Parent-Directed Treatment for Children with Autism-Spectrum Disorders
Welcome! We are specialists in training parents to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS) and other neurological and developmental conditions. 30 years of experience has convinced us that children on the autism spectrum can develop far beyond the usual predictions when treatment is well-designed to meet their needs.
Our program integrates an attitude of unconditional love and acceptance with the evidence-based methods of Applied Behavior Analysis that have proven effective for individuals on the autism spectrum. We provide socially-engaging programs with powerful teaching methods, custom-designed to enable each child to develop to his or her fullest potential.
We work with children, parents, teachers and other professionals from all over the world. We provide services at our Colorado location, in homes or schools across North America and Europe and through distance consultations anywhere in the world.
30 Years of Experience
In the treatment of autism, the benefits of experience cannot be over-stated. Growing Minds has one of the most experienced team of professionals in the field of autism today. Founder-Director Steven Wertz, BCBA, has 30 years of experience working individually with over 1,000 children, adolescents and adults across the range of the autism spectrum. Kaitryn Wertz, LPC has 30 years of experience counseling parents affected by their children’s autism. Read what parents have to say about Growing Minds.
Our Approach
The Growing Minds program trains parents to provide the most effective education and treatment for their children, using the best methods available, tailored to the specific needs of the child. Playfulness, spontaneity and enjoyment are hallmarks of our approach. This program enables children to feel loved, enjoy the company of others and to grow developmentally.
Children in our programs improve language, communication, social interaction and behavior while also increasing academics, practical and play skills - and they tend to smile quite a bit. Their parents feel more confident because they know what to do and how to do it. The skills parents gain stand them in good stead throughout their lifelong experience of parenting.
While others argue over what approach or philosophy is best, we take the best of what has been discovered about autism and put it to work, one child at a time.