Welcome to the Autism Center of Excellence CNNH’s Autism Center of Excellence was specially designed for the early identification screening, assessment and on-going treatment of children from birth through 21 years of age who may have an autism spectrum disorder (i.e., Autism, Asperger’s, Pervasive Developmental Disorder). We offer a full range of diagnosis and treatment services, from a full day comprehensive clinic evaluation to other services designed to suit the needs of every child. We also provide community outreach education, teacher training and classroom assistance using state-of-the art technology for teachers needing guidance from clinicians and behavior specialists.

CNNH has been designated one of six Autism Center of Excellences for New Jersey by the Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism. CNNH Autism Center of Excellence is serving the nine-county southern New Jersey community including the counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Ocean, and Salem. Inquiries from individuals in greater New Jersey and out of state are also welcome. For more information on our clinics and other evaluation services, please continue reviewing our website or call us at 856-346-0005. Services are funded in part by the NJ Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism, Special Child Health and Early Intervention Services, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.

 

Autism Warning Signs ("Red Flags")

There is no single behavior that is always typical of autism and no behavior that would automatically exclude an individual child from a diagnosis of autism. Furthermore, how and when autism presents itself is unique to each child, although autism can typically be diagnosed around the age of three. What is common in children with autism are “red flags” or warning signs, typically in the areas of communication skills and social interactions, that something isn’t quite right.

The following list of autism “red flags” has been compiled by The Child Neurology Society. Children with any of the following symptoms are recommended for an immediate referral to a specialist such as a Child Neurologist.

1. No babbling by 12 months
2. No pointing or gesturing by 12 months
3. No single words by 16 months
4. No two word phrases by 24 months
5. Loss of previously acquired skills, especially language

Additionally, the presence or absence of any of these behaviors or a combination of these behaviors should also prompt an evaluation by a Child Neurologist:

• Lack of joint attention (child does not draw other’s attention to objects in the environment)
• Child does not respond to his/her name
• Lack of pretend, imitative and functional play appropriate to developmental age
• Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental age
• Child does not imitate others’ behaviors
• Child is rigid in routines or has very difficult transitions
• Child engages in repetitive or stereotypical behavior
• Child has unusual or exaggerated responses to sensory stimuli (for example, covers ears or becomes very upset with loud noises, cannot have tags in clothing, will avoid foods of certain textures)
• Child has trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
• Child avoids eye contact and wants to be alone
• Child appears to be unaware when other people talk to them but responds to other sounds
• Child repeats or echoes words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language (echolalia)
• Any persistent family concerns about their child's development or behavior

If you are concerned about your child, call CNNH at 856-346-0005 ext 128 or email Lisa Alberts, PMHNP-BC, director of the Autism Center of Excellence, at lalberts@thecnnh.org to discuss scheduling an evaluation.

This information has been referenced from The Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guidelines for Healthcare Professionals in New Jersey, published and distributed by The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

Autism Education Outreach Survey

As a designated Autism Center of Excellence by the state of New Jersey, we are reaching out to the autism community, including teachers, parents and other professionals, to offer innovative and evidence-based approaches to diagnosing and treating children with autism. Additionally, we want to share medical and scientific findings and educational advancements.

Your responses to the following survey will assist us in identifying and prioritizing the needs of everyone in the autism community so we can deliver the needed information through community workshops, web-based trainings and other outreach education. By providing your name, county and e-mail address, we will be able to keep you informed of workshops in your area, or when new valuable information is added to our website. We promise, however, not to overburden you with e-mails! Thank you again for your input.

Please complete the following brief survey to assist us in designing workshops on topics you would like to know more about in locations that are most convenient:

1. I am familiar with the field of autism as a (please check all that apply):

Parent Teacher Physician Advocate Para-professional Other To select more than one hold the "ctrl" key on Windows computers and Apple computers the "command" key, sometimes called the "open apple" key

2. Please rank the following topics related to autism in the order you would want more information (#1 being the topic you would want to learn more about first):

Identifying early warning signs of autism Accessing appropriate resources to diagnose and treat autism Applying behavioral strategies in the classroom/home Learning about recent research on autism Medication Management   Other (please specify):

3. If you were available to attend a presentation on autism and you were interested in the subject matter, would you travel to a nearby county in New Jersey for it? Yes:

4. If not, would you travel to a location within your county? Yes:

5. The most convenient time to attend a seminar would be during the following time: --None-- Weekday morning Weekday afternoon Weeknight after 7pm Weekend morning

6. If you are affiliated with an organization which serves individuals with autism, would you be interested in having a link to our autism resources / Autism Center of Excellence on your organization’s website or have our site link to yours? Yes:

So that we may keep in touch, please tell us a little bit about yourself: Name Email Company / Association Address City, State, Zip County --None-- Atlantic Camden Cape May Cumberland Gloucester Mercer Ocean Salem

Hear from US

If you would like our office to call you to discuss scheduling a visit to one of our Autism Center of Excellence clinic locations, please provide the following information.

Name
E-Mail Address
Phone Number
Mailing Address
City, State, Zip	,
County	--None-- Atlantic Camden Cape May Cumberland Gloucester Mercer Ocean Salem

Contact the Autism Center of Excellence Autism Center of Excellence of The Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health (CNNH) 1001 Laurel Oak Road, Suite E-2 Voorhees, NJ 08043 Tel: 856.346.0005 Fax: 856.784.1799

Lisa Alberts, PMHNP-BC Autism Center of Excellence Director lalberts@thecnnh.org