Friendship House has operated an Autism Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) Center Based program in Scranton, PA since November 2002 serving over 500 children. The goal of the Autism program is to assist the child and his/her caregiver in developing “learning to learn skills” to better prepare them for inclusion in naturalistic settings within school based programming, their home, and the community. “Alex J. Hazzouri, President/Chief Executive Officer emphasized the importance of early intervention services for children with Autism. The opportunity that AllOne Foundation provided to Friendship House to expand services into Lycoming County has afforded families that have children with Autism a unique opportunity to access these critical services”.
The Friendship House Autism program in Williamsport became operational on September 15, 2019 as part of the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence with the support of the AllOne Foundation. Located in the Hope Enterprises Inc. facility in Williamsport, PA, Friendship House is currently serving eight children and their families. Led by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Friendship House provides evidence based teaching strategies in one to one or group formats to allow the children served the opportunity to acquire developmentally appropriate skill repertoires. Friendship House is committed to maximizing the adaptive functioning and skills of its children in a planned, positive, and data driven manner. “According to John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Foundation, Friendship House offers a unique program providing critical Applied Behavioral Analysis to young children. This early intervention program is one of a kind and the AllOne Foundation is pleased to be part of this effort to bring these services to families in Lycoming County”.
Photo: Alex Hazzouri and John Cosgrove
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