Central and Eastern Kentucky
(2009-04-24)
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Dr. Shelli Deskins will direct The Center for Autism in Prestonsburg, which is associated with the Cleveland Clinic.
Photo by WEKU's Ron Smith.
Among the Kentuckians who will benefit are Margaret and Greg Wilson, who are typical of parents who learn their child has autism.
Their son Mitch, according to Greg Wilson, displayed all the characteristics of a normal developing infant, first babbling, then talking and walking. Then suddenly at age two, Wilson said, all that ceased.
"He became totally drawn inward [and] didn't make a sound for two years. I bounce a beach ball and it goes right past him. He's oblivious to it," said Wilson.
Mitch displayed the usual behaviors of autism; no direct eye contact, limited interaction with others and constant restlessness.
The Wilsons sought more information about the incurable genetic disorder, talking with those people knowledgeable in the field and to other parents.
They identified Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA with its intense, one-on-one intervention, reinforcement and prompting techniques as the method most likely to help their son. However, finding an ABA facility wasn't easy.
"We looked at programs in Atlanta, Cleveland, Cary, North Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida. They were all tremendously successful, all with huge waiting lists and all out of state," said Wilson.
So, the couple turned to in-home care, which they found difficult and ineffective. Then they got help through the Floyd County school system. But, after years of treatment, Mitch started to regress.
Finally, they got word of an opening in an ABA facility in Atlanta. So in August of 2007, Margaret Wilson and her son moved to Georgia. It wasn't easy.
The Wilsons sold their home in Prestonsburg to cover the cost of the treatment, which can run as much as 100-thousand dollars a year. Greg and 13 year-old daughter Lizzie remain in Kentucky, but he commutes to Atlanta nearly every weekend to see his wife and son.
After two years in the program, Wilson said, Mitch is making remarkable improvement. Greg would rather see that progress firsthand, back in Kentucky. Soon, he may have the chance.
The Center for Autism in Prestonsburg is scheduled to open in May. For Center CEO, psychologist and Eastern Kentucky nat ve Shelli Deskins, the private school and licensed day care is a dream come true.
"This will be a year-round day school for children. From earliest diagnosis to school-age, there's nothing like this in the state of Kentucky," said Deskins.
The school is becoming a reality with help from the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism in Ohio. Program director Leslie Sinclair says the relationship started with a phone call to the Clinic from some desperate eastern Kentucky parents.
"These are mommies and daddies who do their homework, who look at what gives the best result for a child with autism, just as parents who are looking for a cancer treatment for their child look at statistics regarding the best treatments for cancer. That's what happened here," said Sinclair.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more children than ever are classified as having autism disorders. According to Sinclair, these are challenging times for towns where help is not available.
"There is an exodus because people are seeking services, and you lose your talent, and you have a devaluation of your community. You lose doctors, you lose attorneys, they're gonna move away. You will lose your community," said Sinclair.
The Cleveland Clinic's Center for Autism has changed northeast Ohio for the better by keeping children and families at home, said Sinclair. She thinks the same can be done in Kentucky. Sinclair predicts the Prestonsburg center, which will mirror what is going on in Cleveland, will be a beacon in the region and beyond.
"I'm confident this is going to be a jewel in the state of Kentucky. I think people are going to flock here to see what you're doing from all over your state and from all other states," said Sinclair.
And along the way, help the Cleveland clinic build a nationwide network of such programs. The objective is to gather much-needed data and research on-site, with a goal of helping children with autism become functional and independent adults, said Sinclair.
Because autism affects individuals differently and in varying degrees, the ABA approach to treatment is not for everyone. With its $60,000 a year price tag, the Center may be out of reach for many parents. But, for Greg and Margaret Wilson, opening day can't come soon enough. They plan to enroll their son Mitch in the center's first class.
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