story Collin Butch - For whom Maximum Potential Group was founded. Collin is 6 years old. He is a lovable, funny, smart, and now high functioning boy with autism. He attended a typical kindergarten last year with an adult facilitator and now attends public school where he splits his day between typical first grade and a resource room. He loves music, counting and the alphabet. He is on a third grade reading level and enjoys trying new things like rock climbing, canoeing and hiking. His favorite foods are burgers and french fries and he warms the hearts of all our friends and families.   My husband Garrett and I were married over eight years ago in Atlanta, Georgia. In September of 2001 we found out we were having a baby, Collin Raymond Butch, who was born in May of 2002. We were a happy family of three and we filled the role of excited new parents well. I quit my job to stay home with Collin and be there for him daily. At fifteen months some things started to alert Garrett that Collin was not developing typically. I insisted that he was fine, and so did our doctor. I was happy to listen to anyone who would tell us that nothing seemed to be wrong. Garrett was not convinced and after persistent effort and research, he broached the subject of autism.   Honestly, my initial reaction was to completely shut down and block out what he was telling me. I knew nothing about autism, but I knew I did not want it in our family. I fought back tears and pushed the thought out of my mind as much as I could. As time went on, all of our friend's children who were the same age as Collin proceeded to hit milestones that Collin did not. Finally, I listened to my husband and we began to seek help.   We learned more about autism and became parent experts very quickly. We researched and researched and soon became a "Babies Can't Wait” family. By twenty months, Collin was diagnosed and began hours of intense therapy which included a hectic schedule of speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, hippo therapy, music therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis therapy (ABA). We began to see results quickly and continued to see improvements in Collin each year. We are still true to our therapy schedule and Collin is on the GFCF diet. Collin is rising above this disorder's grip and we are proud to say that he has worked very hard to decrease his autistic behaviors and he is developing more typical behavior now than ever before. We believe that each of the therapies we tried has added to Collin's success, but we understand that our persistent efforts at home have been the difference maker in his progress.   As parents of an autistic child, we can sympathize with the emotional, physical and financial burden that autism brings to a family. We celebrate our son's progress and thank those who have helped us so much. With bittersweet emotions we are co-founders of Maximum Potential Group. Maximum Potential is an affordable solution to overcoming autism. Our goal is to help parents like us achieve success with their children, and continue to learn the incredible lessons that life teaches. This cost effective program will bring ABA, into the homes and schools of thousands of autistic families who can apply this therapy using parents, siblings, teachers and caregivers. We are so happy to be able to give something so desperately needed to such a deserving community. Thank you for your interest in our story, our company and our cause.   Christy Butch

autisminspiration.com — Our website is dedicated to providing you with a variety of resources including lesson plans, games, group activities, sensory integration ideas, forums, and other valuable tools and information to help teach children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD), Sensory Integration Disorder, and other related behaviors.

outoftheazul.wordpress.com — Out Of The Blue is the blog of a junior ABA therapist/tutor who is passionate about autism and always looking to learn more. Check it out! About Blue During the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I was lucky enough to meet my first person with autism, an amazing boy who I was fortunate enough to be a camp counselor for. After spending two weeks with him, I was hooked, and I have spent my time ever since pursuing ways to work with more people like him. Since then, I’ve volunteered and worked at an autism-focused NPS, an amazing social skills summer camp for kids with Asperger’s and Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, a self-contained elementary school SPED class, and am now currently working as a junior behavior therapist doing early intervention ABA therapy with kids on the spectrum. When I’m not hanging out with the awesome kids I work with, I enjoy playing the celtic harp, reading, and playing with my insane cat, Toby. What This Blog Is (And Isn’t) This blog is a place for me to explore thoughts I have about autism, including reactions I have to books and news articles I encounter. I will sometimes discuss thoughts that have come to me as a result of my work as a junior ABA therapist, while maintaining strict confidentiality for the amazing kids I work with. This blog is not meant to provide any professional advice or to serve as any sort of therapeutic guideline. Everything written in this blog is simply the opinion of the author, and is meant to be thought-provoking, not instructive towards a specific course of action. If you are looking for help or recommendations for someone you know with autism, please contact a professional in your area. I would be happy to try to help you find someone to contact, if you need help, but I am not qualified to give any professional advice. The thoughts expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the thoughts of my employer, my clients, or any other individual besides myself, unless specifically noted.

materialeaba.com —  Questo sito nasce con l'intento di raccogliere in modo immediatamente fruibile il materiale che ho utilizzato e continuo a utilizzare per la riabilitazione di mio figlio, nella speranza che possa servire a molti bambini nelle stesse condizioni. Non ho badato alla veste grafica (non ne ho il tempo e neanche le capacità), ma ho cercato di semplificare il più possibile l'accesso ai documenti che qui troverete. Buon lavoro!

vbntraining.com — What makes VBN Training stand out? Training teachers to work with children with autism and other developmental disabilities is all we do! Each of VBN Training’s workshops was developed by teachers for teachers Our teachers/trainers understand the unique challenges of educating children with autism in a classroom setting We work hands-on with your staff to help ensure that the principles and procedures demonstrated during training are applied effectively with your students in the classroom VBN Training provides a series of workshops and hands-on training for school districts. The workshops include numerous video examples of the concepts and procedures being taught, as well as opportunities to practice the procedures with guided feedback from the instructors. Follow-up classroom consultations are then utilized to make recommendations specific to particular students, scheduling issues, staff ratios, etc. Our training is based upon the research of applied behavior analysis ( ABA ) and B. F. Skinner's classification of language by its functions. The program begins by pairing staff, peers, materials, and educational environments with a student's existing reinforcers so they become conditioned as reinforcers, as well. Having a positive rapport with the student reduces the likelihood that he or she will engage in escape-motivated behavior and thereby maximizes the time available for instruction. The first skill taught is functional communication (manding) either through vocalization or an augmentative system such as sign language. Guidelines for selecting an appropriate response form, setting initial targets, and teaching sign are provided in the VBN workshops. Time is also spent discussing how to capture and contrive motivation to increase each student's manding opportunities throughout the day. The following research-based procedures for teaching readiness and early academic skills are provided to participants: demand fading in terms of number and difficulty, varying task presentation as opposed to mass trialing, requiring fluent responding, presenting demands at a quick pace, interspersing easy demands with those that are more difficult, and providing reinforcement on a variable-rate schedule. Each of these strategies is an antecedent manipulation that serves to decrease the value of escape as a reinforcer during instruction. Direct instruction programs, which have also been proven effective by research, are suggested for more advanced learners to teach subjects such as reading and mathematics. Protocols for addressing inappropriate behaviors that function to gain attention or tangible reinforcement, avoid having to wait for the delivery of reinforcement or transition to a less preferred activity, and escape demands are based upon the ABA principles of extinction and differential reinforcement. These procedures are explained in the trainings for staff, as well as those conducted for parents.