by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
The St. Cloud Children’s Home has added a specialty cottage-only unit – the only one in the state, according to officials – to specifically serve children on the autism spectrum with residential mental-health services.
Earlier this year, staff at Catholic Charities St. Cloud Children’s Home noticed a trend. In the previous 18 months, many young people who were not making progress in the program (or weren’t accepted into the program) had something in common: a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
Autism spectrum disorder is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The closest mental-health residential-treatment program that specializes in mental-health care for kids on the spectrum is in Illinois. Staff saw an opportunity to help kids in Minnesota with a kind of treatment that was desperately needed.
“We brought the idea of a specialty unit to those who refer youth to the Children’s Home, and their response was very positive,” said Andrea Hendel, Catholic Charities Director of Residential Services.
According to the CDC, “There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less.”
“When you put a child on the spectrum in a mental-health-treatment setting with kids who aren’t on the spectrum,” Hendel said, “the result isn’t as consistent as it needs to be.”
The new unit has the same daily schedule as the other cottages, but its focus is different.
“We have to be a lot more thoughtful about changes and transitions,” Hendel said.
For example, to most children, holding class outdoors is a treat. To kids on the spectrum, it’s a change. When the cottage switched from a summer to fall (school) schedule, the kids were reminded daily that “school starts next week.” Staff used a calendar to visually reinforce the idea there is a change in schedule coming, so the kids would be prepared and respond well.
Diagnosing autism spectrum disorder can be difficult, according to the CDC, since there is no medical test, like a blood test, to diagnose the disorder. Doctors look at the child’s behavior and development to make a diagnosis.
About one in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, and ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, although it is about 4.5 times more common among boys (one in 42) than among girls (one in 189).
About one in six children in the United States had a developmental disability in 2006-08, ranging from mild disabilities such as speech and language impairments to serious developmental disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy and autism, according to the CDC.
“A significant difference in working in mental-health treatment with families is the autism spectrum is forever,” Hendel said. “It’s going to have an impact on the child’s life and the family’s life.”
Catholic Charities St. Cloud Children’s Home has been working with youth for more than 90 years. Today, the residential-treatment facility is for young people ages 9 to 18. The nonprofit organization serves residents statewide and is supported by generous individuals, foundations, faith communities and corporations.
“These kids CAN realize their dreams!” Hendel said.
Signs and symptoms
According to the CDC, “People with ASD often have problems with social, emotional and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviors and might not want change in their daily activities. Many people with ASD also have different ways of learning, paying attention or reacting to things. Signs of ASD begin during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life.”
Children or adults with ASD might exhibit the following:
- not point at objects to show interest (for example, not point at an airplane flying over)
- not look at objects when another person points at them
- have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
- avoid eye contact and want to be alone
- have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
- prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to
- appear to be unaware when people talk to them, but respond to other sounds
- be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play or relate to them
- repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language
- have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions
- not play “pretend” games (for example, not pretend to “feed” a doll)
- repeat actions over and over again
- have trouble adapting when a routine changes
- have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel or sound
- lose skills they once had (for example, stop saying words they were using).