OVA AUTISM ASSOCIATION
OVA started in 2004 through the initiative of a group of local parents whose children were diagnosed with autism. They were faced with a significant lack of trained professionals as well as a lack of effective therapy, so they searched abroad for scientifically based interventions.
In 2007, the association created a training and extra-curricular intervention centre in Gland, Switzerland. OVA isn’t a school. It does not benefit from any subsidies, only private donations and parents’ financial contributions allow the centre to function.
1. OBJECTIVES AND MISSIONS
Their goal is to diversify intervention services for autism in Switzerland by offering an intensive behavioral intervention based on scientific research already recognized and practiced in many countries.
Their missions:
- To give children with autism a better future thanks to adapted and scientifically effective services: ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
- Organize training of professionals: OVA organizes continuous training of professionals in ABA so that the most effective intervention strategies are incorporated into the everyday life of children with autism spectrum disorders.
- Support families: OVA helps families affected by the autism by providing information and effective intervention strategies. OVA supports families, which meet financial difficulties to access ABA services.
- Organization of intervention services for children: Thanks to professionals trained and who meet criteria established by the association, OVA has built a team whose work consists of structured individual sessions adapted for each child’s learning needs.
2. SERVICES
- Home-based Therapy Sessions : One or two instructor therapists work with child at home, supervised by a BCBA who ensures a continuous, personalised and intensive program based on behaviour analysis. This service is for families who are on the waitlist for a placement at OVA’s centre or have no other solution for services for their child/adolescent.
- Centre Services : Welcomes children with autism between 2 and 8 years old at the beginning of their services during extra-curricular times. A team of instructor therapists work each day with the child, supervised by a Board Certified Analyst BCBA. The BCBA ensures a continuous, personalised and intensive program for each childbased on applied behaviour analysis.
- The association offer as well BCBA/BCaBA supervision by one of their center’s BCBAs. Supervisions can be done in French or in English and objectives will be tailored to professional’s and current employment placement’s needs.
