Clinical Services
CLINICAL SERVICES AT ASHEVILLE CENTER:
The Asheville TEACCH Center offers clinical services that are tailored to meet the unique needs of each autistic individual across the lifespan and their family. Services are designed to promote communication, executive function, social skills, and emotion regulation. Parent coaching is provided to help parents understand their child’s unique learning styles.
Diagnostic Evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults
The Asheville TEACCH® Center provides diagnostic evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults who are thought to have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but have not yet received a diagnosis. Evaluations typically consist of two visits to the clinic (varies depending upon the complexity of the case and services provided) and focus on issues of diagnosis and educational programming and intervention.
The evaluation includes caregiver interviews; a review of medical, social, academic, and developmental history; caregiver questionnaires, and testing sessions with the individual. The individual is directly assessed using state-of-the-art, empirically-based assessment instruments including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and The Childhood Autism Rating Scale – 2nd edition (CARS2). Results of the evaluation are shared with the parents during an interpretive conference that is typically held at the end of the diagnostic day. An individualized, written evaluation summary with comprehensive recommendations and resources is mailed to the family.
Intervention / Therapy Services – Individual
TEACCH for Toddlers is a comprehensive approach for toddlers diagnosed with autism and their families incorporating naturalistic, structured, and behavioral (e.g., ABA) strategies. An interdisciplinary team of specialists, including psychologists, social workers, and educators will work with you and your child to promote better outcomes for all. TEACCH for Toddlers entails:
One of our Autism Specialists will work with children and caregivers to:
1) promote communication, social, and play skills and increase flexibility
2) provide education, coaching, and parent-to-parent support to parents
The program lasts for approximately 14 weeks per family, with rolling admissions throughout the year.
- Who: Individual with ASD under 3 years and their parents. Child must enroll in Intensive before 2 years and 7 months to complete treatment before turning 3 years of age.
- Location: Clinic
- Duration: 3 hours/week for 14 weeks
- Billing: Adaptive Behavior Therapy Some insurance companies will cover this service, while others may not. Recent legislative changes in NC ensure that more and more insurance companies will cover this type of service.
TEACCH for Toddlers (TFT) is a comprehensive approach for autistic toddlers and their families, incorporating naturalistic, structured, and behavioral intervention strategies. Family Implemented TEACCH for Toddlers (FITT) is our way of coaching parents to (1) understand how their toddler learns and (2) use naturalistic and structured strategies to promote engagement. The Interventionist conducts an initial interview to determine a treatment plan and broad goals for parents and the child. Weekly TEACCH for Toddlers sessions are focused on child and parental goals.
- Who: Individual with ASD under 4 years and their parents
- Location: Clinic or Virtual
- Duration: 60 min/week for 12 weeks
Individualized Parent TEACCHing Sessions are designed to facilitate a collaboration/partnership between TEACCH staff and parents. A key to this collaboration is our underlying philosophy that parents know their children best and that TEACCH can provide information, strategies, and support to address the needs of their children. Individual parent TEACCHing sessions are available to parents of autistic individuals of all ages.
These sessions provide an opportunity for parents to learn ways of teaching their child at home, build self-help and other home skills including communication and social skills, as well as address behavioral concerns. Sessions are 45 minutes in length and are offered weekly. The number of sessions varies depending on the individual’s needs (typically eight to twelve sessions). During the sessions, a therapist works directly with the child to model suggested strategies and then works with the parent to implement these strategies that address the concerns the parent may have.
- Who: Individual with ASD 4 through adulthood and their parents
- Location: Clinic or virtual
- Duration: 45 or 60 min/Week for 12 weeks
This service is designed for individuals to address social communication challenges, emotional dysregulation, daily living, executive functioning, and self-advocacy. We utilize evidence-based modalities (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) combined with structured TEACCHing strategies (e.g., visual supports) to work on treatment goals. Depending on age and preference, sessions may be individual or may include involvement from caregivers/family members. Typically therapy sessions at TEACCH are time-limited and solution-focused.
- Who: Individual with ASD school age through adulthood
- Location: Clinic or Virtual
- Duration: 45-minute session, one per week, session total based on need
Some autistic individuals have intensive needs that require services above and beyond standard TEACCH sessions. Clients receiving these sessions typically have significant behavioral or emotional difficulties and have limited options for receiving services from other providers in their communities. TEACCH services may be available to provide more intensive and/or ongoing service to a limited number of clients. Typically, these sessions involve working with family members or community service providers to help them provide direct services to an autistic individual around a variety of issues. The ability to provide longer-term services is based on client needs and staff availability.
Intervention / Therapy Services – Group
This group focuses on teaching and practicing skill-focused modules (Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness) which are designed to help individuals improve management of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive instability. New skills are presented each week, and homework is assigned for individuals to practice during the week and reviewed in future groups.
- Age: Individuals with ASD age 18 and older
- Location: Virtual
- Duration: 90 minutes/week for 16 weeks
Vocational
The TEACCH® School Transition to Employment and Postsecondary Education Program (T-STEP) FREE, evidence-based college class to help autistic students transition to adulthood. The program is for 16–21 year-olds with Autism Spectrum Disorder who will or have received a Future-Ready Core high school diploma.
Support and Education for Families
This free service is provided to families of children under the age of 4 years who are currently on our waitlist. The focus of the series is on an introduction to the use of naturalistic, developmental, behavioral, and Structured TEACCHing strategies to be used in the home and community. The series runs for a total of 6 weeks and meets for 1 ¾ hours, and is virtual. This is offered in both English and Spanish.
Consultation to Schools, Group Homes, and other Agencies
TEACCH provides consultation services to local school systems, group homes, and other agencies providing services to autistic individuals and their families. Agencies can request consultation for a program and/or an individual client. Please call your local TEACCH office at 919-445-7020 for more information.