Our Mission
"Defining the characteristics of autism or postulating on a specific cause is akin to nailing Jell-o to the wall."
The motto of Children’s Autism Treatment Specialists (CATS) is: ”Where the Child Within Comes First”. Children with Autism symptoms come to the CATS Center unable to function and we show them the way. Their parents come filled with despair and we give them hope. It is the mission of CATS to always give direction and hope to our children and their families.
CATS provides one on one, positively based Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy to children with symptoms within the Autism Spectrum. The geographic area CATS serves is in Southwest Florida, from Venice to Naples.
The incidents of children being diagnosed with Autism and related symptoms has increased rapidly in the recent past. It is estimated that one in 150 children presently being born in the United States will be diagnosed with symptoms within the Autism Spectrum. For those children living in this area, the CATS Center provides a fully equipped, state of the art facility where they can receive the therapy that is most affective in treating their symptoms.
All therapy provided at CATS is client centered and is provided on an individual basis. Each child receives the full attention of his or her therapist throughout the entire therapy session. Applied Behavior Analysis is the therapeutic model followed.
Applied Behavior Analysis is the science of observing, understanding, and improving human behavior through the application of positive behavior modification techniques. It is the only method of treatment recognized as being affective for Autism symptoms by the United Stated Surgeon General.
CATS provides therapy to children with symptoms throughout the Autism Spectrum. These disorders include Rett’s Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Autism Asperger’s Syndrome, among others.
Dr. Laura P. O’Sullivan is the Clinical Director of the CATS Center. She is not only a Developmental Psychologist, but also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Certified Autism Specialist. Dr. O’Sullivan personally treats many of the children who come to her center, and also supervises and directs the other Behavior Therapists who work at CATS.
Everyone at CATS is dedicated to the goal of helping to integrate children with Autism symptoms into society whenever possible and to making the lives of all of our children as “fulfilled” as possible. After all, at CATS, it’s all about the kids.
