Two New Services for

Children & Adolescents with Autism

The Barber National Institute is pleased to announce the creation of two new services to support families living with the challenges of autism in our community. Both of these programs are the first of their kind in Northwestern Pennsylvania and have been developed to meet the challenges of children and adolescents on the autism spectrum and their families.

The first new program, Specialized Family Based Mental Health Services, is an intensive, in-home therapy for children and their families.

The second program, Blended Case Management, offers professional assistance to locate, advocate and coordinate services that address the unique needs of children and teens with autism.

Specialized Family Based Mental Health Service:

• Involves a team of therapists offering Structural Family Therapy in the home two to five times a week.
• The treatment team is comprised of a Mental Health Therapist and a Behavior Specialist, both with advanced degrees in their field.
• The program provides an intensive behavioral approach using Applied Behavioral Analysis, the "gold standard" technique for changing negative or destructive behaviors.
• Treatment may include individual, family, sibling or marital therapies.
• The Family Based program also offers 24 hour crisis on-call services seven days a week, as well as Family Support Services to assist in funding respite care and other supportive services.

Specialized Family Based Mental Health Service Brochure (PDF)

Blended Case Management:

• Supports families of children and teens with autism in navigating complex support systems
• Assists families with needs spanning all areas of the child or adolescent’s life, including medical, mental health, educational, social and vocational issues.

Blended Case Management Brochure (PDF)

While the programs will be administered from the main campus of the Barber National Institute, services will take place in homes, schools and other locations throughout Erie County.

For more information about these services, download the brochures, or contact Nina Ferraro, 814-874-5528 or NinaFerraro@BarberInstitute.org.