Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Here to Help

When BB was 22 years old she moved in to a residential home at the Autism Treatment Center.  Today BB is 52 years old and she still lives in a home at ATC. Her mom and dad, who are retired, live close by and BB frequently goes home for weekends and holidays. BB has a special room at her parent’s home with many items she loves to collect. She also has a special room at ATC with her treasures. BB recently got an iPad and loves using it for entertainment and learning new skills. On most visits home BB is calm, cooperative, and happy.

However, the holidays are a very stressful time for her. She will raise her voice and ask the same question over and over. With coaching she can usually reduce her anxiety to an acceptable level. This past Thanksgiving though her anxiety was so intense that she started to seriously harm herself. Her parents could not get her calmed down, so BB’s mom called the ATC nurse and Case Manager at 10:30pm Thanksgiving night. They, in turn, called the Residential Coordinator and House Manager of BB’s home. The Coordinator and Manager went to BB’s family home and worked with her until 1am.

They were able to help her calm down, go to bed, and finally go to sleep. The next day, BB’s mom came to the Center and stopped by my office to tell me how grateful she and BB’s dad are that “staff are willing to come and assist in the middle of the night and that they always seem to know just what to do.”

BB remained at home until Sunday evening when she returned to her ATC home without any additional problems. I am so proud to be the Executive Director of ATC for many reasons, but this situation illustrates “Community Services” at its pinnacle. The team at ATC is dedicated, passionate, skillful and has years of experience working with and teaching children and adults with autism.

2 comments:

  1. Great testimony!!
    Debbie Grace, Family Education and Support Director for The Warren Center

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow this is what is needed in Laredo, TX

    ReplyDelete