Autism Outreach, Inc. (AOI) is a small but expanding company serving children on the autism spectrum and their families. AOI utilizes an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) approach to intervention with an emphasis on Verbal Behavior (VB), Fluency Instruction (FT) and Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT). In addition to ABA, we use Natural Environment Teaching and Incidental Teaching.
Because the current research shows that ABA is most effective when done for 30-40 hours per week in the preschool child’s home, help from outside the family is generally necessary to fully implement a program. An intern with AOI will work one-on-one with a child in their home. Interns will perform ABA programs, using all/most areas of ABA (VB, FT & DTT). Interns will be trained to identify behaviors, take data, prompt, reinforce and extinguish behaviors. Supervision and training will be ongoing with a BCABA or BCBA, most with over 10 years of experience with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and ABA. Interns will also have periodic written evaluations covering all aspects of the job from work ethic to procedures. Interns will earn a stipend, gain a solid understanding of ABA, learn how to work professionally within a family environment, and experience the joy of watching a young child learn. There is also opportunity for interns to explore a career in ABA by working their way up the ranks of AOI paired with continuous training opportunities.
Duties:
Initial and continual training covering:
- The history of behavioral therapy for autism
- The different areas of ABA
- Current research
- The basic elements of therapy
- Data collection
- Prompting
- How to work professionally within the home environment
- Providing one-on-one services
- Maintaining data collection as directed by the program supervisor
- Attending all team meetings, as well as additional supervision with the program supervisor
- Attending faculty supervision meetings
- Observing other children’s programs as arranged by the program supervisor
Pre-Requisites:
- Must meet all UMW and Department of Psychological Science internship requirements.
- Required courses:
- PSYC 231 – Infant and Child Development or PSYC 232 – Adolescent and Emerging Adult Development
- PSYC 253 – Fundamentals of Learning and Motivation
- Recommended courses:
- PSYC 211 – Psychopathology
- PSYC 320 – Psychology of Exceptional Children and Youth
Assessment:
- 42 hours of work per credit hour (most interns do 3 credits with 126 hours of work)
- Grade is based on on-campus supervision, agency evaluation, reflective journal, and a final paper
Agency Contact:
Erica Stapler (estapler@autismoutreach.org)
Website: http://autismoutreach.org/