Families long to communicate and connect with their children. The goal of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) programs at the UT Dallas Callier Center is to make those connections a reality.
We strive to enhance effective social communication for children of various ages who are diagnosed with ASD through our innovative group therapy programs.
| Early CLASS Preschool | Preverbal |
| Playmates | |
| Play With Friends | SKILL |
Play With Friends is designed to facilitate peer interaction and social success for children with ASD in a small-group setting. The speech-language pathologist and graduate student assistants develop individualized plans to teach important skills in the practical use of language. Organized games and collaborative play provide the context for practice of social communication skills.
Early CLASS (Communication, Language And Social Skills) Preschool
The Early CLASS is a classroom-based speech, language and communication program for children with ASD and their parents. The curriculum was developed using the SCERTS philosophy (Prizant and colleagues, 2006).
Intervention focuses on the core features of ASD and helps children become more competent communicators while preventing problem behaviors that interfere with learning and relationships.
We provide behavioral therapy with a developmental perspective. Speech-language pathologists trained in the SCERTS program are assisted in the classroom by graduate student clinicians.
The Early CLASS serves as an educational laboratory and research site for the UT Dallas program in communication sciences and disorders.
Playgroup is designed to facilitate social communication, joint attention & play skills which are core deficits of children with ASD. Groups will be led by a speech-language pathologist and student clinicians and will contain three to four children, targeting ages 3-5. It is held two mornings per week for one-and-a-half hours per session.
The Playmates program facilitates peer interaction and social success for children with ASD in a small-group setting. The speech-language pathologist and graduate student assistants develop individualized plans to teach important skills in the practical use of language. Organized games and collaborative play provide the context for practice of social communication skills. View the flyer for more details about next session!
Preverbal Communication Program
The Preverbal Communications Program provides intense communication intervention for toddlers who are non-verbal or in the early stages of developing the use of language. Children appropriate for the program include those diagnosed with receptive/expressive language disorder, ASD, developmental delay, or those who have difficulty producing speech sounds, as well as those for whom the diagnosis is unclear.
A one-to-one ratio of clinician to child ensures that children have adult support in their attempts to participate and communicate in group activities and individual speech-language therapy.
Although speech-language pathologists individualize intervention to meet the needs of each child, they also incorporate aspects of the SCERTS approach (Prizant, 2006), Floor Time (Greenspan, 1998), the Hanen Program (Sussman, 1999) and behavioral intervention with a developmental/relational approach.
The Preverbal Program serves as an educational laboratory and research site for the UT Dallas program in communication sciences and disorders.
START (Strategy Training and Response to Therapy)
START is a group therapy program for children ages 18 months to 5 years who are newly diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Licensed speech-language pathologists with specialized expertise in working with young children with autism spectrum disorders will assist each family by:
START is a partnership between the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders and Children’s Medical Center Dallas. It is made possible by a grant from Crystal Charity Ball.
Each session includes:
