ABA Therapy, Social Skills Training, Parent Training
Address: 4300 Cherry Avenue Northeast | Salem, OR 97303
Rating: 1.00 (1 reviews)
Insurances: No info provided
Ages Served: All ages
Care Settings:
AboutReviewsServicesFAQ
About Adventures with Autism
Adventures with Autism is an ABA therapy center for children with autism. The company was founded by Board Certified Behavior Analyst Samantha Parnham after spending 10+ years in the ABA services and autism field. We’ve been expanding ever since. That’s because we have a burning desire to fill the need for quality ABA services in the Salem area, structure our ABA programs as a community resource for parents, and respect the challenge of teaching social skills to children with autism. We work diligently to make real change and bring autism awareness to our community – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our BCBAs are autism specialists who believe every child deserves the freedom to be themselves, pursue their interests, and engage with their community. That’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to advocate for children with autism. We offer clinic-based ABA services for children with autism. These services include social skills groups, adapted activity groups, sensory activities for kids with autism, sensory sensitive community events for children with autism, IEP and school consultations, parent training and support, and parents’ nights out! All of our ABA services utilize a behavior analytic framework and evidence-based practices.
8 months ago —-before the new staff—-I would have given them a 5 star. Always attentive to the kids, following a curriculum, mindful of parents needs for their children, on top of meeting with parents when requested and more.
Today they don’t even deserve the one star. I have been trying to have an IEP meeting for three months and continuously pushed back or ignored, and have to keep reminding… It never ended up happening by the way. my needs for my kids or completely under minded, and even in fact, questioned. I was questioned on why on earth, I would think education was equally as important as social skills. I was made to feel even stupid for thinking that.
For a staff, who supposedly understands children with autism and language barriers, and their lack of misrepresenting, themselves and words , the new staff completely disregarded checks and balances and common sense, putting trauma to our entire family, which caused so much stress. It put me in the hospital as with my particular health problems, stress significantly drops my immune system. And this was more stress than I was already used to or had to deal with before.
The staff had the audacity to contact DHS over some thing My child said without even consulting us first, knowing the language barriers. I understand that it is important to call when there is cause. The child had absolutely not a single mark that could at all represent what he was saying. In the past, they had spoken to us when something like this happens, and we were able to, together as a team with the child, to make sense of what they were trying to say. The new staff had absolutely no regard for my family’s well-being and destroyed our trust in them after lying several times to us, and then acting like they did the right thing.
I have an official board meeting with the public school district boards, that would represent my child, and not only the disability department, but in the public setting. We spoke of this very same concern. And even they understood that there are checks and balances that need to occur first to such a situation. Considering that language was one of the things that was already in his IEP meant that they already understood from my perspective what needed to be done here first. Awa knew better and they decided to defend their staff over the children first. I immediately pulled them out, because public school at this point was a far better option after everything that they took away from the school in the past six months.
Awa no longer stands for the same things they want stood when we first began. The reality is we pulled our kids out not just because of the DHS issue, but because there was a slew of problems to begin with that were increasing since the new staff began. That was only the cherry on the cake.
CarissaChild age: 0 years old
December 21, 2022
Frequently Asked Questions
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapy rooted in the science of learning and behavior. Using principles of ABA, children and adults can learn to improve their communication skills, social skills, and daily living skills while also addressing problematic or challenging behaviors. The primary goal of ABA therapy is to teach helpful skills that promote independence and reduce harmful behaviors. Here's our complete guide to everything you need to know about ABA therapy.
It's a big decision to make for your family! Applied behavior analysis (ABA) seeks to improve communication skills, introduce productive habits, and reduce harmful behaviors. Watch out for ABA providers who look to "cure" autism.
High quality ABA therapy does exist where the goal is not to “fix” children, make them appear “less autistic”, or change who they are. The goal is to help people learn all that they can so they can live to their potential while embracing their unique, individual personality traits. Here's our complete guide to start and end ABA therapy.
ABA is usually covered by insurance if you have an autism diagnosis. Autism is typically the only diagnosis insurance will authorize for ABA services since its benefits have been researched extensively.
Always check with your specific insurance plan to confirm that ABA is covered for your child’s diagnoses and that the provider you are seeking care at is in-network. Here's our complete guide to everything you need to know about ABA therapy.
Here are a few alternative options to consider:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT helps by identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It's useful for those dealing with social anxiety or difficulties. CBT addresses cognitive patterns and provides strategies to manage social challenges.
Group therapy: Group therapy offers a supportive space where individuals can practice social skills. They can feedback from peers and a therapist. It allows interaction with others who understand and learn from each other.
Play-based interventions: Play therapy or play-based interventions work well for younger children or those who learn through experiences. Play activities target specific social skills like turn-taking and problem-solving in a safe and engaging setting.
Even if a provider offers parent training, it may look different from one provider to another. For example, an in-home provider might conduct a parent training session directly following a therapy session with your child to help explain what they’ve been working on with your child. At larger organizations, you might have a support group of families who are dealing with similar issues.
All ages
In-office
English