Surviving to Thriving
When your loved one is neurodiverse, traditional techniques and strategies may not be the most effective. Many families feel overwhelmed and in despair.
WellSpan Philhaven Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) offers neurodiverse children, adolescents and adults a wide range of specialized services designed to improve every their chance for success and maximize their full potential, while providing meaningful resources, support and education for families and caregivers.
CADD provides:
- Expert care for the social, emotional and behavioral needs of children, adolescents and adults with developmental disorders
- 1,600 initial evaluations per year
- Treatments for individual needs of 3,000 patients and families with a focus on team-based care with specialties including psychiatry, nursing, applied behavior analysis, social work, counseling, and administration.
Stepping Stones-Positive Parenting Program (Triple P)
The Positive Parenting Program is an established evidence-based practice specifically for children with disabilities. It offers parents and caregivers tools and interventions to help them implement simple, proven strategies to raise confident, healthy children and teens.
“We know that neurodiverse individuals tend to do best when they know what to expect,” says outpatient therapist, Frank DiBella. “[Triple P] helps improve this by providing a structured space for parents and caregivers to work together to identify their shared goals, learn more about their child’s diagnoses, and implement effective strategies. The improvement we see in parental confidence, decreases in problematic behaviors and increases in prosocial behaviors following the Triple P sessions is clear.”
Patients highly appreciate the Positive Parenting Program. One participant in the caregiver classes commented, “I loved hearing about other parents’ experiences; they were very relatable and provided me with valuable ideas for handling my child’s daily behavior.”
Your Support Makes a Difference
The prevalence of autism is estimated at nearly 3%, and intellectual disabilities affect 1-3% of the population. Many of these individuals (50-80%) experience behavioral health concerns such as increased anxiety, depression and other problem behaviors. For these individuals, access to services is challenging, with long waitlists and inadequate care. Due to this, it is vital that providers understand the individualized needs of these individuals and their families to address barriers that hinder appropriate care.
Your continued contributions toward The Michael Fueyo Innovation Endowment will help us maintain and expand these life-changing programs to strengthen and support every family in need, regardless of their ability to pay. Every single dollar you contribute positively impacts the trajectories of individuals in our community faced with unique behavioral and intellectual challenges.
This endowment is named after CADD founder Dr. Michael Fueyo, as he and his wife provided the initial gift to establish it.
An endowment is a fund set up by nonprofits or universities to provide a steady stream of income for charitable or educational purposes over the long term. The principal, or corpus, remains intact and is invested in various assets, with the organization using the income generated from these investments.
The Innovation Fund endowment supports funding for innovative programming. This year, we introduced mini-grants to encourage greater innovation among our CADD team members.
With CADD’s specialized services — and your continued generosity and support — children, adolescents and adults with developmental disorders will have the best opportunity to thrive.
Resources for Continued Learning
Donate to CADD
Donate to the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities - WellSpan Health
Contact us
WellSpan Philhaven
P.O. Box 550
283 S. Butler Road
Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
Call 717-270-7864
