Quick Link:

In the course of conducting "Miller Method®" workshops in this country and abroad we have been repeatedly approached by parents and professionals to provide both short and long-term training on our approach for those who cannot move to Boston or the surrounding area. To meet this need we have developed several ongoing, interrelated training models:

A. THE MILLER DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY

The purpose of this survey is to gather information needed to accurately assess your child's capacities. Such an assessment is helpful to your child's teachers and therapists in tailoring a program to your child's needs. It also helps you and those working with your child to assess your child's progress over time.

This survey is designed around observations which parents and teachers are likely to make in their everyday interactions with the child. In a few cases you may not know the answer to a question from prior observation. In these cases, you may want to set up a "simple experiment" so you can observe your child's response to the situation set forth in a particular question. You can then answer the question based on your child's actual performance.

Once a parent transmits her or his responses to the questions, a senior staff member at the Language and Cognitive Development Center will review them, construct a profile of your child and send a report with recommendations.

Fee: The fee for this service is $100 US. You may send a check made out to Language and Cognitive Development Center to:
Attention: Dr. Arnold Miller
Language and Cognitive Development Center, Inc.
154 Wells Avenue, Suite 5
Newton, MA 02459
This fee is waived for parents of children attending a school offering a legal Miller Method Program.

In an accompanying note, indicate the name of your child, your e-mail address, and that you are requesting an MDS-based report on him or her. Dr. Miller will then ask you to transmit the MDS.

Click here to access the Miller Diagnostic Survey
B. THE MILLER UMWELT ASSESSMENT

The Umwelt Assessment is described in our book From Ritual To Repertoire. The Umwelt evaluates a child's unique way of organizing and coping with objects and people in his/her immediate surroundings. In doing so, it provides information as to the relative emphasis the child places on things as opposed to people. It also assesses the extent to which the child is able to communicate with others about things in his/her immediate surroundings. Parents or caregivers are directly involved in the assessment and often contribute information which allows the examiner to gain access to the child's functioning. The Umwelt Assessment is concerned not only with the child's developmental level but -- equally important -- the kinds of interventions which lead to success on Umwelt tasks because these tasks reflect problem areas in everyday functioning.

At the end of the 2-hour session, the parent receives an oral summary of findings and a videotaped copy of the assessment. A detailed report with recommendations is sent within 2-3 weeks.

Fee: The fee for the Miller Umwelt Assessment is $1000.


C. PARENT-CHILD TRAINING

(Up to 12 hours over 3 days)

Typically, the first day begins with a 2-hour Umwelt Assessment that provides information about the child's developmental status as well as the methods most likely to advance the child's functioning in key areas such as behavior organization, social contact and communication.

The hypotheses formed during this first session are tested on the second and third day by introducing a variety of interventions including but not limited to the Sign and Spoken Language Program, the elevated square, contagious activity, the Symbol Accentuation Reading Program, and other Miller Method® tools and strategies.

The final two hours on the third day is devoted to staff sharing impressions of the child with parents and offering recommendations. It is also used to help develop a meaningful home or school program for the child.

The parent(s) take home a copy of the videotape of the sessions conducted with parent and child and receive, within 2-3 weeks, a report outlining the findings and the recommendations for the home/school program.

Parent-training sessions are conducted throughout the year but must be scheduled at least one month in advance of the session.

Offered throughout the year depending on openings available.

Conducted by Dr. Arnold Miller and Senior LCDC staff. Fee: $3750. For scheduling contact Dr. Miller at (800) 218-5232 or (617) 965-0045.


D. DISTANCE CONSULTATION

Distance consultation is designed for families who live far from the Center or one of its satellite programs. It is most effective when it follows the face-to-face Umwelt Assessment and Parent-Child Training as described above...It provides ongoing support and guidance for parents and/or professionals trying to work with a challenging child on the autism spectrum.

There are three forms of distance consultation:

1. Video Conferencing
This, the most effective, allows senior staff at the Language and Cognitive Development Center (LCDC) in Boston to see, hear, answer questions and guide the work done with a special child living hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

View a videoconferencing session example
Large 640x480 (67 MB)
Small 320x240 (14 MB)

2. Phone Consultation
This method is supplemented by videotapes of work being done with a special child and sent to LCDC for review and recommendations prior to the scheduled phone consultation.

3. Internet Consultation
This newest method allows a regular exchange of questions and answers between parent and senior staff in a private Chat Room on the Center's website

For more information on any of the above, click the Distance Consultation button on the menu bar on the left side of the page.


Copyright © 1996-2010 by The Language and Cognitive Development Center (LCDC). All rights reserved. Miller Method is a registered trademark of Cognitive Designs, Inc.