Today, as many as one in 88 children are diagnosed with an autism
spectrum disorder, making autism the fastest growing developmental
disability in the United States. Autism spectrum disorder is a
complex neurodevelopmental disability that typically appears during
the first two years of life and affects a person's ability to
effectively communicate and interact with others.The Easter Seals
Autism Program provides high-quality, specialized, comprehensive
services for children with autism and their families. The Easter
Seals Autism Diagnostic Clinic, a one-day diagnostic service led by
a developmental pediatrician, is unique to the region, delivering
over 35 percent of all comprehensive clinical autism evaluations in
Illinois.
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Among other services, Easter Seals offers the Autism Learning
Center, an intensive therapeutic autism program for children ages 3
to 5; applied behavior analysis services; the P.L.A.Y. Project, a
family-focused intervention that occurs in the child's home; and
social skills groups. Autism Resource Centers are located in Peoria
and Bloomington and offer trusted resources for autism information
and referral services across the lifespan. The Easter Seals Autism
Helpline is available at 1-855-511-3773.
For over 30 years, Easter Seals has been accredited through the
international accrediting body CARF for its Outpatient Medical
Rehabilitation Pediatric Specialty Program, and that accreditation
was also renewed at the last site review.
These accreditation decisions represent the highest level of
accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and demonstrate
the organization's substantial conformance with CARF standards. An
organization receiving a three-year accreditation has been through a
rigorous peer review process and site visit, demonstrating its
commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable,
accountable and of the highest quality.
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Easter Seals provides services to ensure that all people with
disabilities and their families have equal opportunity to live,
learn, work and play in their communities. The organization is
committed to providing quality therapy services and family
support. CARF accreditation underscores the commitment to
children and families in the communities served.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission
is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services
through a consultative accreditation process that centers on
enhancing the lives of the people served. Founded in 1966 as the
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now
known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes
consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve
the quality of their programs and services. For more information
about the accreditation process, visit the CARF website at
www.carf.org.
[Text from file received from
Easter Seals Central
Illinois]
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