Dubbers attends a therapeutic center here in New York City that follows a “multidisciplinary approach.” The technical definition states, “A multidisciplinary approach involves drawing appropriately from multiple academic disciplines to redefine problems outside normal boundaries and reach solutions based on a new understanding of complex situations.” In our case, the complex “situation” is Dubbers and his current academic disciplines are: Speech, Occupational, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy.
After the first one to two years of having very fractured, inconsistent and unsupervised therapy mostly at home, we made a big change. At the age of three, Dubbers began full days of one-to-one therapy at The McCarton Center. Here, he receives a program, created specifically for him, that focuses on his strengths and challenges. Dubbers’ team is made up of three ABA therapists, a LBA/BCBA (Licensed Behavior Analyst/Board Certified Behavior Analyst) who supervises and supports his ABA team, a Speech & Language Pathologist and an Occupational Therapist. Besides the ability to confer with each other daily, this team meets weekly to discuss and collaborate on the specifics of Dubbers’ program.
The beauty of going to a center-based program is Dubbers receives a customized program, works with a committed team and his days are consistent. This setup also allows for the team to track progress and/or regression and make changes and updates to Dubbers’ therapy plan as needed.
Dubbers has made great strides at McCarton. Among his program accomplishments, he has achieved many “life” milestones including being potty-trained, learning to ride a bike, and most importantly, the ability to communicate. His team was also instrumental in helping Dubbers overcome such fears as train rides and airplane flights, as well as navigating his first year in preschool.
Early intervention is key; however, the right intervention is crucial. Seek out the best therapist(s), center or medical professional to implement and carry out the most beneficial program for your very special, yet complex child.
