- February 22, 2021
- Autism
- by The New Focus Team
Deciding how to best provide support to your autistic teen can seem a daunting choice especially when there are so many options and strategies available. If interventions at home have not had the desired success, sending your child to a residential treatment center can have powerful benefits for both your child and the entire family system.
How RTCs can help teens on the spectrum
While it might not be an easy choice to send your child away to a residential treatment center to receive support, using distance as a therapeutic tool can have many advantages. If the behavior has become aggressive or hostile, putting some intentional distance between you and your child can ensure the immediate safety of both your teen and your family.
Distance can also remove the immediacy of communication; this can be a benefit if communication has typically resulted in angry or frustrated emotions on either side. When a child experiences successful residential treatment, he can learn new and healthy ways to communicate emotions to reduce future negative interactions. This reset for the family can allow positive communication to resume at a pace everyone is comfortable with.
Another positive benefit of RTCs is the removal of everyday daily life stressors and pressures. In an environment that is free from all the distractions of his normal setting, your teen can focus solely on his therapeutic interventions and individualized academics. This environment also allows for improved accuracy of assessment as continued assessment can be made in real-time.
New Focus Academy, a leading residential treatment center specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders, can help provide your son with the reset and all-encompassing care that he needs.
How New Focus Academy can support your teen
New Focus Academy believes all teens deserve the chance to lead productive, independent lives. Our therapeutic residential program and specialized school gives adolescent boys ages 12-18 struggling with social and functional challenges a chance to gain the necessary skills to live independently.
Through decades of experience and proven methods, immersive experiential activities, and a small, close-knit community, our students have the time to grow socially and emotionally while learning and applying valuable life skills. Our school provides numerous modalities of support such as:
Education and experiential learning: We address our students’ unique learning abilities through individualized education programs, helping them work toward graduation and preparing them for employment.
Individualized therapy and coaching: Our therapy program works to support students through goals, objectives, and positive feedback in a variety of therapeutic settings.
Social development groups: We have purposely designed the small, close-knit setting of New Focus Academy to help students feel comfortable in social settings. In this environment, students can develop and practice appropriate social skills.
Physical health and recreation: Our health program includes daily fitness and outdoor recreation activities to promote holistic well-being.
Life skill development: We emphasize the importance of building life skills and teach students budgeting, planning, meal prep, and cleanliness.
Principle-based support: Instead of teaching rules, we focus on helping students understand our 6 core principles and how they can apply these to their daily lives.
For more information on how New Focus Academy can help your son, please call (435) 383-4369.