Easter Seals Disability Services

Mission
Easter Seals Crossroads is a community resource working in partnership with children and adults with disabilities or special needs and their families to promote growth, independence and dignity.

As part of our mission, and in response to the growing need for comprehensive services for children who are diagnosed along the Autism spectrum, Easter Seals Crossroads is now offering the P.L.A.Y. Project Home Consulting Program (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters). 

The P.L.A.Y. Project
The P.L.A.Y. Project focuses on the fact that parents and caregivers spend more time with their children than teachers, therapists or doctors.  This program provides training to the parents/caregivers so that they become their child’s best P.L.A.Y. partner.  Our trained consultants will teach the parents techniques that are effective, fun, and useful in day-to-day interactions with their child with autism.  This training is provided in the home where the child feels comfortable, which allows for greater success.

Home Consultation
Home consultation allows our trained professional to assess children in the place where he/she would act most naturally.  The home consultation will typically include:

•  An average of 10 monthly visits over the course of one year
•  Each session is a maximum of 3 hours divided among modeling, coaching and feedback
•  Videotaping of P.L.A.Y. interactions with written evaluations and feedback
•  Assistance with IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) or IEP (Individualized Education Program) goals

The Home Consultation Program also includes periodic surveys to assess family satisfaction, documentation of progress, resources for families which include referrals to other types of comprehensive therapies (developmental, occupational, physical, or speech & language therapy).

Program Content
The P.L.A.Y. Project was created by Dr. Rick Solomon of The Ann Arbor Center for Developmental Behavioral program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  It is considered a practical application of the DIR/Floortime model of Stanley Greenspan MD, a nationally-respected child psychiatrist.  The program contents reflect the DIR Model: Strategies at 6 Functional Developmental Levels.

1. Shared Attention & Self-regulation - interest in the world
2. Engagement and Relating - forming relationships with warmth and pleasure
3. Two way Communication - back and forth conversation to share interests and needs
4. Purposeful Problem-Solving Communication - using a combination of gestures, actions and words to problem-    solve interactions and help develop a sense of self
5. Creating and Elaborating Ideas - using pretend play to create ideas to share emotions
6. Building Bridges Between Ideas - making connections between different emotional ideas

Program Commitment
The P.L.A.Y. Project was developed for families who want to be fully partnered with their medical professionals to meet the needs of their child.  To accomplish this goal, the following commitment is required: 

Training

• An average of 10 monthly visits over the course of one year
• Each session is a maximum of 3 hours divided among modeling, coaching and feedback
  

Post-Training 
Once a family has been trained the recommendation is that parents and other caregivers apply the principles for 2 hours per day P.L.A.Y.ing with their child.  This can usually be accomplished in multiple 20-minute sessions.

Program Cost
The cost for the entire program which consists of an average of 10 home visits over 12 months is $3500.  We are pleased to be able to offer a flexible payment schedule and are currently seeking alternate funding sources to be able to offer scholarships to the children and families in this program to off-set the cost.

Program Staff
The P.L.A.Y. program staff is made-up of professionals who typically practice developmental, occupational, physical, or speech therapy.  Each has participated in training through The P.L.A.Y. Project to develop an expertise in this specific treatment approach.  Their purpose is to guide the parent to use techniques that will effectively assist the child to move up the developmental ladder, and increase language and social skills.  Our professionals are additionally skilled at working with children with autism.  This program is part of a comprehensive therapy approach and does not take the place of current therapies a child is receiving.
 
Program Contact
For more information on this program, please contact us.