Early Intervention - Wawa House
Who is Eden Wawa House - Located next door to Eden Institute, opened in 1992 as home for Eden's Infant and Toddler Program, the first in the nation to offer early intervention programming in specialized autism services. The facility is named in recognition of major funding support provided by Wawa, Inc. and customers in the chain's several hundred New Jersey foods markets.
Wawa House Services also offers supplemental clinic therapy to children age 3 and above who need additional help with speech and language development, behavior issues or sensory integration.
Wawa House Services employs highly trained therapist with degrees in education, psychology or related fields. Therapist who proved speech and language therapy also has specific certifications in the discipline. All receive extensive additional training on a regular basis at Eden Institute.
News and Events:
Wawa House South - Now offering Early Intervention Training Dates.
Training Dates Available:
Feb 24th, 2009 - Early Invention and ASD
March 10th, 2010 - Autism Spectrum Disorders: Speech Language and Communications
March 26th, 2010 - Early Intervention and ASD: Assessment and Goal Planning.
For more information please visit - www.edentraining.org
Services:
Infant and Toddler Programs
The Infant and Toddler Program is designed to provide children under 3 with individualized early intervention services in a 1:1 setting. Programming is grounded in the techniques of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and comprises a combination of therapies, including behavioral, sensory integration and speech and language. An Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) serves as the basis for each child's program and is intended to reflect the family's needs as well as those of the child. Each IFSP also establishes whether therapy is offered in clinic, at home or in a combination of settings.
A child-initiated, adult-directed approach that capitalizes on the child's interests and motivations be used to develop age appropriate skills. Through this approach, the therapist builds rapport with the child and establishes beginning language, play, and imitation and social interaction skills. Behavioral strategies are also developed as needed to address unacceptable behavior patterns.
Individualized goals for each child focus on learning readiness skills, play and cognitive skills, communication and speech development, self-care and sensory issues. To ensure steady progress, objective measures are collected and evaluated daily. After the first month of therapy, the child's progress is summarized in a comprehensive report, and subsequently, on a quarterly basis.
Eden believes that one of the strongest predictors of a child's progress is the strength of the parents' conviction that they can be effective facilitators in their child's development. Therefore, parent training, support and advocacy services are critical components of the Infant and Toddler Program. At Wawa House, parents receive individual and group training, home programming and guidance in how to be effective advocates for their children. Parent education workshops and support groups are also offered.
Supplemental Clinic Services
As a clinic, Wawa House Services offers therapy to children age 3 and above as a supplement to their school programming. All sessions are provided on a 1:1 basis.
Children receiving supplemental services may have sessions at Wawa House itself, in their own homes or in both locations, utilizing each setting to teach social, play, self-care and communication skills, as well as appropriate behavior. In-home therapy also serves to guide the family in developing therapeutic techniques to be used at home regularly.
Behavioral therapy uses focused, individualized goals to develop skills in the areas of play, social interaction, receptive and expressive language concepts, pre-academics, academics and self-care.
Sensory integration therapy is provided when recommended by a licensed occupational therapist and focuses on a child's sense of touch, balance and use of the body as a whole.
Speech and language therapy sessions begin with an assessment of each child's present level of communication, followed by the development of specific communication goals. While emphasis is placed on verbal speech, augmentative systems may also be taught to aid a child in his or her individual communication efforts.
Therapy sessions are generally for one hour, which includes time at the conclusion for therapist and parent to confer. Parents may join their child's session if they wish or view it through a two-way mirror. As time and space permit, families of children receiving clinic therapy are also encouraged to participate in relevant parent training and support activities of the Infant and Toddler Program.