The Pediatric Place is excited to announce the opening of our new state-of-the-art Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center next month in Clinton, Missouri. This exciting milestone represents the culmination of years of vision and planning to meet a great need in our community.
“With 1 in 36 children diagnosed with autism in the US, I am excited to see a much-needed collaborative setting creating immediate and long-term opportunities for not only the clients, but also their families,” said Brooke Allen, Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Director of the new Center. “As it is a diagnosis that can truly shift the dynamics of the entire family, to know that TPP will be offering collaborative care that can include family training on techniques to support communication, social, and behavioral needs, is priceless.”
What services will be offered?
The Center will provide Applied Behavior Analysis therapy for children as young as two years old with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
“ABA therapy can help kids develop a variety of functional skills to make them safe and comfortable in their environment,” Brooke explained. “In collaboration with speech, occupational and physical therapists, it can address social skills, academics, communication, functional/self-help skills, toilet training, sleep struggles, and more.”
Children requiring significant support in these areas will attend a half or full-day ABA program. TPP’s therapy experts will be on-site to provide all the services students require in one location.
“The Center allows more space for collaborative work,” said TPP co-owner Carmen Rathert. “Our mission includes collaboration between each discipline for increased success.”
What will the Center look like?
Adjacent to TPP’s Clinton clinic, the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center includes 2 large rooms for social interaction and group therapy; a large kitchen; a conference room for professional collaboration, parent training, and treatment team meetings; 12 individual therapy rooms and 4 observation rooms; a life skills room where students practice functional tasks such as laundry; and a 3,000-square foot gym for children who need to move their bodies for regulation. Carmen and Brooke agree that they are most excited about the gym and the future outdoor play space.
“Outdoor play can be a barrier for many of our learners with autism, as 49% of children with autism have been reported to engage in elopement behavior at some point (wandering or bolting away from a safe environment),” Brooke said. “This barrier can be removed when clients have access to outdoor play spaces with safer play boundaries created by assessing the triggers that result in elopement and teaching coping strategies to reduce the risk of elopement.”
The Center will provide safe, fun spaces to practice skills that will enable them to safely access their home, school, and community environments.
Join us for our Grand Opening!
You are invited to join us for the Grand Opening on June 21 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at 210 S. 2nd St. in Clinton. Come tour the new facility, learn about the range of collaborative services we offer, and meet our dedicated multidisciplinary staff. We would love to see you there.
The Grand Opening of our Autism & Neurodevelopmental Center is open to the public. For more information about the event, including media inquiries, please contact Brittany L. Pickens at brittany@thepediatricplacellc.com or (660) 885-2394.
Written by
Amy Wolcott
M.S., CCC-SLP
