The Summer Intensive Day Treatment Program is designed for children and adolescents who are experiencing behavioral problems that interfere with their functioning and are related to autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or a developmental disorder. The program is an 8-week, full-day program with services beyond those in traditional summer programs.
The program provides multidisciplinary treatment to reduce or eliminate symptoms that affect the child’s potential for success at home and school. This program helps children and their families manage chronic symptoms by choosing the most successful treatment option.
Please call 412-335-7584 or 412-488-4143 for more information or to make a referral.
Available services include medication management, behavioral strategies for increasing positive behaviors, coping and problem-solving skills, and social and leisure activities. Education for parents is available about the child’s treatment and skills learned in the program.
Program staff work toward helping a child make a smoother transition to a new school year and reducing the potential of losing behavioral or social skills learned during the previous school year. For children who are accepted under ESY, the program will work with the child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This program is not intended to target academic goals included in a child’s IEP, such as reading or math. Instead, it addresses the behavioral, social, and community goals in the IEP. Additionally, summer staff consults with each child’s school to ensure consistency of care during the summer.
We consider the most important members of the treatment team to be the child and his or her family. Other team members include a psychiatrist, nurse clinical specialist, behavioral specialist, and educational specialist who work with every family in the program. These professionals develop individualized treatment plans for every child upon admission and regularly meet to review the child’s progress. They will change treatment goals as needed which helps active involvement in the child’s treatment.
Children and adolescents, from ages 5 to 18, with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other developmental disabilities and who also have a DSM psychiatric diagnosis are accepted in the program. These children and adolescents typically have behavior concerns such as hyperactivity, aggression, tantrums, depression, anxiety, or poor social skills that interfere with their ability to reach their full potential. Adolescents from ages 18 to 21, who meet the above criteria, will be evaluated on an individual basis.
All children must have a psychiatric evaluation to be accepted into the summer program. This evaluation includes looking at referral concerns and gathering psychosocial, educational, medical, developmental, and family histories. Past experiences with psychiatric interventions, therapies, hospitalizations, and medication are part of the evaluation.
Children are accepted to the program under partial-hospitalization or the extended school year (ESY). Children accepted in ESY come to the program through an agreement with the school district.
The Summer Intensive Day Treatment Program is an 8-week program beginning in the middle of June and ending mid-August (closed July 4). Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Either the family or the school district must provide transportation. The program does not provide daily transportation.
