Our History
Autism Outreach, Incorporated (AOI) was founded in 1999 by Michelle Hurst and Leslie Smith in an effort to provide families with a much needed service that would offer them and their children diagnosed with autism individualized programs. AOI has grown from a team of two consultants who implemented programs based on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to a large team of consultants who individualize programs based on ABA (to include Verbal Behavior, Discrete Trial Teaching, Pivotal Response Teaching, and Fluency Teaching), social skills groups, and play based therapy to help with appropriate play skills. Our consultants at AOI regularly attend conferences and review the latest research in an effort to provide the most effective programming for each of our children and their families. All AOI consultants are either BC/BCaBa certified or pursuing that certification. This gives our families the peace of mind that is needed as we develop and implement the most effective program possible for their child.
The AOI Philosophy
The AOI Philosophy embraces a three “pieced” approach:
Purpose:
Our purpose is to offer a comprehensive, customized program to meet the specific needs of each child and his/her family. We develop individualized programs that best meet these needs and strive to provide each family with support, guidance, and personalized consultation.
Strategy:
We accomplish our Purpose by utilizing a wide range of popular methodologies such as:
1.) Discrete Trail Teaching (DTT)
2.) Fluency Instruction (FT)
3.) Verbal Behavior (AVB)
4.) Pivotal Response Training (PRT)
In addition, we offer families important support opportunities via:
1.) Home-based consultation and therapy
2.) School-based consultation and therapy
3.) Center-based consultation and therapy
4.) Social Skills and Camps
5.) Parent training and education
6.) Parent's Night Out
Values:
We accomplish our Purpose and Strategy by adhering to the following Values:
Integrity/Honesty – We are uncompromisingly ethical and honest in our intentions, words and actions to achieve our Purpose and foster mutual respect. We value open honest dialogue with all of our families. We recognize that families have numerous choices relative to securing services for their child. As the needs of the child are our number one consideration, we recommend to parents that they speak with our competitors so they are aware of all of their options. In fact, we will provide our competitor’s names and contact information to the families.
Customer Service - Providing top-notch customer service is the cornerstone of our company. We know that your child’s welfare is of your utmost concern. We also know that when you have a question about your child’s progress, that you’ll want a prompt response. Our relationship with you is one that is collaborative and ongoing. Providing feedback and answering your questions in a prompt manner is critical to us.
Passion – We have a tremendous passion for what we do. When we work with a family, we attempt to put ourselves in their shoes and treat them as we would want to be treated. We listen intently and have a genuine concern for the children and the parents. Our passion extends to learning and improving as well. Our consultants are highly educated in the field of Autism and stay abreast of current information by attending numerous seminars/classes each year.