The Extra Steps Program provides leisure, recreational, social, safety, daily living skill development, vocational and pre-vocational opportunities and training for individuals with autism spectrum disorders in home, school, work and community locations. These respite services will be customized to meet the unique needs of each participant, their families, and extended communities. Services may include training of parents, siblings, extended family, other professionals, and/or other members of the greater community. Services may be provided after school hours, nights, weekends, on snow days, school vacations and holidays.   Based on an individual's needs, adequate support will be provided to maintain each participant's health, safety, and well-being, as well as active behavioral instruction. Staffing ratios are determined on a case-by-case basis, and include evaluation of not only the participant, but the varying needs of the environments in which they will be supported. For example, a participant may be able to participate in a group setting with one instructor assigned to that student, but may also require a ratio of two instructors when in community settings.   Over the short term, the goal of the Extra Steps Program is to maintain the safety of individuals with significant disabilities and of others around them. However, the program is designed to provide "functional respite", i.e., services that not only maintain safety in the present, while facilitating community access to the greatest extent possible. In addition, individualized behavioral interventions will be designed and implemented to replace problem behavior with other, socially important, functional behavior. The long term goal of this program is to ultimately reduce or eliminate behaviors that are of concern, and thereby increase each person's independence and ability to be maintained in their family environment with the least support possible.   This program is offered via a collaborative initiative by the Connecticut Center for Child Development, Inc., and Marrakech, Inc. For further information on this program you can contact. Suzanne Letso, M.A., BCBA

CCCD 925 Bridgeport Avenue Milford, CT 06460 Phone: 203-882-8810 Fax: 203-878-9468 E-Mail: info@cccdinc.org