Autism and Food Aversions: 6 Tips to Make Mealtime Easier

Every night at dinner, many parents promise delicious ice cream if only their children eat the vegetables on their plates. For parents who have children with autism, the mealtime battles can feel much more difficult. It’s extremely common for children with autism to have food aversions and sensitivities. In fact, researchers at Marcus Autism Center at Emory University School of Medicine found children with autism had a 5 times more likely chance of mealtime challenges, including tantrums or ritualistic behaviors. Other research has shown that up to 70 percent of parents with autistic children say they experience very picky eating habits.  Read More

15 Home Safety Tips for Children with Autism

Your home has served many purposes over the last year — it’s become a gym, a school, a restaurant, an office and most importantly — is still the place your family gathers at the end of the day to laugh, relax and spend time together. For families with children with autism, ensuring their home is a safe place requires taking precautions in almost every room. That’s because many children with autism have sensory issues that make them more fixated on certain things in the home that could be dangerous. Additionally, a study found that half of all kids with autism wander and try to escape their own homes, resulting in devastating consequences. Read More

We Keep Growing! Acorn Health Is Opening 5 New Locations

The prevalence of autism continues to go up — in fact, since 2000, it’s increased more than 178%. That’s more families than ever before who need quality, effective ABA therapy to help their children reach their fullest potential in life. Acorn Health is proud to be able to continue to expand our network because access to services is very important for busy families and is critical for kids with ASD.  Read More

Clinical Systems Demonstrates Acorn Health’s Commitment to Pioneering Next Practices in ABA Therapy

Acorn Health has proudly paved the way to provide families and children innovative and effective ABA therapy that enhances their lives. One specific way our core values have been on display recently is the creation and rollout of our Clinical Systems. Clinical systems are organized groups of practitioners at Acorn Health across the United States who create resources and processes dedicated to behavior analytic goals and functions within the organization. These are 10 active workstreams that demonstrate how our teams are committed to growth and teamwork. At its core, ABA therapy promotes ongoing research of the latest advancements in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treatment. We are applying those principles in our Clinical Systems to provide the most advanced resources for our team of clinicians.   Read More

Seeking an Autism Diagnosis 

If atypical development points towards potential Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) warning signs, begin conversations with your doctor about diagnostic options. At 18 and 24 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children are screened for autism.  Whether the signs were noticed during a well-check by the pediatrician, or certain behaviors (or lack of) have been a recent cause for concern, obtaining answers and a diagnosis are the first steps toward feeling in-control and helping your child. Dr. Gregory Worthington, clinical psychologist at Acorn Health, explains what to do if you notice warning signs and the steps to take to obtain an official diagnosis. Read More

Meet Acorn Health’s Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Gregory Worthington

Acorn Health identifies the industry’s best clinical professionals to join our team, who are passionate and knowledgeable about helping children with autism achieve meaningful goals to improve their lives and independence. One of our most recent additions to our clinical staff is Dr. Gregory Worthington, PSYD, BCBA-D, who is now available to diagnose children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other mental illness disorders in the Michigan area. This capability will ultimately speed up the process for which children can begin receiving treatment, which we know is a hurdle for many families. Families who receive an ASD diagnosis can then take that information to any provider in their area if/when they are ready to receive ABA services or other recommended treatments.  Read More

Signs of Autism

Over the last decade, autism has become more widely known and understood between parents and medical professionals. Current estimates show that autism affects 1 in 54 children. For caregivers, the disorder can be very confusing and difficult to navigate since everyone’s experiences can vary so widely. It is a lifelong spectrum disorder; meaning individuals with autism can have very different challenges and strengths. What we do know is that early intervention is incredibly important, and leads to positive outcomes and earlier progress for children and their families. Understanding common signs and characteristics of autism can help parents and caregivers lead their child toward a fulfilling and independent life by providing intervention as soon as possible.  Read More

10 ABA Therapy Terms To Know

Has your child recently started ABA therapy? Or, did your child recently receive an autism diagnosis? As you seek out resources to help your family down this path, you may start to hear new terms that are foreign to you, making meetings with specialists confusing or possibly even frustrating. Your team at Acorn Health has put together a list of the top 10 terms used in ABA, with simple definitions to explain what they mean. Now, during your next meeting with an ABA therapist, you’ll have a better understanding of what to expect.  Read More

What Is An ABA Assessment?

You may be asking why it’s necessary to conduct another assessment for your child. An ABA assessment is one of the most important steps in your child’s ABA journey. It gives the Acorn Health team the information that’s needed to tailor the program to the child’s skill level, setting specific goals based on the assessment’s outcomes. Without the data gathered from the assessment, the demands of the program may be too difficult or too easy.  The assessment and subsequent treatment plan is also provided to insurers so that ABA therapy can be officially approved and covered under a family's insurance plan. Read More

Meet Our National Clinical Leaders

As Acorn Health expands its footprint across the country, leaders within our organization are creating clinical standards and processes to ensure our therapists are delivering the same standard of care across our facilities and bringing the very best in ABA to our clients and families. In this article, we’ll introduce three recently advanced… Read More

Acorn Health Is Opening 6 New Locations in 2021!

Acorn Health is growing in and around markets where we already serve kids because of our mission to provide access to care to those in need.  Acorn Health projects the ability to serve an additional 160 families in the next 12 months with the expansion of these new locations. As our network grows, so does the ability to help children with autism, and many of them, sooner than they would have been able to receive treatment now that our locations are accessible. In each of these communities, clinicians will serve families in-center and in-home depending on their care needs.  Read More

The Value of Early Intervention ABA Therapy

While early intervention therapy can be performed in either a highly structured setting or a more naturalistic setting such as a play environment, the most important aspect is that your child is relaxed and engaged. Our goal is to teach from joy — all children deserve to have access to enjoyable learning opportunities. The key to success for parents and children is consistency, whether it is 10 or 40 hours of therapy per week.   Early intervention ABA therapy will also teach parents how to teach their children how to learn appropriate behaviors in their own natural environment. Families can “graduate” from therapy once children are able to acquire new skills at an appropriate rate.   Read More