Your Child Has Just Been Diagnosed with Autism – Now What?
According to the CDC, 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States; with the average age of a diagnosis being between 2 and 5 years old. Each family’s journey with a ASD diagnosis is different, with the moment becoming a pivotal point in the life for the entire family. While no guide is one size fits all, there are a number of first steps that families could take to themselves up for their road ahead. The Arc Westchester’s Director of the Children’s School for Early Development, Ann-Marie Sabrsula provides a number of first steps and strategies that families can take.
The full version of this important and informative article can be found in the most recent issue of Autism Spectrum News.
Sabrsula leads our early intervention and special education preschool program for young children with developmental disabilities and their families. She holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Developmental Psychology from Fordham University and an additional Master’s Degree in Education/School Building Leadership at Manhattan College. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Westchester County Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council, a member of the Education Committee of the Inter Agency Council and sits among other directors within the NYS Alliance for Children with Special Needs in the Mid-Hudson Region.
The Arc Westchester’s Children’s School for Early Development supports children on the Autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities
The Arc Westchester’s Children’s School for Early Development provides educational, social and support services for children, from birth to five years of age, and their families. These services are provided based on the philosophy that children and their families should be given a choice of resources to maximize their child’s potential.
Our Children’s School services include:
Early Intervention & Preschool Evaluations:
The Children’s School believes that children with developmental disabilities and their families should be given a choice of early intervention services and resources to maximize their child’s potential.
Early Intervention Services :
Our multidisciplinary evaluations conducted in the home provide families with the comprehensive developmental information that is needed to determine the best course of intervention for each individual child. We provides ongoing service coordination, special instruction, and speech therapy for those who are eligible.
Our Preschool:
As an early childhood education provider, The Children’s School for Early Development offers a variety of inclusion classrooms through our long-standing collaborative relationships with nursery schools, child care centers, and public school Pre-K programs throughout Westchester County.
Family Support Groups:
The Children’s School runs a series of workshops facilitated by our multi-disciplinary team for families based on topics of interest including speech and language development, sensory integration, social-emotional learning and play, among others.
