3 minute read
Education
EARLY AUTISM INTERVENTION PROGRAM A SUCCESS
Young Mind Community Center He had a goal to simply react posi- through because their work demon- YMCC, the intervention takes place in (YMCC) opened last Septem- tively to being approached by other strated that brain function among an inclusive preschool and focuses on ber, with founders Amanda children. Now, he’s regularly playing young children with autism can nor- the learning opportunities that exist in Wood and Sara Mertel driven to with his friends for 10 minutes,” she malize with effective early interven- the social interactions young children change what early autism intervention said. tion in profound, enduring ways. have with other people. looked like in Phoenix. Their mission is to bring together clinical expertise In terms of language development, Just this month, a major new study “We use children’s interests and in autism and excellence in early “He also went from communicating in replicates research that demonstrated favorite activities to ensure that social childhood education in order to deliver two- or three-word phrases to 6-word that children with autism as young interaction is interesting and fun,” the best possible outcomes for young sentences in that same time.” as 18 months can vastly improve Zerbib said. children with and without autism. Af- their language, cognition and social ter analyzing the first quarter progress Dr. Wood is not at all surprised by the skills with early intervention utiliz- “The type of gains they found in this reports, it is clear that this vision is first quarter scores. She believes it is ing ESDM. The new study found that new study are what we see in our becoming a reality. a combination of their highly skilled children receiving intensive ESDM program. They’re what we should see team (which includes experts from made significantly greater language in all high-quality early intervention In the early autism intervention early childhood education, psychol- gains than children in the community programs. These findings should raise program at Young Mind Community ogy, behavior analysis, speech and interventions, and this was true for not only hope for families, but also Center, the average learner has met language pathology, and occupational both children with more severe delays expectations,” Mertel said. over 100 objectives in three months. therapy) and their unique, focused and those with fewer. Mandy Zerbib, a Board-Certified Be- approach. Find out more at havior Analyst, said she has seen huge What distinguishes ESDM from the youngmindcommunity.org cognitive, communication, and social YMCC is the only early autism more traditional behavior interven- or 602-237-6653 gains in a short period of time. intervention program in Arizona that tions used with children with autism utilizes the Early Start Denver Model is that it combines developmental and The new study appears in the Journal “One of our three-year-old students (ESDM). In 2012, TIME magazine behavioral approaches and is car- of the American Academy of Child and wouldn’t interact with his peers at all. named ESDM a top 10 medical break- ried out within everyday routines. At Adolescent Psychiatry
10210 N 32nd St, Phoenix
(623) 377 - 9753
FREE EVENT!
Friends and Family Day
April 13th | 1pm - 4pm
Dance Is Life Studios is a company owned by sisters Yesenia and Stacy Rodriguez. They started dancing in San Pedro, California at a young age. Growing up they had many dance opportunities which included traveling back up dancers, dance competitions, and joining Relentless Dance Company in Los Angeles. Since they were little it has been a dream to open a studio where they could continue to focus on their passion and help others reach theirs. The sisters will be celebrating their 2-year anniversary by hosting Friends and Family Day for the community on April 13th from 1pm - 4pm. This free event will include dancing, games, fun activities, food, and prizes. Bring your family and neighbors to this event for a day of fun. We offer group classes, private lessons, and mommy and me classes. Each class is based on skill level and age. The genres are ballet, hip hop, and modern. For adults we also have a dance fusion class which is a combination of many genres. In every class we instill confi dence and celebrate uniqueness.
Registration is available online!
Visit www.danceislifestudios.com or call 623-377-9753 You can fi nd us on social media @danceislifephx
