In Lesson #1: “When you do what the child loves, the child with autism will love to be with you.” Dr. Rick interviews Jeff and Heather about their daughter Kate and what it takes to get started with a  successful intervention program.  They share their struggles with grief and getting Kate’s diagnosis of autism, about trying out different therapies until they found what worked, and how intensive early intervention and playfulness (doing what the child loves) helped Kate to improve in her ability to form relationships and develop a sense of belonging with her friends and classmates. Dr. Rick introduces the key methods that help all children on the spectrum connect with others and grow developmentally.

Show Notes

• National Clearinghouse for Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP, 2020): A complete reference for evidence based interventions. Check out Parent Implemented Interventions (PII) in the Evidence Based Practices Report: https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/


• Early Intervention Services: https://ectacenter.org/partc/partc.asp


• Special Education Services: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/partb/


• Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/1/e20193447/36917/Identification-Evaluation-and-Management-of?autologincheck=redirected


• The PLAY Project: https://www.playproject.org Check out ‘Resources’ & ‘Welcome to The PLAY Project Course’