JACKSON, Mich. — New developments are being made in the Jackson area to help children with autism.
FOX 47 News's Cryss Walker was down at the ribbon cutting for the new autism center, Centria, where specialists will provide applied behavior analysis therapy. It is an evidence-based technique, meaning it's the only method proven to help children with autism.
A new center is open in Jackson to provide for that need.
This therapy helps ages 18 months to 21 years old in both social and behavior skills.
"Applied behavior analysis therapy is evidence-based and is built on positive reinforcement by breaking down complex tasks into small, manageable tasks that are constantly reinforced. So, for example, if we're trying to teach a child to sit and have dinner at the dinner table and the child has trouble actually sitting down and being still, then the therapy will take that into small segments that may be 20 or 15 seconds of sitting quietly and reinforcing that with positive reinforcement," said Rick Loewenstein, Centria Healthcare chief strategy and grow officer.
