Program areas at Easter Seals Hawaii
Early Intervention Program: Our Early Intervention (EI) program is the state's largest provider of EI services. In 2022, we served 690 children and families per month, on average. Our EI services offer a comprehensive, research-based program for children from birth to three years of age who are diagnosed with a developmental delay or who may be considered at risk of delay. The program uses a routine-based and family-centered services model to structure and guide our services and overall philosophy. This means that we believe parents and families are the most essential component of a child's life and development. Based on individual assessments, children enrolled in the program may be eligible for services including development of an Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP) of services by professionals who work with parents to meet their child's developmental goals; parent coaching and family support from occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, special educators and social workers; developmental evaluations; resources, information and referral services; and prior to age three, assistance to families in transition planning for their child into appropriate community settings, such as Department of Education special education, Head Start or preschool. Developmental assessments and monitoring are ongoing throughout the program. The frequency and types of services a child receives are based on the child's and family's needs. The goal of the program is to support parents and families in the development of a rich, nurturing environment as well as the development of interpersonal relationships between the child and parent/caregiver.
Autism Services: In 2022, our Autism program served an average of 55 clients and families every month. Our program provides Parent-Led Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and 2-Tier ABA, or paraprofessional-delivered ABA. Parent-Led ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is a methodology that targets intensive parent engagement and implementation for a determined period of time, followed by a less intensive maintenance period. Just like 1:1 ABA, Parent-Led ABA is overseen by highly trained experts in ABA and a Clinical Manager/BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst); this supervision team ensures that goals are achievable, conducts ongoing reassessments, provides guidance and support to the parent and reports progress to the funding source. The goal of Parent-Led ABA is to give parents the tools to support and teach their child using basic ABA skills. By eliminating the need for scheduled sessions with an outside practitioner, families have more flexibility to engage in everyday activities. Parents are encouraged to set aside time to work directly with their child, however, the goals can also be targeted across everyday routines and activities since the parent is already familiar with the child's goals. 2-Tier ABA is a common treatment method for clients with autism that focuses on increasing communication skills, social abilities, as well as decreasing difficult behaviors such as self-injury or outbursts. Through the analysis, design, implementation and evaluation of social and other environmental modifications, meaningful changes in behavior emerge . ABA individuals in many ways - increase skills in communication, social interactions, and self-reliance; improve ability to focus on tasks with instruction; increase motivation to perform; and decrease problem behaviors. We offer center-based and in-home ABA services and our services can be provided at a clinic, in a client's home or in the community depending on the needs of the client. We use a formal assessment methodology to guide the development of a client's behavior program. This assessment occurs before treatment begins and is ongoing throughout the client's program to determine treatment effectiveness and whether the client's goals are being met. Data on a client's skill acquisition and behavior is recorded and analyzed regularly. The goal is to help clients work on skills that will help them become more independent and live a happy and fulfilling life. Our Social Skills Groups launched in 2022! The groups focus on teaching and reinforcing social skills development through structured social skill-building activities. Skills are grouped by age (i.e., 0-4, 5-12, etc.) and the group sessions teach and reinforce skills like dealing with feelings, friendship making skills, alternatives to aggression, planning skills, self-regulation, etc.
Adult Home and Community-Based Services: In 2022, ESH provided service and support to over 175 participants and families, with an average of 17,300 hours of direct service being provided each month. Our program focuses on enhancing independence by building social skills, personal skills such as personal care/hygiene, daily living skills, community integration and access, and employment skills. We find that our participants flourish when they are provided experiences in community settings comprised of ordinary life activities. Independence and self-esteem are increased when there are opportunities for meaningful participation, interactions with community members, and roles of acquired leadership. The program aims to increase our participants' ability to care for themselves, self-advocate, improve the quality of life for themselves and their families, reach their employment goals, gain greater integration into their community and achieve more independence in their lives.