A) Matthew Ashbaugh has made great language strides since first attending Mitchell’s Place. B) The Meisler family poses at the facility. C) The McQuillan twins both attend Mitchell’s Place.

Small Victories Made Huge at Mitchell’s Place

Posted March 17, 2011

SANDY NARAMORE pulls a three-year-old boy out of his class’s play period. He’s blonde-headed. Gigantic smile. Adorable and absolutely engaging. She asks him his name, age, and how he’s feeling.

“I’m Matthew. I’m three. I’m good.”

A simple exchange, right? The incredible thing is that when Sandy met Matthew Ashbaugh a year and a half ago, he had no imitation skills—no clapping hands or waving bye mimicking—and zero verbal skills.

“He did not speak a word when he came in,” she says. “He’ll look at me now and say, ‘I like your sweater. It’s brown and tan.’ He has got to be one of the most successful language students I’ve worked with.”

Matthew’s on the autism spectrum just like about half his peers here at Mitchell’s Place, a Birmingham, Alabama,  non-profit treatment center for families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

He’s one of the many glory stories that Sandy, the center’s executive director, loves to share.

Inspired by Mitchell

Nancy and Allen Meisler noticed their son, Mitchell, was different by the time he was 15 months old. His language development was delayed. He had certain idiosyncrasies, such as an obsessive fascination with letters and numbers. He could spell brilliantly, but he couldn’t speak. After numerous doctor and therapist consultations, it was determined he was on the autism spectrum.

At that time in Birmingham, the only place where Mitchell could receive special therapy was the public school system. He attended a regular pre-school class, and someone from the school’s staff worked with him about 45 minutes per week.

Mitchell’s progress was minimal.

“He was functioning pretty well, but he wasn’t comprehending a lot,” says Nancy. “He needed to learn more social skills. He was falling through the cracks.”

So, the Meislers got proactive. They researched childhood development clinics at Auburn University and in south Florida. They consulted countless field experts. Then they funded the building of Mitchell’s Place, a multidisciplinary learning center to help children affected by autism reach their highest potential.

By the time the center opened, Mitchell was able to attend the After School Social and Academic Program (ASAP) for school age children with high-functioning autism and Aspergers, but was too old to take advantage of the Early Learning Program (ELP). He had missed out on the intense early intervention that the ELP provides.

“I always tell people that building Mitchell’s Place was the most selfless thing Nancy and Allen Meisler could have ever done,” says Sandy. “This was not for Mitchell. It was for other families.”

Promoting Inclusivity

Today, Mitchell’s Place employs a staff of 33which includes lead and assistant teachers, behavior therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. The center enrolls 40 children in its daily programs. It is structured like a pre-school, with four ELP classes of 10 students each. (Children with an autism diagnosis who are not quite ready for the classroom environment work one-on-one with onsite therapists.)

The classes are integrated—50 percent of the children have autism diagnoses. The other half are what Sandy calls “typically-developing peers.”

This structure helps children with autism better learn social skills and prepares them to assimilate into school. Of course, the other children benefit as well.

“Autism is so prevalent right now that these typically-developing kids are going to be exposed at some point in their lives to children on the spectrum,” says Sandy. “The typical peers are learning compassion and how to understand differences as well as independence, respect, and confidence. It is incredible.”

Two Glory Stories from One Family

When Sherri and Tom McQuillan enrolled their twins, Andrew and Aidan, in Mitchell’s Place, only Andrew had been diagnosed as autistic. Soon after Aidan settled in to the routine, however, teachers began seeing characteristics in his behavior that raised red flags. After an evaluation, an on-staff psychologist determined Aidan was on the spectrum as well.

Andrew has been at Mitchell’s place nearly a year, and his use of language has greatly improved. “Now, he uses phrases appropriately,” says Sherri. He is also socially aware of people around him, and he wants to interact with his peers.

Aidan, who has been in the program for six months, is now more conversational, has abstract ideas, and is using his imagination more.

“His speech literally has exploded,” says Sherri. “Now he tells me the days of the week.” Aidan’s also developing those peer connections, just like his brother.

“We see so many small victories,” she says.

It’s the relative reality, as in Matthew’s case, of a family with a child on the spectrum.

“They are little things, but they are so huge to us.”

THE McQUILLANS are Regions customers.

Click here to learn more about Mitchell’s Place.

Everyone has a story.