Programs & Services
| Raleigh TEACCH |
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| Additional Info |
Raleigh TEACCH Center
Services Available
- Preschool-Elementary Age Children and their Families
- Adolescents and their Families
- Adults and their Families
- What is TEACCH?
Adolescents and their Families
Diagnostic Evaluation
This is a process during which the adolescent is tested with appropriate behavioral and/or cognitive measures to primarily help with the clarification of diagnosis and to assist the family with understanding their adolescent son or daughter and future planning. Parents are also interviewed and an interpretive conference concludes the day. This evaluation is most suitable for adolescents and parents for whom a diagnosis has not been previously given.
Individual Parent Training Sessions
These sessions provide an opportunity for parents to learn ways of helping their adolescent at home and to help deal with behavior problems, self-help and other skills. Sessions are individualized and scheduled every other week, typically for 6 sessions. The parent meets with the parent consultant, while the adolescent meets simultaneously with another therapist. The sessions should be viewed as short-term, parent education focused and not therapy for the adolescent. This teaching program is best suited for parents who are interested and have time to work with their adolescent at home.
Group Parent Training Sessions
Group parent training sessions utilize a combination of group and individual sessions for both the adolescent and the parents separately. There are a total of 6 sessions. The group portion consists of a 1 hour interactive lecture for the adolescents and 1 hour,15 minutes for the parents, to discuss the characteristics of autism and how it impacts their lives.
Each meeting time, two adolescents will have a 30 minute individual session to address their own or their parent’s concerns. The adolescents alternate through so that each will have two individual sessions. The parents will each have one 45 minute individual session. Families are selected for group sessions based upon interest in group support services and individual needs.
Parent Problem Solving Sessions
The Parent Problem Solving Sessions are designed as an advanced option for parents that have already attended either the TEACCH individual treatment sessions or the group teaching sessions. Groups of 10 to 20 family members meet with TEACCH staff members for 5 to 6 monthly sessions on Wednesday evenings to problem solve around issues raised by group members.
Parent Support Groups
There are two groups run by the Center: a mothers’ support group which meets once a month on Thursday mornings and a fathers’ support group which meets monthly for dinner. The mothers’ group has a specific topic for each session; the fathers’ group is more informal. These groups are useful for parents who are interested in meeting and talking with other parents in a supportive setting. The Director of the Chapel Hill TEACCH Center leads the father’s group
School Consultation
TEACCH staff provides consultation to classrooms in which there are one or more students with autism. This consultation, provided on a limited basis depending on availability of staff time, can be arranged upon request of the teacher or other relevant school personnel. This service is useful for students where a diagnosis has been previously made, where both parents and teachers are interested, and where TEACCH staff recommendations will be utilized.
Workshops
The Center conducts several workshops during the year including one specifically for parents on Adolescents and Adults with Autism, one for professional and parents on Adolescence, Fundamentals of Structured Teaching and one on High Functioning Autism. Although the latter three workshops are generally geared toward teachers and other professionals, parents are welcome to attend. These workshops can be useful for parents who are interested in learning in this type of setting and comfortable participating alongside professionals.
TEACCH Staff
Raleigh TEACCH Center
RaleighTEACCH@med.unc.edu
