Autism is a complex disorder and while therapists have specific training and are adept at delivering therapeutic interventions, many do not have in-depth training in autism specifically. This can sometimes create obstacles during treatment and can also create frustration for families if they don’t feel like their child is truly understood. Autistic children are 52 times more likely to visit a doctor or therapist, yet they are often misunderstood and many have had negative experiences with healthcare providers due to a lack of understanding by the provider.

1 in 44 children within the US are diagnosed with autism, making it imperative that clinics and healthcare professionals understand the disorder and how to provide care for individuals on the spectrum.

Learn More About Becoming Autism Certified

8 Benefits of Becoming a Certified Autism Center™

1. Enhance Professional Reputation and Credibility

As a therapy clinic, when your staff is trained and certified specifically in autism and you communicate this to potential clients, it leads to a positive reputation and increased credibility that can bring in new clients, increase referrals, and keep current clients raving about your clinic.

2. Stand Out From Competitors

Therapy clinics are looking for any way they can to differentiate themselves from competitors. Becoming autism certified is a great way to stand out to a growing population of individuals who are underserved and need proper care. Families and individuals are much more likely to travel longer distances to a clinic that has staff who are autism certified than going to a competitor that does not, even if their location is closer. Stand out in a positive way while serving a population that needs it.

3. Show Your Commitment to Autism Training

Autism certification is one of the best ways to show your community that your clinic is committed to serving those with autism and other cognitive disorders. This can play a crucial role in expanding your business, forming important partnerships, and being able to produce the best outcomes for your patients.

4. Demonstrates Compliance

Another benefit is that becoming autism certified demonstrates that your staff are in compliance with local and state guidelines in regards to professional development.

5. Improve Grant Qualifications

When your staff is autism certified, your clinic has better qualifications and can demonstrate commitment to potential grant opportunities, donors, and funding programs.

“This certification allows me to demonstrate my professional competence and skills, specifically in the field of autism. This is increasingly important at a time when standards of accountability mandate service providers be highly qualified. I am a better OT when I am more diversely equipped to meet the spectrum of needs of this growing population.” – Paula Perkins, OTR, SCSS, MA, CAS Burkburnett ISD | Burkburnett, TX

6. Improve Training + Patient Care

Becoming a CAC will give your staff access to customized online training that is specific to each of their positions. Your clinic will be able to provide appropriate treatments to patients and interact comfortably and positively with individuals on the spectrum.

7. Receive Recognition and Promotion

When your clinic becomes a CAC not only will you differentiate yourself from competitors, but you will also have access to marketing support from IBCCES. Some of these items include a listing on the International Online Registry, joint press release, a framed certification for display in your clinic, a digital certification badge to be placed on your website and social media, and a feature on CertifiedAutismCenter.com with access to over 5.6 million parents, therapists, and educators, who can become clients and referral sources. Each individual staff member also gets their own credential and badge to show their certification designation as well.

8. Create a Better Health Standard

The CAC certification ensures that your clinic will stand out from competitors and be recognized as a leader in autism within your community. With a staff that is knowledgeable and capable of specializing in autism, the care provided will be unparalleled. The CAC creates the opportunity for your staff to feel recognized and your patients to trust you.

“At the Bowen Center, we saw a gap in resources that were being provided to people who are on the spectrum. We knew professional training was necessary to fill this gap.” – Bil, Bowen Center Executive

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What is Autism Certification?

The goal of becoming autism certified is to ensure that those working with individuals with autism will have the knowledge, training, and expertise they need in order to provide quality care, as well as the recognition to let caretakers know they have a specific commitment and understanding to working with autistic individuals. Due to autism operating along a rather complex spectrum, each impacted individual will experience the disorder in a way that is unique to them. This makes autism certification so important because it allows professionals to effectively support autistic individuals.

Becoming A Certified Autism Center™

The goals of becoming a Certified Autism Center™ are twofold:

  • To ensure your staff is properly prepared to serve autistic individuals effectively throughout the therapy process
  • To communicate to parents and the community that your clinic has made this extra step so that families with autistic individuals know to come to you first for therapy

There are different levels of training for different staff throughout the clinic. Many therapists start out by thinking that it is not important to have their front desk staff complete training since they are not administering therapy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The front desk and support staff have that initial interaction that sets the tone for the whole therapy experience. It is important that those staff are able to interact with the patient in an understanding way to prevent overwhelm at these initial stages. Otherwise, the potential benefits of therapy could be counteracted before therapy even starts.

Benefits of Autism Certification

Therapy clinics are facing the challenge of standing out in a highly competitive market. Being able to differentiate your clinic from others is key to your success, but how?

Fortunately, becoming certified is an automatic way to do this. Besides differentiation, autism certification will also help your clinic to attract new clients, increase your referral rate, and equip you with a staff that is prepared to help patients with autism so that they can achieve exceptional outcomes.

There are a number of benefits for individuals who get certification as well as benefits for the therapy center for becoming a Certified Autism Center™.

Learn More About Becoming A Certified Autism Center™