A local provider of autism services is expanding its work at a new facility in Winston-Salem. ABC of NC opened a comprehensive autism services campus, which includes an education center, SECU Autism Clinic and the Burress Activities Center.
Executive Director Selene Johnson says this will allow the organization to work with more families of children with autism, including those looking for an initial diagnosis.
“We know that when they get diagnosed earlier, they get to treatment sooner," she says. "And the earlier and more intensively we intervene with autism, the better the long-term outcomes, especially for things like communication skills and self-help life skills and social skills.”
The new clinic provides spaces for therapeutic services including traditional psychotherapy and applied behavioral analysis, as well as community skills labs. These labs include a mock grocery store, dentist's office and a mini-apartment where children and young adults can practice life skills.
“So many of our kids have a hard time doing things that we kind of take for granted, like just going to get a haircut, going to the doctor for a basic check-up or just going to the grocery store,” Johnson says.
Lauri Stash is from High Point and is looking at ABC of NC to see if their services are a good fit for her son. The new facility stands out to her.
“I can tell they really understand the sensory needs of children with some of the brighter colors, the muted colors, the need to touch things," she says. "I think this is a safe place to get comfortable and familiar with certain things in the everyday world that parents and families struggle with.”
Last year, ABC of NC worked with 350 clients, including 80 on a day-to-day basis. They expect to double their service capacity in the next 18 months to more than 700 clients.