SUCCESSful Fellowship Program launches, applications due April 15

Apr. 4—SUCCESS for Autism has been awarded $200,000 in state funding to train local autism teams as a part of the SUCCESSful Fellowship Program signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine last July.

According to officials, 20 qualifying professionals will be chosen to participate in the first-paid autism training pilot program of its kind.

The board of SUCCESS for Autism, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting people with autism and their teams, is utilizing the state dollars received in 2023 as part of Ohio House Bill 33.

Officials noted the organization is currently accepting applications — through April 15 — for five teams of four professionals representing their respective program, agency or district to participate in the fellowship program, which will begin in mid-June and will be completed in a 14-month, three-phase approach.

"The value of this program is to ignite a change in the paradigm for autism intervention and education," said Project Manager Lisa Welsh, adding demand for services is significantly higher now for children with autism and continues to rise.

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (the) prevalence of autism is now 1 in 36 and Northeast Ohio does not have the 'brick and mortar' buildings with programs or trained staff equipped to serve this population," she continued. "Every program has waiting lists and these waiting lists continue to grow longer."

Welsh emphasized that the goal of the program is to train already-existing autism teams to know, understand, and administer the "S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Approach," a best-practice, evidence-based, neurodevelopmental intervention model that has been used for 28 years to help children and adults with autism at Wickliffe-based Integrations Treatment Center, an education-setting, day treatment center, and research facility established in 1995.

The research-based model, "uniquely grounded in the science of brain development that has shown predictable and rapid results," has been used primarily in Northeast Ohio since it was first coined in 1998, officials noted.

"This model yields unbelievable results and significant reduction in autism symptoms, and aims to empower professionals in becoming master clinicians," Welsh said, adding the five teams will consist of professionals in occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, special education, and psychology.

Additionally, teams will:

—In Phase I: Learn the history, theories, and methods of the approach

—In Phase II: Participate in 20 collaborative hands-on method application sessions

—In Phase III: Design/implement/modify programming alongside master clinicians to be applied to a summer program slated for 2025 with part-time involvement from participants

On a first-come, first-served basis, the program's leadership team will review applications and select finalists, which will be announced in mid-May.

Aspects of the training are flexible so that participants can continue with current employment responsibilities for the duration of the program.

"Our goal has always been to understand and best serve people with autism and to support their families, caregivers, and professional teams to do the same," said Dr. Lynette Scotese-Wojtila, SUCCESS board president and pediatric occupational therapist who has been assessing and treating individuals with autism for the last 36 years, primarily through Integrations Treatment Center.

Within Ohio, roughly 185,000 individuals are diagnosed with autism, 21,000 of whom are school-age, according to SUCCESS.

Moreover, as the incidence of autism rises, so too does the need for schools, therapy centers, residential centers, county boards, and government programs to provide comprehensive, accessible, and impactful autism interventions.

However, the program details, barriers to providing interventions include workforce shortages, limited team collaboration, team burnout, and limited team autism expertise.

"As a consultant in Ohio-based programs, I see too many loving and skilled specialists, psychologists, and rehab services personnel struggling in their current settings to properly meet the demands of this very diverse and complex population," Scotese-Wojtila said. "We know districts don't have a lot of money to train their autism teams, so now we can help those teams directly."

For more information, email successforautism@gmail.com or visit www.thesuccessapproach.org/tsafellowship.

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