Early Intervention

Early intervention is a specialized support system designed to help young children who show signs of developmental delays or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This approach aims to foster growth during the years when a child's brain is most adaptable. 

Research shows that providing structured, nurturing support early on can significantly enhance a child’s ability to learn, connect with others, and build independence over time. 

At Autism Journey Academy, we focus on essential areas like communication, social interaction, behavior, and daily living skills. Our early intervention services are tailored to meet each child’s unique needs, ensuring that we nurture their strengths while addressing areas where they need extra support.

Early Intervention for autism means starting support and therapeutic interventions as soon as possible when developmental concerns are noticed.

Early intervention typically begins before or at preschool age, often as early as 2 or 3 years old. Early childhood is a period of intense brain development, with millions of new neural connections forming in the brain every second. 

At this stage, a child’s brain has a higher level of plasticity, meaning it is more adaptable and capable of learning new skills. This critical window allows interventions to make a greater impact, helping children adapt and learn more effectively.

At Autism Journey Academy, one of the core approaches we use with young children is the Early Intervention Program (EIP).

EIP involves highly individualized teaching methods grounded in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This program helps young children learn in ways that suit them best, through repetition, positive reinforcement, and engaging, everyday activities.

For young children with ASD, our early intervention approach focuses on helping them strengthen essential skills, including:

• Developing basic communication abilities, such as using words, gestures, or pictures to express needs
• Improving social engagement, like taking turns and playing cooperatively
• Building emotional regulation skills, such as asking for help and beginning to label basic emotions like happy, sad, or mad
• Encouraging daily living skills, such as dressing themselves, handwashing, and understanding simple routines like snack time or clean-up time

There's a wide spectrum of developmental paths that children take. Some children may require less support as they grow older, while others may continue to benefit from more intensive assistance.

At Autism Journey Academy, our goal with early intervention is to provide the right resources at the right time to ensure each child with ASD can grow and learn in their own unique way.

At Autism Journey Academy, our early intervention program begins with a detailed assessment of your child’s strengths, challenges, learning style, and developmental needs. Based on these insights, we create a personalized skill development plan to target the most important areas for your child’s growth. 

The program is meaningful for both your child and your family, with clear goals focused on reaching essential developmental milestones. We empower families with the tools, understanding, and confidence to support their child’s growth. 

Our early intervention program typically involves:

• Play-Based & Structured Learning: Activities are purposefully designed to feel like play while promoting meaningful learning. We encourage children with ASD to explore language, social rules, problem-solving, and emotional understanding through play.
• One-on-One & Small Group Sessions: Children receive a combination of individualized attention and opportunities to practice skills in small groups. This helps support both personal growth and peer interaction.
• Family Involvement & Parent Coaching: We believe that families are essential partners in the early intervention process. Our program provides parent training and ongoing communication to help you reinforce learning and developmental goals for your child at home.
• Behavioral & Social-Emotional Support: We use strategies like positive reinforcement, modeling, and visual support to teach important behaviors, skills, and outcomes.
• Collaborative Approach with Specialists: Depending on your child's needs, intervention may include collaboration with specialists in speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral therapy, ensuring a well-rounded support system.

Our early intervention program is a half-day program (8:00 AM to 12:30 PM) for children aged 2 to 4 years. 

We create a nurturing environment where young learners can explore, practice, and master new skills at their own pace. Through our program, we aim to build not just skills and confidence for today but a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning and growth.

We incorporate a variety of evidence-based techniques that have been shown to improve key skills in children with ASD. The intervention strategy is likely to look different for every child. This is because your child’s plan will be created specifically for their needs. 

Here are some common early intervention strategies that we often use for young children with ASD.

ABA therapy is one of the most widely used and effective approaches in early intervention for autism. It involves reinforcing positive behaviors and reducing unwanted behaviors by using structured techniques, such as:

• Task Analysis
• Prompting
• Reinforcements (Rewards)

At Autism Journey Academy, our youngest learners benefit from a more focused form of ABA through the Early Intervention Program (EIP). EIP is especially helpful for toddlers and preschool-aged children.

It supports the development of essential skills in a systematic way. Our teachers break down complex skills into smaller, manageable steps to help children learn new behaviors. We focus on creating consistent, teachable moments throughout the child’s day at play, during routines, and through interaction with caregivers and peers.

Social stories are simple, personalized anecdotes and narratives that we create to help children understand certain social situations. 

For example, if a child struggles with sharing toys, we might create a story that explains why sharing is important and how to do it. These stories are helpful for teaching kids about different social situations, like playing with others or following routines.

Social stories are highly visual and offer children a clear framework for how to behave in specific settings or situations. This makes them an effective tool for teaching social and emotional skills and helps children feel more confident in social settings.

For children with autism who face challenges with verbal communication, speech therapy can be a critical part of their early intervention. 

The goal of speech therapy is to enhance both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, such as understanding and using:

• Words
• Gestures
• Facial Expressions
• Body Language

If a child struggles with speaking or understanding language, our speech therapists work with them. In situations where the child is non-verbal, we may incorporate or introduce other forms of communication, such as:

• Sign language: We may teach children to use simple signs to help them communicate.
• Picture exchange communication system (PECS): This is a way to teach children to use pictures to express their needs. For example, if a child wants a toy, they hand you a picture of the toy instead of using words.
• Writing: For children who are learning to write, we use it as a way to help them communicate.

Occupational therapy (OT) focuses on helping children with autism develop the skills necessary for daily living. OT uses a range of play, therapeutic activities, and structured exercises to support children learn essential skills, such as:

• Fine Motor Skills: Activities like drawing, using utensils, or buttoning shirts.
• Gross Motor Skills: Activities that promote coordination and movement, such as jumping, climbing, or playing catch.
• Self-Care: Skills like dressing, eating, and personal hygiene are taught to foster independence.
• Sensory Processing: Activities that help students respond to sights, sounds, textures, and other sensory inputs in a calm and regulated way.

Many children with autism have heightened or diminished sensory sensitivities. Sensory integration therapy helps children manage these sensitivities by giving them the opportunity to participate in activities that either calm or stimulate their senses in a controlled and safe way. 

Examples of sensory activities we use include:

• Swinging: It can help regulate the vestibular system, which helps balance, coordination, and understand where the body is in space. Swinging can support this system by providing calming, rhythmic input that helps children feel more regulated.
• Weighted Blankets: These are used to provide deep touch pressure, which can help children feel more grounded and secure.

Early intervention provides children with autism the best chance to reach their full potential. The earlier a child receives help, the greater the opportunity for learning and progress. 

The key benefits of early behavioral intervention include:

• Improved Communication: Early help can significantly improve verbal and non-verbal communication skills, enabling children to express themselves and interact with others more effectively.
• Better Social Skills: Children who receive early support can develop the ability to understand social cues, make friends, and navigate social interactions more comfortably.
• Enhanced Emotional Regulation: Early intervention can help children with ASD manage their emotions, reducing frustration and promoting greater self-control.
• Stronger Daily Living Skills: Children can gain essential life skills, such as following routines and engaging in independent tasks, which help them function more effectively in daily life.

With the right intervention, many children with autism make noticeable improvements that impact their daily lives, relationships, and future success.

Some children who receive intervention early make so much significant progress that they may no longer be considered on the autism spectrum by the time they are older. These children often share a few key characteristics:

• They are diagnosed and receive treatment at a younger age.
• They have better motor and language skills.
• They tend to have higher IQs, which are often linked to the language skills built during early intervention.

It is important to note that every child is unique. While early intervention provides a great opportunity for development, not every child will have the same results. 

At Autism Journey Academy, we use early intervention to create a foundation for learning, self-regulation, and growth that will support your child for years to come. Our dedicated team of specialists will work closely with your family to create a tailored plan to help your child succeed.

Enrollment is now open!

We accept Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) funds. Our team is happy to assist families with the ESA application process to make tuition more accessible.

To get started, please call us today or schedule a pre-enrollment discussion.