Our Approach to Autism & Communication Disorders
The Montefiore Einstein Center for Autism and Communication Disorders is an international destination site for children and young adults stigmatized for carrying an incorrect diagnosis of conditions of intellectual impairments.
Our inaugural center is an outgrowth of the unique vision of Dr. Isabelle Rapin, the department’s first pediatric neurologist and world authority on pediatric genetic and metabolic disorders as well as the integrative concept of pediatric communication disorders. As a result of her pioneering clinical and research breakthroughs we have built an innovative center that offers a novel and immersive environment for the comprehensive assessment of the range of neurological disabilities that comprise the core of these disorders.This includes determination of patients with different forms of autism spectrum disorders, primary pediatric language disorders, subtle impairments of speech and varying degrees of hearing disorders that span broad areas of the brain that process verbal cues into the appropriate neural network format for deciphering and generating intelligible language. It is only here that we meld recently emerging and explosive innovations in the neuroscience of communications networks with next-generation precision diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.
Our multidisciplinary team of leading experts—including renowned adult and pediatric neurologists, psychiatrists and neuropsychologists, among other cognitive specialists—offer state-of-the-art diagnostic services, including psychological, comprehensive as well as targeted neuropsychological evaluations. Our center is world-renowned for the development of unique cognitive and social skills interventions, delivered in individual, patient-centered or dynamic, group settings. Their efficacy has been highlighted in several books and manuals authored by Dr. Michelle Dunn. The center’s population is comprised of verbal individuals, ages 5 through adult, with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), communication disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social anxiety disorder, and other comorbid disorders and developmental disabilities, along with their families. We are ranked in the top 1% of all hospitals in the nation for neurology, according to U.S. News & World Report, and we are an international referral site for the most complex cases.
Our ground-breaking research initiatives, partnerships with Greater New York metropolitan school districts and colleges (contracted programs to empower teachers that greatly expand the reach of our interdisciplinary interventions), as well as disease foundations have established Montefiore Einstein as a thought leader and steward of the latest and most advanced treatments and technologies for these disorders.
Our singular dedication to alleviating the suffering of patients and families has spurred the genesis of a unique set of disease-modifying interventions (Advanced Therapeutics) designed to allow patients to recapture the essence of their true selves.
Advanced Treatments
The SOS Program
Our SOS (Social skills in Our Schools) Program seeks to develop appropriate social skills in verbal children, adolescents and young adults with ASD, both at the clinic and in the larger community. In addition, through educational outreach, SOS empowers school and college staff with a social skills curriculum that addresses the needs of those with ASD in their schools. The program also broadly promotes understanding of individual differences and a stronger sense of fairness in typically developing peers, while encouraging greater inclusion of individuals with differences into regular school settings.
CAAPABLE
Our CAAPABLE (Comprehensive Adolescent/Adult Preparation for a Better Life Experience) Program is designed to prepare and support adolescents and adults with ASD in establishing independent lives, through instruction in life skills, executive functions, career exploration, work on emotional regulation and communication, and necessary scaffolding in educational settings, in the workplace, and in the community.The goal is to create capacity for social and employment opportunities that might not otherwise be available to these individuals with ASD.
The Prosody Project
Impaired prosody is one of the most significant obstacles to social and professional integration.The Prosody Project, a core component of CAAPABLE, aids the development of stress and intonation in speech and in non-verbal communication through the use of the eyes and gestures.
Balancing Life Executive Function Program
Our Balancing Life Executive Function Program teaches the skills of prioritizing, planning, time management, task initiation, perseverance, organization of belongings and information, and metacognition.
Communication Program
Our Communication Program develops effective social use of language. Based on individual needs, communication interventions focus on conversational skills, including appropriate conversation for differing levels of relationship, language formulation/organization, as well as fluency in connected speech and voice.
Innovation Into Action: Leading-Edge Research & Clinical Trials
Researchers and clinicians at Montefiore Einstein are at the forefront of studying autism spectrum disorders, including brain processing and novel treatments, as well as providing expert diagnosis and care for this complex condition. Our researchers at Montefiore Einstein focus on expanding the scientific understanding of autism and collaborate with scientists across the globe, using clinical investigation to develop and deliver new state-of-the-art treatment options.
Our expert group of psychologists, psychiatrists and investigators consider our patients as partners in growing the knowledge base for our field. Together, we seek to translate basic neuroscience discoveries into innovative clinical treatments for children and adults with autism.
Your Autism & Communications Disorders Team
Our elite multidisciplinary team of leading experts, including renowned adult and pediatric neurologists, psychiatrists and neuropsychologists, among others, is at the forefront of care for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. We are driven to improve lives, advance health outcomes and increase the options available to our patients and their families.
Michelle A. Dunn, PhD
About Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are developmental disorders. Developmental disorders (or developmental disabilities) are a group of conditions and impairments in physical, learning, language or behavior that affect daily life. These disorders are primarily diagnosed in children but present before the age of 22.
ASD refers to a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders caused by differences in the brain that affect communication and behavior. ASD is characterized by delays in the development of social and communication skills. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is three years of age.