community

Since 1977 PCDI has provided compassionate support in neighborhood homes where people with and without autism share life together. In 2023 PCDI opened its third group home for adults with autism, and also supports adults in several supervised apartments.

Professional staff members receive on-going, in-person training on a variety of teaching-procedures to become confident and skilled therapists. Teaching procedures based on Applied Behavior Analysis include incidental teaching, scripts and script-fading, zone supervision, activity schedules, skill-based-treatment, and more.

Compassionate and science-based support enables individuals with autism to live happy and full lives. Individuals, families, and communities all benefit from the joy that comes from belonging, the support to learn new skills, and the freedom and security to be yourself.

"The Teaching-Family Model said to us: create an environment that's based on learning, choice. Have a learning environment that teaches people how to self-govern and give them an environment that is safe and supportive." - Dr. Gregory MacDuff, Executive Director of Adult Life and Community Living Programs

PCDI's first community-based group home was among the early replication sites of the Teaching Family Model.* Our residential program still holds to their values of evidence-based and trauma-informed treatment and care. This model of professionally-staffed, family-style treatment has been shared with many other agencies nationally and internationally.

*McClannahan, L. E., Krantz, P. J., McGee, G. G., & MacDuff, G. S. (1984). Teaching-Family Model for autistic children. In W. P. Christian, G. T. Hannah, & T. J. Glahn (Eds.), Programming effective human services, 383-406. New York: Plenum Press.