What Makes The Whole Self Center Unique?

• We do not require families to adhere to a particular autism treatment program; but we do require that our services remain in compliance with state requirements that are identified in The Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) for the Autism Waiver.
• We base our interventions on highly individualized treatment plans created in conjunction with family members, our Family Consultants, and our full-time Clinical Director.
• We work to accomplish our goal by remaining accessible to the families we serve, attentive to our employees, and accountable to state regulators.

A Child is a Whole Person:

The staff at The Whole Self Center is encouraged to remember that the individuals we serve are much more than their diagnosis of Autism.

• In addition to their special needs, our clients are people with basic human needs who deserve the same love and respect as individuals that typical children receive.
• Our programs are specific to each child and are comprised of a variety of treatment modalities known to create structure & to promote development in people with autism.
• Some agencies focus their attention on correcting what’s wrong with a person with autism. We would rather support the individual to support individuals to experience a sense of comfort and security with being exactly who they are so they can be more open to discovering for themselves that learning and expanding would benefit them.
• It is our view that each of us appreciates being nurtured and supported. We believe that individuals with autism can be open to being supported as long as we are honest in our willingness to understand their needs. As we engage in a nurturing relationship with the individual we can offer to support them in ways that increase their sense of well-being. Families Members Have Special Needs Too

We understand that the challenges of autism can consume a family’s thoughts, feelings, and daily activities. However, we view the families we serve as being more than the parents & siblings of individuals with autism. We encourage them to explore ways to meet their personal & social needs.

• With respect to the family member with autism, we strive to tailor our clients’ autism programming to meet the unique needs, capabilities & interests of each family.
• With our input, parents set the goals for their children, & together we consider various ways to work toward meeting these goals.
• We offer a menu of services to allow parents to determine the intensity of structured skill development we will provide in their home.
• Our focus is to seek out learning opportunities in a child’s natural home & community environment to develop his/her social communication, emotional regulation & functional independence.
• Our goal is to sustain a strong environment for learning, so we will not assign a technician to a family until the parent & the potential technician interview one another to determine if the assignment is a good match for the child and the family.

Though we do not make demands on families or force them to adhere to what we feel is right for their child, we will respectfully offer recommendations for changes when necessary. We find that as we encourage even small successes in a child with autism, their parents & siblings often become more excited about looking for further learning opportunities for her/ him.