Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash
1 in 54 children in the US is diagnosed with autism. Easterseals Midwest—an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities and their families—helps and supports autistic people. The organization was unable to host regular events due to COVID-19. Instead, they focused their time on creating and continuing programs for autistic people and their families.
They currently serve over 5,000 people with disabilities—empowering them throughout their daily lives and advocating for them. Casey Melancon, director of autism and clinical services, says she and her team currently serve over 165 people.
The organization offers a wide range of family support services and education, counseling and therapy. One of which is the Parent Education Program. Through the program, the Easterseals team guides parents on how to respond and properly care for their autistic children. They do this in a natural environment, usually inside the home, to better understand the exact situation of the families.
“The Parent Education Program is based on all the principles of applied behavior analysis, so it's considered evidence-based,” says Melancon. “Many of our services focus on positive reinforcement, which is the ABA model. We definitely teach them positive reinforcement, we just teach them very specific techniques on how to respond to a behavioral concern.”
Easterseals also offers direct Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA services. ABA therapy can occur in the clinic, at home, or in the community and uses a methodology that addresses behavioral, communication, and social problems. The therapist helps establish routines, increases social and leisure skills, and teaches emotional regulation and coping strategies. They also offer occupational and physical therapy.
As of October 1 of last year, Easterseals Midwest added the Family Navigation Program with support from the Abbott Fund. Through the program, Easterseals aims to better serve black autistic individuals, who have historically been underserved in the field. Studies have shown that black children are typically diagnosed with autism six months later than their white peers. Through the Family Navigation program, Easterseals hopes to change that.
Through the program, family navigators with the organization provide a range of services. They include: screening children for diagnosis, diagnosis or referral to a doctor with autism experience, developing a plan for the child, identifying support services and resources in the community, integrating children into Easterseals services, and maintaining a relationship with the family throughout the process .
“Sometimes you have people who are already diagnosed, so they contact us and say, 'My child has been diagnosed with autism, we need help. I do not know what to do.' This is like something like a foreign language to them if they are not familiar [autism]Melancon says. “We will help them find different providers based on their needs. Of course, we want to try to serve them as well, but sometimes they're looking for services that we might not even offer, or maybe we have a waiting list and another agency doesn't. We can help them, basically just navigate the world of autism.”
Ultimately Melancon hopes that people start to become better educated about autism and that the stigma surrounding autistic people will finally end. He wants people to be able to recognize symptoms of autism so they can be diagnosed and get help sooner. Symptoms of autism in children may include: not responding when their name is called, people seeming distant or in tune, repetitive behaviors, and sensory and social concerns.
Melancon advises parents or loved ones who suspect their child may be autistic to contact their doctor for a diagnosis or reach out to an organization like Easterseals.
“A lot of times families are automatically thought of as an entity that does that [diagnostic exams]Melancon says. “So their waiting list can be 9-12 months or so. But we have other places that do as well. They can contact us, we would like to help them.”
The full list of services offered by Easterseals Midwest includes the Parent Education and Training Program, Family Navigation, PEERS Social Skills groups, Sibshops (sibling support groups), group workshops, observations, IEP support, ABA counseling and therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy .
To get started with Easterseals autism services, email Melancon at casey.melancon@esmw.org or call 816-891-2930.
