Autism Services

Bentley is a 4 year old who lives with his younger brother, mom and dad. Bentley is delightful and fun to be around. When BHRS services started in October 2014, Bentley had about 3 to 4 meltdowns per day. This has reduced to about 3 to 4 meltdowns per week. The family has worked hard with the team to help build skills in attending to task, social behaviors and following directives. Bentley also attends our Young Learners Social Skills Group through Outpatient. Since starting this program Bentley is now approaching other kids to engage in play and his reciprocal play skills have improved both at home and at the outpatient group. Parents have been advocates for Bentley ensuring that he will have the best interventions possible. Bentley is always excited when his team comes for services, greeting them and making eye contact when they arrive. Bentley has had so much growth, the team looks forward to the continued opportunity to see him flourish.

Gregory is a 7 year old boy currently in the Wonder Kids program in the Wexford office and previously received BSC and TSS through Wesley Spectrum. Through BHRS and WK, Gregory has made incredible progress in his social skills. Previously, Gregory used an aide to get through the hallways at school and to sit in the cafeteria at lunch. He was very shy, not talking much at school or at Wonder Kids. He tended to play by himself. Now, Gregory is constantly playing and talking with peers at Wonder Kids, at school and in the community! He just began his first activity of taking swim lessons. He also has several friends he plays with at school and in the neighborhood. He even has a standing weekly play date with his best friend where they play Minecraft during the week and will go on outings to the zoo, Moraine State Park and bike riding over the weekend! Gregory’s mom Elana says the biggest improvement she sees in Gregory is his level of comfortability in interacting not only with peers he knows but also new people, “He is seeking out people and looking for friendships now”. He is not only more receptive to having friendships, but understands what friendship is and is a great judge of who would make a good friend for him. He is also a very loyal friend. For example, just recently he and a friend got into a disagreement, when the peer said in frustration that they weren’t friends anymore, Gregory was very mature and was able to say that even though the peer made a mistake and they were in a fight, Gregory would always be his friend. Gregory agreed that Wonder Kids has helped him become more social. He said that he has gotten better at “talking with friends and asking to play with them a little”. He said the Wonder Kids Staff have taught him a few lessons. As Gregory is gaining more interests and continuously becoming more comfortable with peers, his family and Wonder Kids staff are excited to watch Gregory grow and learn even more!

Colton is a three year old boy who lives with his mom, dad, older brother and younger sister. The family moved from Texas in January and Colton, who had been diagnosed with Autism, was still non-verbal and was demonstrating tantrums and aggressive behaviors multiple times every day. The family was struggling to manage Colton’s behaviors and their own adjustment to life in a new home, with new people, in a totally different part of the county. Mom came to Wesley seeking BHRS services to help the family learn the skills to better meet Colton’s needs and develop his communication skills. Mom and the family worked with the BHRS treatment team to develop a plan that fit the family’s lifestyle and practiced the skills they were learning every day. Colton has recently turned 4 and, after five months of BHRS services, is using full phrases to communicate with his family and is expressing himself in new and exciting ways each day. He is able to comply with mom and dad’s directives and can sit at the table and play a game with his brother, all things he struggled with when starting treatment. “I could say a million things about the services. We have all learned so many strategies. Wesley has been a critical resource for our family and it has allowed Colton to be successful in school, community, family and therapeutic settings”, reports Mom. Colton and his family have all grown exponentially in the short time they have participated in services and continue to work together to make every day a success.

Reuben is on the autism spectrum. From a young age, he would dart away from any situation in which he was not in complete control, avoiding contact with his family, classmates and teachers. His parents needed advice and respite. He needed a way to move forward with appropriate professional help. It had been apparent since infancy that music helped Reuben deal with the chaos that daily life was for him. We enrolled him in our Autism Services’ Creative Arts Program and used it as a springboard to start coordinating services, including behavioral health rehabilitation for Reuben and therapeutic support for his family. Now, Reuben is an active musician with a true love for the piano; he recently began attending our new movement therapy class, which he took to immediately. He’s having fun and discovering the joy of expression. We, and his parents, see a boy who is learning to connect.