Helena Maguire, MS, BCBA
Rita Gardner, MP.H., BCBA
Frank Bird, MEd., BCBA
Jim Luiselli, EdD, BCBA-D
Paul and Mildred Krentel established Melmark Pennsylvania as a home for children with developmental disabilities in 1965 when their youngest daughter, Melissa, was born with Down syndrome. Over the next 57 years, Melmark has built on that foundational legacy increasing services and resources significantly. Today, Melmark is a multi-state human service provider with premier private special education schools, professional development, training, and research centers.
Today, as always, Melmark is committed to enhancing the lives of individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families, by providing exceptional evidence-based and applied behavior analytic services to every individual, every day. Our vision is to expand and raise the quality of the service provision throughout the country by disseminating and replicating the Melmark Model of Program Development and Clinical Treatment through the EnvisionSMART™ Institute.
The quality of care and educational programming available at Melmark Centers stems from our five Core Commitments, which guide and inform all aspects of life at Melmark:
- Compassionate Care
- Integrity in Everything We Do
- Highly Skilled Workforce
- Evidence-Based Practices
- Best Outcomes
Melmark recognizes the unique challenges that families and caregivers face in support of a child or adult diagnosed with autism, or an intellectual or developmental disability. Melmark provides clinical and special educational services based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the leading research-based methodology proven to bring about positive, meaningful change in the development of socially significant skills for children and adults. Decades of research show that the application of the science of behavior, motivation, and learning specifically tailored to each individual’s strengths and needs is highly effective in helping individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our interdisciplinary teams of board-certified behavior analysts, special education teachers, and ancillary specialists is committed to providing evidence-based practice that incorporates clinical expertise, best-available literature, and client-centered planning throughout all phases of service. We strive to achieve the best outcomes as indicated by positive changes in the quality of life for each and every individual we serve. All interventions are empirically supported and incorporated into a comprehensive plan designed by a collaborative team across disciplines. Treatment plans incorporate strategies for behavior reduction with the acceleration of appropriate alternative behavior including functional communication training to ensure the maintenance of treatment effects over time. Progress is monitored through the collection and analysis of detailed data across all aspects of the treatment plan. These data drive all decisions regarding the continuation or modification of treatment plans to ensure the best outcomes for the individuals we serve.
Melmark Pennsylvania Today
Melmark Pennsylvania, set on an 80-acre campus, provides residential, educational, and rehabilitative services for children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities. The individuals we serve participate in community outings and trips and can work at off-campus vocational opportunities through our community-based programs.
A new school building is under construction on the Pennsylvania campus which, when completed will house a new professional development and training center, 20 spacious classrooms with adjoining clinical office space for BCBA clinicians, a renovated gym and student cafeteria, multiple conference rooms, confidential space for parents and staff discussions, and a student library.
In addition to staff learning opportunities, the training center will be used to host conferences, expert speaker series, and continuing education classes including certificate and graduate education programs as part of Melmark’s continuing goal of recognition as a center for excellence. These offerings will be available to Melmark staff, parents, siblings, peer service providers, public school district representatives, and community members.
Melmark New England Today
Melmark New England’s school is set on a nine-acre campus in Andover, Massachusetts. Our program setting provides residential, educational, and rehabilitative services for children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities.
Melmark New England’s program setting features four children’s residences adjacent to the school and seven residences in neighboring towns to serve our children and adults.
Melmark New England is an approved private school, licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Early Childhood (EC) Program serves students, ages three to 10, who require an intensive, individualized behavioral approach designed in an educationally appropriate learning environment (due to a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, which may be secondary to complex behavioral profiles).
Our teachers adhere to evidence-based intervention in ABA, special education and child development. Our personalized curriculum allows the student’s educational team to integrate the goals and objectives for each student into lesson plans and daily activities. The result is a rich, meaningful learning experience for each child based on his or her level of readiness.
Melmark New England is an ABA Specialty Services Provider (ABASSP) under the Department of Public Health Early Intervention serving children under the age of three. Services are provided in the home, daycare, or community using principles of ABA. There is heavy focus on play and communication and parent training opportunities as well as monthly progress meetings with Melmark, parents, and the EI service coordinator.
In keeping with Melmark’s goal of independence and community involvement, pre-vocational and vocational training, and community work opportunities are an essential part of the program. Specially designed instruction and group arrangements are provided to facilitate progress in anticipation of transitions to inclusive settings. Prospective employees are assisted to support our young adults in work settings through specially trained job coaches.
For students whose IEP objectives require a 24-hour therapeutic and structured learning environment, Melmark New England offers residential/educational placements within one of their six homes, which are supported by 24-hour on-call nursing support as well as administrative and senior clinical support. Under the close supervision of highly trained staff, the children work on self-care, leisure time, vocational, daily living, and community IEP goals in a homelike atmosphere. They enjoy outdoor play activities, a recreation room, and community recreational and leisure opportunities. Outings are a regular occurrence and include activities such as camping, horseback riding, biking, picnics, hiking, and skating.
Melmark Carolinas
As autism diagnoses have grown, and as Melmark researched areas in the U.S. with the greatest need for Melmark’s clinically sophisticated services, we found that some children in the Carolinas were not receiving Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and desperately needed high-quality evidence-based services. Through our service division based in Charlotte, North Carolina, we have expanded Melmark’s already proven model of program development and clinical treatment to make a positive impact on students in this part of the country.
Melmark Carolinas specializes in serving those students who require a more specialized special education and clinically sophisticated environment than what is available in a public-school setting. The 1:2 teacher-to-student ratio supports a focus on each student’s personal growth and development, shaping a learning environment that fits each child’s specific needs enabling progress on his or her IEP. Staff participate in an array of educational training and in-service programs, in addition to extensive professional development opportunities. Faculty and staff work as teams in collaboration with community resources to ensure the implementation of IEP goals and objectives, as well as the inclusion of both pre-vocational and vocational training.
Melmark’s Broad Impact
Melmark currently serves over 250 children and young adults ages 3-22, including 105 residential students. Each year, another 500 children receive special education services through home and school-based consultation services. Over 230 adults participate in day programs and 155 are individuals receiving residential services.
Melmark offers professional development at each site, including graduate education programs and comprehensive staff training. An Expert Speakers Series is open to the public. Melmark’s professional staff actively conduct applied research, publish papers in leading professional journals and newsletters, and present routinely at local, regional, and national ABA-focused conferences and educational programs. An interdisciplinary team of behavior analysts, special education teachers, and ancillary personnel is committed to enhancing the lives of individuals and their families by providing exceptional evidence-based and applied behavior analytic services to the students and families they serve. Melmark currently employs over 80 Board Certified Behavior Analysts and provides BCBA supervision and mentoring for approximately 50 staff each year.
As part of our commitment to providing effective treatment to attain the best possible outcomes, Melmark has become a leader in working with graduate-level programs to educate and train the next generations of Board-Certified behavior analysts. Endicott College and Neumann University partner with our campus in Pennsylvania. Melmark Carolinas is in a partnership with UMass Boston. Melmark New England works with both UMass Boston and Endicott College.
Melmark is now a nationally recognized provider of special education, clinical and consultation services, vocational training, and residential programs. Melmark’s vision, “Mission First: Every Individual, Every Day.” is to expand and raise the quality-of-service delivery systems throughout the country by disseminating and replicating the Melmark Model of Program Development and Clinical Treatment.
Recent Melmark-Authored Textbook and Articles
Melmark’s senior staff and associates contribute to the research field by conducting training sessions in ABA and special education for local and national professionals; presenting research posters, papers, and symposia at regional and national conferences; and publishing research studies in peer-reviewed research journals.
Comprised of chapters written by notable experts in the field, Organizational Behavior Management Approaches for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities provides an up-to-date, comprehensive assessment of OBM-IDD.
This edited volume not only provides an overview of the area of OBM-IDD, it also summarizes the extant literature, offers research-to-practice recommendations, and includes operational strategies for building successful service settings. Organizational Behavior Management Approaches for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities synthesizes the published literature and directs practice and research in the areas of assessment and evaluation, training, supervision, and performance improvement, systems interventions, and organizational development. By providing the most contemporary and effective OBM practices derived from evidence-based research findings and recommendations from experienced scientist-practitioners, this book is an integral aid for professionals looking to improve different aspects of service delivery.
The book is intended principally for professionals within educational, human services, and behavioral healthcare settings serving persons with IDD comprised of psychologists, educators, program administrators, organizational consultants, behavior analysts, and evaluation specialists. In particular, the book should appeal to practicing behavior analysts who hold the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) credential and are seeking professional development within OBM as well as academic instructors and researchers, graduate students, and trainees completing doctoral internships and post-doctoral fellowships.
In March of 2021, Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment of Violence and Aggression in Persons with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities was released. This book focuses on applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment of violence and aggression in persons with neurodevelopmental disabilities. It details ABA theory and concepts leading to empirical treatment procedures that can be implemented successfully across diverse treatment settings. Further, the book examines contemporary approaches to functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and functional analysis (FA) in determining the environmental conditions responsible for violence and aggression. In addition, the volume describes several evidence-supported treatment procedures that encompass antecedent-control, contingency management, cognitive-behavior therapy, and physical intervention components. It addresses effective strategies for training and supervising care providers, including behavioral skills training (BST), post training performance management, and mindfulness. Finally, the book presents recommendations that guide effective and socially valid research-to-practice translation.
The Melmark EnvisionSMART™ Institute practitioner’s guide is currently in press. Our guidebook series is based on more than 20 years of development by Melmark New England, a Human Service Organization (HSO) serving children and adults with ID, neurodevelopmental disorders, and brain injury. The series, EnvisionSMART™: A Melmark Model of Program Development, has the objective of assisting HSOs in delivering high quality education, treatment, training, supervision, administration, professional development, and behavioral healthcare services. The guidebook series presents an integrated approach featuring practitioner-focused tools to improve provider capability and incorporating evidence-based and field-tested systems, procedures, and methodologies. The guidebooks are written in user-friendly language that directs readers about “what to do and how to do it” with reference to numerous charts, checklists, recording forms, guided notes, and pragmatic measurement protocols. The first guidebook in the series, Training, Supervision, and Professional Development by Helena Maguire, Rita M. Gardner, Frank L. Bird, and James K. Luiselli, is scheduled for publication in 2022.
All photographs and images are published above with the express permission of Melmark.
