BUILDING BLOCKS- INTENSIVE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

The Building Blocks Intensive Preschool Program serves children, three to six years old, who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, or a related social/communication disorder. The program employs intensive, one-to-one intervention techniques to target the areas that are most often challenging for children with this diagnosis: social interaction, communication and play. We are committed to working with children, their families, and schools, so that they have increased success in forming relationships and learning within their natural environments. Building Blocks Intensive Preschool Program offers a menu of service options, including home and/or school-based programming. We work collaboratively with school systems to supplement their existing programs, not to replace them.

WHAT IS THE INTERVENTION PHILOSOPHY OF BUILDING BLOCKS INTENSIVE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM? We use a combination of highly animated play (Floor Time) and structured teaching (ABA). The growing body of relevant research, as well as our own clinical experience, convinces us that through this blend of techniques, a child is best able to learn, to enjoy learning and to generalize what they have learned to other social or learning situations.

HOW IS IT DETERMINED WHICH APPROACH, OR BLEND OF APPROACHES, IS BEST FOR A CHILD? Determining what techniques will be best to teach a particular child at a given time is a complex process and one which is discussed together with staff, supervisors and the family. The Building Blocks Intensive Preschool Program staff initially observes the child interacting with his family, peers and teachers and notes what already works well. Then we will begin to experiment with increasing and decreasing the structure of interactions to determine a child’s optimal response. The Building Blocks Intensive Preschool Program is individualized for children, so the specific approaches used depend on the child’s learning style.