Provides services to children and adults with disabilities. Services include developmental screening; physical, speech, and vocational rehabilitation programs; and family support. Also includes direct intervention in the areas of language, socialization, cognitive, motor and self-help with emphasis on parent training. Trains NAU students in practicum settings. Conducts research on problems of people with disabilities.

Northern Arizona University Institute for Human Development | Northern Arizona University Institute for Human Development

Programs that offer a procedure that is designed to identify children who should receive more intensive assessment or diagnosis for potential developmental delays. Screening tools can be specific to a disorder (e.g., autism), an area (e.g., cognitive development, language, or gross motor skills), or they may be general, encompassing multiple areas of concern; and rely heavily on parent observation. They do not provide conclusive evidence of developmental delays and do not result in diagnoses. A positive screening result should be followed by a thorough assessment. The goal of developmental screening is to allow for earlier detection of delays in order to improve child health and well-being for identified children.

Pediatric Developmental Screening

Programs that are designed to help patients who have autism or another disability or have been disabled by a stroke, heart attack, arthritis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, hip replacements or other surgeries, a chronic disease or other illnesses or injuries to restore or reinforce fine motor and other performance skills that are essential for activities of daily living. Therapy may include tasks to strengthen weak muscles and improve such skills as coordination, visual perception, body mechanics, equilibrium and endurance for standing and sitting. Practitioners helping people with autism may adjust tasks and conditions to match their needs and abilities which may include adapting the environment to minimize external distractions, finding specially designed computer software that facilitates communication, or identifying skills they need to accomplish tasks.

Disability/Rehabilitation Related Occupational Therapy

Programs that conduct research which focuses on ethnicity, ethnic groups, intergroup relations and the cultural life of ethnic minorities. Research in this area addresses a wide variety of topics including immigration and immigrant adjustment, Native Peoples, race and race relations, attitudes towards diverse cultures, minority group conflicts, and cultural diversity policies.

Diversity and Ethnic Studies

Programs that enable individuals with disabilities, people who abuse drugs or alcohol, or people who have emotional problems to obtain the training and employment experiences they need to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Services may include vocational evaluation, work adjustment, work experience, training in marketable skills and placement in competitive employment or a sheltered work environment.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Programs that evaluate joint motion, muscle strength and endurance, heart and lung function and the ability of people to perform activities of daily living; and utilize the therapeutic properties of exercise, heat, cold, electricity, ultraviolet, water, manipulation and massage to improve circulation, strengthen muscles, reduce pain and restore mobility to people who have been disabled by a stroke, arthritis, back or spinal cord injuries or other debilitating conditions. Physical therapists practice in a variety of settings including hospitals, private offices, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, developmental centers, home health agencies, schools and pediatric centers.

Physical Therapy

Programs that evaluate the skills of children who are having difficulty with the practical and social skills necessary for everyday life and provide therapy whose objective is to help them become as physically, psychologically and socially independent as possible. Occupational therapy is provided for children when there is a disruption in one or more of the following areas:  gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive-perceptual skills, sensory motor integration, visual motor skills, motor planning skills, play skills, socio-emotional skills and/or activities of daily living (self-care skills such as dressing, eating and personal hygiene). Included are programs for children with birth injuries, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and a wide range of other conditions.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Programs that offer individual or group therapy sessions which focus on the remediation of specific articulation problems in which speech sounds are omitted, replaced by substitute sounds or distorted; voice problems in which pitch, loudness or quality of voice is affected; or stuttering.

Speech Therapy

Provides services for children age 18 and younger with or at risk of developmental delays. Services include speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respite, and habilitation. Provides home-based early intervention services for children age 3 and younger.

Sunrise Therapy Services, Inc | Sunrise Therapy Services, Inc

Programs that identify infants, toddlers and in some cases, preschoolers who show evidence of or are at risk for lags in physical development, cognitive development, language and speech development, psychosocial development or self-help skills, and provide or coordinate the delivery of an enrichment program in order to minimize the potential for a developmental delay and to meet their current developmental needs. The program may include early identification activities (child find); a developmental evaluation; a review of family concerns, priorities and resources; meetings with the family to develop an individualized family service plan; service coordination to ensure that the individual and his or her family receive needed services which may include but are not limited to physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, health/medical services, nursing services, nutrition services, psychological services including specialized play groups or therapy sessions, counseling, speech and language assistance, special instructional services, transportation, and parenting skills development; and ongoing evaluation of the child's progress and his or her changing enrichment needs. Included are "birth to three" programs and federal, state or local programs that address the needs of slightly older children or children not otherwise eligible for "birth to three" programs.

Early Intervention for Children With Disabilities/Delays

Divisions of businesses or nonprofit agencies that are responsible for developing products or delivering designated services to the public. Departments of NGOs are generally led by a manager, supervisor, director or vice president.

Nongovernmental Agency Departments

Programs that provide a brief period of rest or relief for parents, grandparents, guardians, family members or others who are regular caregivers for dependent children by offering temporary or intermittent care for the child in their own home.

Children's In Home Respite Care

Provides services for children with autism and related disabilities and their families. Services include positive behavior interventions and support, Applied Behavior Analysis, occupational and speech therapy, and specialized educational programs. Also offers summer camp, after school programs, habilitation, and respite programs.

Children's Center for Neurodevelopmental Studies | Children's Center for Neurodevelopmental Studies

Programs that offer therapeutic interventions for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders that are based on the theory of applied behavior analysis that behavior rewarded is more likely to be repeated than behavior ignored. The therapy is designed to teach skills, from basic ones such as sleeping and dressing to more involved ones such as social interaction, but is also used to correct inappropriate repetitive, aggressive and/or dangerous behaviors that are associated with autism. Skills are broken down into small steps and taught one simple step at a time. When a task has been successfully completed, a reward is offered, reinforcing the behavior or task. Also available are intensive ABA programs in which children and adults with autism may work for 30 to 40 hours a week, one-on-one with a trained professional.

Applied Behavioral Analysis

Residential or day camp facilities that are appropriately staffed and equipped to provide an opportunity for children or adults who have developmental disabilities, emotional disturbances or health impairments, or who have other limitations or problems which require special facilities or programming, to enjoy a cooperative indoor and/or outdoor living experience.

Therapeutic Camps

Programs that help people who are blind or who have visual impairments develop the fundamental spatial concepts and skills that are necessary for maximum mobility and independent living. Instruction focuses on moving safely and purposefully in the school, home or community environment; and usually includes procedures for street crossings, travel in unfamiliar areas, utilization of public transportation, and appropriate use of aids such as sighted guides or canes. Training for persons who want to acquire the skills to be a sighted guide may also be provided.