Our waitlist for our Comprehensive Intervention Program (CIP) is now open.  Apply to our waitlist.

Emerging Minds’ Comprehensive Intervention Program (CIP) is for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder ages 0 to 5 years of age, with a focus on 0-4 years old.  Both of our programs are based on the Early Start Denver Model, which is a child-directed play-based behaviour intervention program designed for toddlers and preschool children. Each program is supervised by Dr. Korneluk and individually designed by our treatment team.

In the CIP, your child will receive a minimum of two 3.5 hour shifts per week (7 hours) of therapy with our educator therapists.  Therapy is done in a group model.

What is the Early Start Denver Model?

The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) was designed by Sally Rogers, PhD., and Geraldine Dawson, PhD., for young children who had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The majority of intensive behaviour intervention plans are designed for school-age children and the requirements were not always appropriate for a child under the age of 6. ESDM has been researched thoroughly and shown to be effective at addressing the developmental challenges associated with autism.

Children are taught age-appropriate communication, skills, behaviours and social interactions through play-based activities. As a simplified example, if an educator therapist were working on communication with a child who loved the swings, she might take him to the park and push him on the swings. After a few swings, she would grab the swing and prompt the child to tell her to “Push” or “Go”, rewarding the child’s effort with more swinging.

Why Choose Emerging Minds?

At Emerging Minds, we work closely with the families to make certain we understand what motivates your child and what your family needs. The therapy coordinator visits the program regularly and there are frequent group meetings to discuss your child’s progress, any concerns the parents may have and set the program goals for the next few months.

We recognize that our work is a partnership between us and the family, all working together to help your child achieve their potential.  We have a wide range of personalities in our educator therapists and will do our best to match personalities and schedule availability with the families. We bring the accumulated expertise of years of working with children with autism and you bring the specialized knowledge of your child and family. Together, we can find a way.