GIANT Steps Autism Preschool - Wasatch Behavioral Health

GIANT Steps is a day-treatment program for preschool-aged children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder either before or at the time of assessment. Our unit has six classrooms with a capacity of 12 children, serving a total of 72 preschoolers and their families (Medicaid & non-Medicaid). We have partnerships with the Alpine, Nebo, and Provo School Districts to provide Special Education services for our students. This relationship allows us to run our program in a typical school environment.

Our program runs Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. We follow the school district schedule throughout the school year but continue our program until the end of June. During the month of July, we provide a summer program so children are able to continue working on the things they have learned during the school year.

Meet our staff.

History

GIANT Steps Pre-School came to Utah County in 1997 as the Children’s Behavior Therapy Unit of Utah County when a few concerned and diligent parents who were driving their children to Salt Lake City on a daily basis procured the funding. The program started out as a coordinated effort between Valley Mental Health, Wasatch Behavioral Health (formerly Wasatch Mental Health) , and the three school districts in Utah County. GIANT Steps received it’s current name when it became exclusive to Wasatch Behavioral Health. Although the relationships between the school districts remain, Wasatch Behavioral Health has complete supervision of staff hiring and training, as well as treatment approaches and implementation. Through the years, GIANT Steps has experienced variable funding but continues to provide quality treatment and results at no cost to families.

Admissions Information

Eligibility

Waiting List

At present, we do not prioritize student acceptance based on justification of severity/functioning level or convenience. Assessments for eligibility are offered to children on a first come, first serve basis. It is not uncommon to have a waiting list of over a hundred names each school year. Because funding from Medicaid allows us to provide twice as many placements, we are required to reserve those slots for Medicaid clients. However, even Medicaid children age off the waiting list. For this reason it is important for families to contact us with the first signs of developmental delay, or even as a precaution if there is a history of autism spectrum disorders.

Call (801) 226-5437 for information about having your child placed on the waiting list.

Volunteer Time

Each family is required to volunteer during the program at least one hour a week. Minimum requirement: 80% Our staff will work with you to allow for a consistent time that will make this possible for you. This is an important aspect of our program. You will be able to learn many techniques that can be used at home, as well as see how we interact with your child. This is also a good opportunity for our staff to address any questions or concerns you may have.

Parent Training

Community Outings

Each family must attend and provide transportation for their own child on at least four outings. This allows room for our staff to ride with your children when they are transported in the Wasatch Mental Health vans. This is a safety issue. Some children need help staying in their car seat. This is also a good time for staff to promote social skills with other peers, as well as improve self regulation and coping skills for children who have a difficult time riding and waiting in vehicles for a prolonged time.

Treatment Requirements

Treatment requirements (PPOQ’s, permission forms, private service plans (IEP), psychological testing, etc.): Paperwork or other communication required for treatment at GIANT Steps must be completed in a timely manner. This includes the Plenk Preschool Outcome Questionnaire (PPOQ), which will be sent home monthly, permission forms for upcoming events or school district testing/coordination. Private Service Plan meetings or transition IEP meetings must be kept once they are scheduled. Parent portions to our psychological testing will also be sent home at the end of the school year, which we use for outcome measures. All our measures are used to report to the state to continue funding and continue an evidence‐based treatment setting.

Parent Requirements

Our program depends on parent participation. Not only is parent participation mandatory to stay in the program, the hours are used to show how much our parents give back to the program. This helps us continue our funding.

Treatment Approach

We believe that optimum progress is made through an individualized multi-treatment approach founded in a structured routine designed for positive increments of growth. Our goal is to help our children learn through various methods to develop the skills it takes to cope with planned and unplanned changes in routine. Some approaches are used in combination throughout the day and include, but are not limited to:

Principles of Learning and Behavior Modification such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Attending Leveling (taken from “Getting Ready to Learn” model) and Curriculum Progress
Naturalistic Teaching Principles
Basic principles of TEACCH (picture schedules)
Alternative Communication Methods such as simple Sign Language, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), or Communication Software such as ‘CoughDrop’
Social Stories

Services

Day Treatment Program (Preschool)

Groups Provided

Individualized Recovery Plan

General Self-Help Training

School District Related Services

Behavior Management
Following Directions
Applied Social/Interpersonal Skills
Mental Health and Autism Diagnostic Evaluation

Pre and Post Developmental Test (PEP-3, CARS-2)
Psychiatric Services
Individual and Family Therapy
In-Program Parent Training (about 1 hour per week)
Evening Parent Training (2-4 hours per month)
Parent Support Group (Sponsored by Friends of GIANT Steps)
Sibling Support Annual Day Camp
Home visits and treatment (as needed)
Other family involvement: Date Night, Extended Family Day, Parent Celebration Day
Case Management Services
Services to help with your child’s transition to School District Services following graduation.