By Caroline Carey

The Anderson Center for Autism, a not-for-profit organization, offers the highest quality year-round day and residential programs to children and adults who have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

The curriculum features educational, cultural and recreational opportunities specifically designed to challenge each individual to the limits of his or her own abilities.

Anderson currently serves 79 adults with autism between the ages of 21 and 47 in Dutchess and Ulster counties; 96% of these adults graduated from Anderson.

Through its innovative adult day-habilitation and residential programs, it promotes each individual’s attainment of independence and offers support for inclusion, individuality and productivity while integrating services including occupational and speech therapy, as well as applied behavior analysis.

Utilizing an evidence-based team approach, the adult programs are designed to nurture the development of social, vocational and life skills in a comfortable and supportive environment.

Adult day-habilitation programs

Anderson’s three Lifelong Learning Centers (in Poughkeepsie, Pleasant Valley and Saugerties) provide adults with autism with a wide array of skill-building opportunities that foster individual independence and productivity and enhance each person’s overall quality of life.

They offer a seamless program of instructional, social and vocational opportunities that are coordinated with an individual’s home environment.

An Individualized Service Program is used to identify “valued outcomes,” according to Mary Doyle, director of adult services, which is “what they want to do and need to do.” The Lifelong Learning model was developed by Anderson in 2006. 

The state stops funding educational opportunities at age 21, but Anderson realized adults want and need to keep learning.

The adults are arranged in teams of six to 10 people with three staffers per team. Each team has its own room in the center and a team color. 

Each day begins with a morning team meeting as there is a great need for structure for these individuals.  After the meeting, there are individual schedules that include skill work, volunteer work, social skills training and functional communication strategies.  

The clinical staff of the center provides the necessary occupational and speech therapies of the centers. This is very important as they used to have to go outside the center for these services, and familiarity with the staff and the location are important to these adults.

Behavior analysts support the learning activities and do a lot of observation and data collection as over 80% of the adults are not verbal.

By encouraging learning and developing skills, Anderson’s Lifelong Learning Center offers opportunities of community involvement through volunteer training programs and volunteer placements at the Culinary Institute of America, SPCA, Salvation Army, Goodwill and other local businesses and organizations. It also offers activities for the promotion of an individual’s self esteem and overall well-being.

Some volunteer programs include participation in the care of animals, visiting community nursing homes and hospitals. 

Doyle said these adults are “based in the community, supported by the community and want to give back to the community.”

The real goal is to get these adults involved in their community. 

A monthly dance, “Club Anderson,” is offered the first Friday of each month at the school campus. Adults from other agencies are invited and it enables them to meet some peers and make some friends. 

Often, more than 120 adults with autism and other developmental disabilities attend the dance, and they love the music and the snacks.

Adult Residential Programs

Anderson also operates 16 Individual Residential Alternatives (IRAs) in Dutchess and Ulster counties. It offers a complete array of services designed to enrich the lives of adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Based on applied behavior analysis principles and positive behavioral supports, the program is aimed at developing skills in communication, daily living, recreation and leisure activities.

Each IRA houses four to six adults because more than six “is not home like,” according to Doyle. 

Due to the fact that autism affects many more men than women, there is one co-ed house, two for women and the rest are for men.

While the day-habilitation program runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the IRAs manage the rest of the day.

The first IRA was opened in 1993 and the most recent opened a few weeks ago in Clinton. Anderson has opened one to two homes per year since 2002.  

Anderson is committed to providing a home for its people as long as they want one and has no age restrictions. Its staff is extremely committed to its mission and many managers have been with Anderson for 15 to 17 years. 

Each house has a house manager and seven to 12 habilitation specialists (with two or three per shift). This staff is responsible for managing these adults when they are not at day-hab and prepare meals and plan activities and outings, which include dinners out in the community, sporting activities and concerts. 

To promote a well-rounded lifestyle and integration into the community, they provide residents with a diverse selection of recreational and community involvement opportunities, including shopping, hobbies, arts and Special Olympics.

Anderson encourages family involvement and offers opportunities for individuals to develop and maintain relationships with their families, friends and community members. Additionally, the program assures that each individual’s decisions are respected and preferences are incorporated into the planning of activities.

The most recently opened house, in Clinton, is a beautiful contemporary house situated on 7 acres.  It houses five 21-year-old men who recently graduated from Anderson. Most residents have their own rooms, while a few share.

Given that change can be unsettling for individuals with autism, the five young men visited their new house four to six times to get familiar with it. They also had similar meet and greets at the house with their families and with neighbors.

“We try to group the adults so that they get along,” said Doyle.

Given that some homes have been together for 15 to 17 years, it appears to be working.

Doyle closed by saying, “This is their home.”

Anderson’s ultimate success story

Editor’s note: The following was written by Ed, an Anderson Center resident who currently works full-time at the North East Center for Special Care.

I work at the North East Center for Special Care. I am a dietary aide. I work in the kitchen bringing carts upstairs to different units. I make coffee.

My new job is prepping. I prep breakfast carts for Wednesday morning. I usually work 39 or 40 hours a week, five days a week. I love my job.

I have met good friends. My boss right now is very, very nice to me. I have lived at Anderson for 16 years. I have worked on my anger and my temper. I talked to staff about how I felt staff worked with me to learn how to make good choices. I grew up at Anderson. Me and the staff have made me who I am today.

Right now, I also like to hang out with my girlfriend, go out with friends, play cards and go to day-hab and do my art work. I was so proud when my art work was displayed at art galleries. I enjoy selling my art work.

I am looking forward to getting my own apartment someday and want very much to be a chef someday. I am thankful for my job and for the people that work with me at my job and at Anderson.