Now adult children suffering from autism do not feel abandoned anymore. Intervention opportunities for this age are becoming real for the first time in Albania. Thanks to the latest techniques being introduced by the Albanian Children Foundation, the Regional Center for Autism in Farka has provided its therapists with the most recently method, “Pivotal Response treatment” that helps adult children to easily develop skills acquired through individual therapy, in any other premises that the child goes.

Regional Center for Autism in Farka put another milestone in terms of treating Autism spectrum disorder expanding its professionals’ vision. With the support of the Albanian Children Foundation, the Regional Autism Center held a few day training for its staff of therapists with new methods of treatment for children affected by the autism spectrum disorder. For this purpose, with the recommendation of the “Autism Speaks” International Organization, the Foundation has invited to Albania two trainers from California, US that are part of one of the most avanguard communities in the application of modern methods of autism spectrum disorder. They are Janice Chan and Tiffany Wang of the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, which are experts specialized in one of the latest and contemporary methods called “Pivotal Response Teaching” (PRT).

Under the guidance and assistance of the two trainers, PRT methods is introduced for the first time in Albania by Albanian Children Foundation for the professionals working with children in the Regional Center for Autism in Farka. This training would not have been possible without the chain of training currently available in the ABA, which principles are applied in the Center.

Ms. Tiffany Wang, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, San
Diego says: The Pivotal Response Treatment pays much attention and takes advantage is that it focuses in motivating the child. First we see what the child likes more and after we receive these preferences, we keep the level of motivation so that he might be ready and disposed to be learned. The advantage of this method from the others is its naturalness. So, this can develop into any environment from teacher, parent or therapist and skill’s development is easier at the therapy rooms, at home or in class.

But what are the benefits for children affected by autism spectrum by implementing this method?

Janice Chan, expert at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, says: What we are doing at the Autism Center in Farka is moving this intervention from one to one therapy to group therapy. I was informed that the Albanian Children Foundation is preparing for the opening of a center with different classes for older children and what brings this training is to use this method in classes. This model empowers the treatment received till now and raises it to a new level to intervene in more complicated and problematic cases of autism spectrum disorder. This working model after learned from the therapists, adds the interventionist techniques skills, which in other words means: all this will be translated into interventions to a greater number of children, whether they are older or untreated before.