Institute of Systemic Behavior Analysis – ISAS
The Institute of Systemic Behavior Analysis (ISAS) was founded in 2010. It is a non-for-profit organization aiming to provide optimal educational and therapeutic services for children with Neurodevelopmental and other Disabilities or Difficulties. Aside from the therapeutic and pedagogical endeavors, there is an emphasis on research and applications of the Systemic Behavior Analytic Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Basic Aims of ISAS:
Clinical/Therapeutic and Educational Purposes:
The scope of ISAS encompasses infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with special needs and with difficulties in adjusting properly to their family, school, and social environment. The ultimate target of service providing at ISAS is an optimal adjustment for all recipients as defined by themselves, their families, and their therapeutic team. To reach optimal outcomes, it is considered important to understand the needs of the service recipients in a systemic context. That is, defined by the systems, sub-systems, and ultra-systems with which each recipient interacts dynamically. Each service recipient is viewed within the complexity defined by his/her needs and the complexity of contextual parameters to which he/she needs to adjust. Thus, language, communication, social and emotional development, behavioral adjustment, social inclusion and several others, are all areas targeted at ISAS to achieve an optimal outcome. In addition, involving the family in the therapeutic process is considered to be critical for the therapeutic outcome. Parents are not only trained to reach a co-therapeutic level of involvement, but they are also supported through palliative care which is the case for siblings as well.
Research Purposes:
Rigorous research has been conducted at ISAS aiming to advance the teaching and therapeutic technology of Behavior Analysis to achieve improved outcomes for all service recipients, with an emphasis on systemic early behavior-analytic intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For research purposes, ISAS is affiliated with distinguished academic settings, such as the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and North Texas University, as well as prestigious foundations such as the Onassis Foundation.
Life-Long Education, Staff Development, and Supervision:
The Institute aims to disseminate the Systemic Behavior Analytic Model by participating or organizing conferences, staff-development seminars, and supervisory practices. The recipients of those services are psychologists, psychiatrists, general education teachers, speech and occupational therapists, as well as other educational and mental health professionals.
The Vision of ISAS is the provision of ample opportunities for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults to adjust to their home and school environment as well as to their social milieu in ways that enhance the quality of life for them and their families. Opening venues that may help them redefine meaning for their everyday lives.