Autism Journeys Philosophy/Proposed Treatment

Autism Journeys seeks to help every family realize they have the ability to enjoy life with autism, not suffer from autism. We believe families can choose to see the light in autism through autism therapy and autism treatment. We strive to help guide families toward increased acceptance and understanding of their child’s unique abilities. We encourage families to place expectations based on an individual’s abilities, rather than limit expectations based on his or her diagnosis.

Autism Journeys offers a collaborative approach to treatment backed by speech therapists, child psychologists, and autism specialists that provide a variety of autism therapies, individualized for every family and every situation. We help families design and implement a roadmap to the future by considering each family’s specific dynamics, enabling them to experience joy with autism, as opposed to pain or guilt.

Autism Journeys has discovered four key factors to determining positive treatment outcomes:

First, Parent & Family Involvement: Our parent-coaching program empowers families to successfully carry over treatment objectives throughout their daily lives. We believe parents are a child’s most important teachers. Our parent training programs provide parents with the tools needed to maximize success. We offer additional support through individual, marriage and family counseling, sibling support groups, parent support groups, workshops, and home and community assistance.

Second, Respect & Research: Individuals on the autism spectrum often have difficulty communicating their needs. We recognize this difficulty and therefore make every attempt to understand their “behavior” from their perspective. Research has shown that what was in the past considered “behaviors”, are often likely attempts at self-regulation or communication. Each individual exhibiting a “behavior” will be given the opportunity to work with our providers and explore the purpose behind the “behavior”. Collaboration with our autism specialist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, clinical therapist and psychologist is critical in determining appropriate objectives and interventions.

Third, Inspired Providers: Our treatment providers are inspired by the individuals on the spectrum, and their chance to make a difference in the lives of others. They share a common bond filled with patience, love and understanding for individuals affected by autism. Our treatment team is some of the most highly trained and educated in the state.

Fourth, Advanced Training: In addition to our providers formal education, we are dedicated to providing them with continuous opportunities to learn and grow through workshops and conferences throughout the country. Our providers are trained in a wide variety of treatment methods, including all the predominant autism treatment approaches. This wide range of training enables Autism Journeys to modify treatment programs within the organization, eliminating the need for families to change organizations in search of alternative treatments.

As trained autism specialists in Utah, we work closely with other professionals and educators in the community by offering family counseling and educational workshops.