Join POAC-NoVA

To join POAC-NoVA, please visit us on the

web at: http://www.POAC-NoVA.org/join/
POAC-NoVA proudly charges a very minimal fee for
membership and we do not rely on or harangue our
members for donations to sustain our group!

Donating to POAC-NoVA
POAC-NoVA is a non-profit organization with
501(c)(3) tax-exempt status run 100% by
volunteers. All donations are tax deductible to POAC-NoVA
the extent permissible by law. P.O. Box 1839
Vienna, VA 22183
To donate by credit card, please visit us on the
web at: http://www.POAC-NoVA.org/donate/ (703) 391-2251 (Voicemail)
To donate by check (No Cash!), please send
your payment made out to POAC-NoVA, to: To contact the Board of Directors, e-
mail: Concerns@POAC-NoVA.org
POAC-NoVA
P.O. Box 1839 To contact the President, e-mail:
Vienna, VA 22183 President@POAC-NoVA.org.
POAC-NoVA is a member of the Combined Federal
Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA).
Federal employees can designate yearly donations to
POAC-NoVA. POAC-NoVA also operates three funds
for donations: The General Operations Fund supporting
our core services; the PVBIA Fund supporting our http://www.POAC-NOVA.org/
Verbal Behavior Academy; & the Scholarship Fund to
provide scholarships for our workshops and conferences
to deserving members. We also work hard to honor any
Vienna, VA 22183

On the Web at:

P.O. Box 1839

special requests that accompany a donation.

POAC-NoVA

Other Ways to Help

We are always in need of volunteers to help at
meetings, workshops & conferences. We also
welcome inquiries to become board or
advisory council members. Please e-mail us at
Concerns@POAC-NoVA.org. Revised June 2009
About POAC-NoVA
Parents Of Autistic Children of Northern
Virginia, or POAC-NoVA, is a non-profit
organization working to better the lives of
those with Autism & their families as well as
improving education for children with Autism.
We promote research-based methodologies for
instructing students on the Autism spectrum
through lectures, seminars & hands-on training
sessions. These events use acknowledged
experts to instruct parents, teachers, therapists
and professional staff in the principles of
Applied Behavioral Analysis using Skinner’s
Analysis of Verbal Behavior (ABA/VB).
The Officers and Directors of POAC-NoVA
are comprised of parent volunteers supported
by a council of experts in the field of Autism.
POAC-NoVA meets quarterly with Fairfax
County Public Schools (FCPS) as the official
school board-appointed parent liaison to the
enhanced autism program for FCPS.
POAC-NoVA hosts free monthly support
group meetings on a variety of topics as well
as our annual holiday party and summer BBQ.
Early Warning Signs of Autism
/ Delayed or no spoken language
/ Little or no eye contact
/ Lack of interest in peers
/ Lack of pretend play skills
/ Fixation on objects
/ Repetitive language or movements
/ Difficulty with changes in routine
/ Loss of language or social skills
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurological disorder which can
cause speech & language delays as well as
social & behavioral problems. Autism is also a
spectrum disorder because the level of severity
and nature of the symptoms can vary greatly.
Now viewed as a national emergency, Autism
affects 1 in every 150 children born today in
the United States. Autism is also almost four
times more prevalent in boys than girls.
People with Autism can be high-functioning
with normal to above average intelligence, or
they can be lower functioning with varying
degrees of mental retardation.
What is ABA/VB?
A large body of peer-reviewed scientific
literature has shown the successful use of
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to reduce
problem behavior and increase appropriate
skills for individuals with Autism. ABA is the
only Autism intervention with a strong
research-based pedigree.
ABA was born in 1938 when B.F. Skinner
published, “The Behavior of Organisms”. This
book was the first to describe how learning
occurs as the result of selection by
consequences of behavior. Skinner called this
process operant conditioning. As the science
matured, and was applied to education and
other areas of socially significant behavior, it
became known as ABA. In 1957, Skinner then
published “Verbal Behavior” where he
analyzed the use of language broken into a set
of functional units. Each of these units serves a
distinct communication function and is called a
verbal operant. Combining this analysis of
Verbal Behavior with ABA gives us ABA/VB.
POAC-NoVA strongly advocates for the use of
ABA/VB to teach children with Autism.
POAC-NoVA Verbal Behavior
Instructors Academy (PVBIA)
To meet the growing need for therapists and
instructors for children with autism who are
trained in ABA/VB, POAC-NoVA created the
Verbal Behavior Instructors Academy.
PVBIA teaches the principles of ABA/VB
through a variety of offerings including
Summer Socialization Classes, Boot Camps,
Parent Trainings, and an Advanced Practicum
in conjunction with George Mason University.
For further information about PVBIA and our
current offerings, please visit us on the web:
http://www.POAC-NoVA.org/PVBIA/
First Responder Autism
Awareness & Safety Training
POAC-NoVA provides free Autism awareness
and safety training programs for law
enforcement officers, firefighters, ski patrols,
hospitals and medical personnel to train first
responders to best assist individuals with
Autism in emergency situations. Related
presentations on Autism safety are also
available to parents. To discuss scheduling a
free session, please e-mail us at:
Awareness@POAC-NoVA.org.
Training & Workshops
POAC-NoVA provides training for parents and
professionals in the science of ABA/VB
through introductory and advanced workshops
covering home and school environments. We
also offer specialized seminars, using one to
three day courses presented by internationally
recognized experts including Dr. Vincent
Carbone, Mr. Thomas M. Caffrey, Dr. Brian
Iwata and Dr. Mark L. Sundberg.