DBN Communication DEALL Mumbai
An Early Intervention Program for Children with Autism
An evidence based therapy program for Autism
"Our son really looked forward to DEALL as it was a safe, fun place for him to learn. And to learn how to learn."
- Parent testimonial
Assessment and evaluation
Every child in the program is assessed on several parameters giving the interventionists a holistic understanding of the child. Profiling helps us to understand the gaps in the child's development. The assessment findings are plotted on graphs that offer a clear overview of the current functioning levels of the child in comparison to his actual age. Both strengths and challenges are identified. Intervention is then planned on the basis of this profile. Each developmental skill is rated on a five-point rating scale.This ensures that the learning does not remain restricted to the classroom but is available to the child in a variety of contexts. Generalization of skills is an area that merits careful attention in Autism; we have built this into the protocol. Assessments are repeated every six months. Careful monitoring thus ensures that we remain committed to measureable gains in specified timeframes.
All children undergo assessments for Pre-Learning Skills, Developmental Profiles, Oro Motor Skills and Sensory Profiling. Additional tests include Test of Pragmatics, Tests for Higher Language Development such as Linguistic Profile Test and North Western Syntax Screening Test and Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Skills Questionannaire.
As children come close to age-appropriate skills in the profile, our focus shifts to the skills required in the classroom.We have 12 years' experience in helping children settle in to regular classrooms.
Pre-linguistic development forms the foundation on which language and communication skills develop. A child's ability to establish and sustain eye contact, sit in a place for longer duration, comply with other's instruction, joint attention and awareness of his surroundings are all prelinguistic skills. In typically growing children, pre-linguistic development is complete by the time they are 3 years old. Com DEALL has its own checklist to assess and plan intervention for PLS skills.
Pre-Linguistic Skills (PLS)
Oro-sensory and oromotor skills are assessed
to understand the status of the articulators, i.e. the jaw, lips, tongue, vocal chords. Challenges in this area can affect the child's ability to f eed and speak. Com DEALL oromotor checklists are used to assess the children and monitor the response to intervention.
Oromotor skills
Communication DEALL developmental checklists assess the child on eight domains of development including gross motor, fine motor, ADL, receptive language, expressive language, cognition, and social and emotional skills. These checklists have been standardized for the Indian population and can be used for children in the age range of 0 to 6 years.
Developmental profile
Many children with Autism have difficulty processing everyday sensory information such as sight, smell, sounds, touch, etc. For example, some do not like to be hugged, while others are constantly on the move. Such behavior is related to their sensory challenges. Assessing sensory profiles helps to understand the child and plan appropriate intervention.