AI Issue 8 2017

108 Acquisition International - 2017 Excellence Awards Tomorrow’s Voices is an intervention centre for individuals with autism and other related conditions and learning differences. We invited Thea Furbert, co-founder and Chair, to tell us a bit more about the centre and the services it offers. omorrow’s Voices opened its doors in 2007 in order to fulfil the need in Bermuda for specialized and individualized programming based on empirically validated research. As such, the centre’s service provision model focuses on delivering high-quality, evidence-based services based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with a heavy emphasis on B.F. Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior. The centre is now approaching its 10th anniversary, and it is proud of the progress it has made in order to service the continual and growing need for its services. The centre possesses a wide range of clients with regards to age, diagnoses and functioning level. Its services include one-to-one in-house therapy, consulting services, social skills groups and summer programs for clients as they transition from infancy through to adulthood. Thea explains to us the centre’s overall mission and what steps staff plan to take in order to reach the aims set out by the centre. Company: Tomorrow’s Voices - Bermuda Autism Early Intervention Centre Registered Charity #816 Contact: Thea Furbert Email: info@ tomorrowsvoices.bm Address: Bay View, #4 Happy Valley Road, Pembroke HM19, Bermuda Phone: 00441 297 4342 
 Web: www.tomorrowsvoices.bm Best AutismTreatment & Prevention Centre T GE170035 “At the centre, our mission is to bring positive and meaningful change to the lives of children, adolescents and their families by providing research- based and best educational practices. This is a big job, as anyone in the field knows, but we strive daily to achieve this by creating and modifying individualized programs based on ongoing assessment and data collection. We aim to work in partnership with the families and other allied health professionals in order to develop programs that are meaningful and significant to the individual. We focus on teaching them the adaptive, language, play, social, academics and self-help skills they need in order to function within their home, school and community environments as successfully as they can.” Being based in Bermuda, Tomorrow’s Voices is the only intervention centre on the island which focuses on ABA service provision for individuals with autism. Thea outlines this to us and explains what she thinks marks the centre out as the best possible option for clients. “One thing that certainly makes us different is that we are the first, and currently only, intervention centre on the island focusing on ABA service provision for individuals with autism and other related diagnoses. Often our clients receive diagnoses specifying the need for a certain number of hours of ABA, only to find that this is very limited here in Bermuda. As such, we are frequently sought out by these families who are looking to receive some of the recommended therapy their children require. We are currently the only Centre on the island that is overseen by board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), ensuring that our services are carried out to the high ethical standards and stringent focus on evidence-based practices of our field.” Discussing what techniques staff at the centre use in order to keep up with continuing research, Thea notes that staff are always being provided with training and learning opportunities. Being able to visit other ABA service providers, particularly abroad, benefits staff in being able to keep on top of current research within the area. “Working within the field of ABA requires its members to stay abreast with current research. At Tomorrow’s Voices we value the importance of providing continual and ongoing training and learning opportunities for our staff. This year we were able to send multiple staff members overseas “ The future is very bright as we continue to look at growing and expending our services to reach more children needing ABA and research based support.”