For who?

Children aged between 12 - 48 months who have a diagnosis of Autism (or who are showing signs of Autism)

What is it?

An evidence-based early intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or who are displaying signs of ASD)

Angela is one of a limited number of professionals in Ireland that have achieved certified status as a therapist in delivering the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), an evidence-based early intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or who are displaying signs of ASD) ESDM is a play-based intervention that fuses behavioural, relationship and developmental principles for an integrated approach. ESDM can be implemented in different natural settings such as the home or the preschool within play and daily routines by trained therapists and parents. ESDM aims to reduce the symptoms of autism and target all developmental areas. ESDM focuses on establishing pivotal skills and social interactions which in turn facilitate greater incidental learning rather than the traditional behavioural approach of teaching discrete social skills which have little generalisation to other settings and limited functional use in daily social communication. 

ESDM intervention involves an initial assessment which will identify specific goals for your child (e.g. play skills, communication skills, social skills) which will then be explained in terms of their significance and functional implications (i.e. the difference they will make in how your child interacts and communicates in daily life). Decisions around target goals will be made in conjunction with parent’s priorities and goals. Intervention sessions will model how to use strategies to meet these goals and support parents in feeling confident to implement these strategies into their daily routines at home where they can offer many more learning opportunities than can be gained in clinic sessions alone. Although strategies for managing behaviour are included in such plans, this is not a behaviour-specific intervention and its focus is to develop social communication, interaction and play skills.

How much does it cost?

Initial assessment and programme of goals = €500. Subsequent intervention sessions = €150 per session. Review assessment and programme of goals = €300.