Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program

The Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) Program provides community-based services to young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Services

Our program provides comprehensive one-to-one treatment for young children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Treatment usually starts in the child’s home. As the child learns new skills, treatment is expanded to include early childhood education settings, the community, and other settings.

The program emphasizes a positive and systematic way of teaching skills and reducing behavioral problems. Treatment teams focus on creativity and flexibility, and work with available resources to develop a plan for each child.

The program uses applied behavior analysis principles to determine a young child’s behavioral deficits and excesses. The program also teaches appropriate behaviors through the use of EIBI theories, including the analysis of verbal behavior, discrete trial teaching, applied verbal behavior methods, and natural environment teaching.

EIBI staff make every effort to create a setting that maximizes the child’s successes and minimizes failures. To help accomplish this, we simplify requests, prompt the child to make correct responses, and provide ample reinforcement for appropriate behaviors. It is important to make sure the child is motivated to participate in the process.

Treatment

Treatment is focused on providing behavior support that allows children to achieve their individual potential and may include:

• Language and communication
• Social skills and play
• Pre-academic skills and daily living activities
• Partnerships between therapy teams and family members to increase learning and generalization of skills across all members

Eligibility

The program accepts young children up to five years of age (fifth birthday must occur after September 1) who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and who qualify for medical assistance.

A psychiatric or psychological evaluation that recommends an intensive level of behavioral intervention is necessary. Children receive treatment as long as all involved parties agree at interagency meetings. Children who are in full-time placements through their school districts are not eligible.

Intensive treatment is provided in the home for the child, along with support and supervision for the parents.