What is an “intensive” program? How does CLC determine how much therapy is right for an individual child?
The definition of intensity according to Webster’s dictionary: Exceptionally great concentration, power, or force.Many people feel that treatment “intensity” only relates to the number of hours per week a child is receiving therapies. (Treatment intensity does indeed pertain to treatment hours, but also to the type and quality of treatment. Behaviorally-based intervention, provided one-to-one, is an intensive TYPE of treatment. The higher the QUALITY of the program, the more intensive the program.)The current body of research indicates most children with a diagnosis of autism three years or over need a minimum of 25 hours per week of intervention. At CLC, our clinical experience has shown us that more hours are often needed. However, there are many factors that must be considered before simply increasing the child’s hours.