When Eric first arrived at the Ashland Home, he was 14-years-old and had been living in a foster home for ten years.  He was diagnosed with Autism and was non-verbal and non-communicative.  Eric was aggressive and often bit himself and others, literally removing pieces of flesh.  He wore a protective helmet most of the day to prevent injury to himself.  He was not toilet trained and did not participate in any activities of daily living.

To help Eric communicate, he was taught sign language at home and in school.  Once he was able to communicate his basic needs, a new world opened to him.  Teaching Eric to use the toilet was accomplished through a backward chaining method, breaking all steps of the procedure down, and reinforcing the successful accomplishment of each individual step.  A similar approach was used to teach Eric how to dress independently, shower and wash his hair.  As Eric’s potential began to emerge, he was taught how to do household chores such as vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping, mopping and keeping his room clean.  He began to take an interest in preparing food and spent time in the kitchen.

Obviously, the overriding concern was Eric’s self-injurious and aggressive behavior.  As he was learning skills to make himself more independent, he also participated in behavioral programming to address these behavior issues.  In the beginning, Eric was rewarded frequently for exhibiting positive behaviors.  As his behavior improved, he required fewer external rewards for maintaining his behavior.  At the same time, a consulting psychiatrist identified the right type of medication to help stabilize Eric’s behavior. 

In school, Eric was given occupational therapy services to address some of the sensory imbalances of his system.  The school began pre-vocational training and began to prepare him for a life after school.  At age 21, Eric graduated from school and began to work for Midway Training Services. 

Over the course of several years, Eric transformed.  Now 38-years-old, he has lived at Ashland Home for the past 24-years and is a pleasant, communicative adult who participates fully in his daily routine.  He no longer exhibits self-injurious or aggressive behavior.  Eric independently dresses, bathes and uses the bathroom.  He willingly participates in daily chores and even volunteers to do extra work.  Eric signs over 80 words and understands even more.  He has no trouble communicating his needs.  He remains employed at Midway Training Services and enjoys working on outdoor crew responsible for picking up trash.