From
The Star-Ledger in N.J.. In the picture, 10-year-old Ben Hack, left, playing piano with his brother Sean Hack, 15, of Maplewood worked with ABA trained staff after he was diagnosed with autism. His mother, Mary Beth Walsh, credits the program with his progress in speech and social skills.
CALDWELL, N.J. -- At 2 and a half years old, Ben Hack didn’t talk. He didn’t even babble.
When he was diagnosed with autism, his worried mother, Mary Beth Walsh, didn’t know where to turn. She searched the course listings at Caldwell College, where she works. That led her to Sharon Reeve, then in the psychology and educational departments.
Within six weeks, Ben was undergoing an interventionist treatment called applied behavior analysis, or ABA for short. Walsh hired students, who were trained by Reeve, to work with Ben 40 hours a week, teaching him basic skills step-by-step at their Maplewood home.
“It’s essentially a science that is used to break down tasks to their smallest components so kids are able to learn from them,” Reeve said, about ABA. She said the treatment has proven to be an effective method.
Now 10 years old, Ben is social, greeting people with eye contact, an outstretched hand and a hearty “Hi!” his mother said.
Ben’s case is unusual. Many parents can’t find an ABA-trained professional to work with their newly diagnosed child, and schools that use the treatment method have long waiting lists. This fall, Caldwell College began a Ph. D. program in ABA, the first of its kind in New Jersey, that will train students to develop new programs or refine existing ones to meet the high demand. Eleven students have enrolled. Reeve directs the doctoral program.
The school is also planning to open a clinic in September next year to provide up to 24 children at a time with short-term, after-school services. Reeve said their parents and teachers would be trained to carry out the intervention after the children are assessed.
New Jersey’s autism rate is higher than the national average. One out of every 94 children in the state is diagnosed with autism, while the national rate is 1 in 150, according to preliminary numbers from the Centers for Disease Control. A study published in October in the Journal of Pediatrics, however, revised the national statistic to 1 in 100.
“It’s one of the most prevalent disorders today,” said Reeve, adding that some characterize it as an epidemic.
Reeve estimates that there are 8,000 children with autism in the state but only 400 certified professionals. ABA is a one-on-one treatment.
The start-up cost of the Ph. D. program was covered by $476,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Education. Plus, the college raised $100,000 in cash donations and pledges.
But the college needs $350,000 to renovate a space in the Mary Joseph Residence Hall for the clinic. Students in a public-relations class at the college are planning fundraisers, including a 5K race and a music festival in the spring.
Lori Bechner, a student in the Ph. D. program, has been the clinical director at the Alpine Learning Group in Paramus for five years. There, she’s seen first-hand the need for more programs.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “We want to help these families. We want to help the school districts. But there are only so many spots we have in this program.”
From The Star-Ledger in N.J.. In the picture, 10-year-old Ben Hack, left, playing piano with his brother Sean Hack, 15, of Maplewood worked with ABA trained staff after he was diagnosed with autism. His mother, Mary Beth Walsh, credits the program with his progress in speech and social skills.
