Facility is changing world for autistic children

A Woodlands couple realized their 3-year-old daughter needed help when she had difficulty sitting at the table for dinner, but they didn’t expect to find a quick answer.

“She was bouncing off the walls,” said Brenda Hutchinson of her autistic daughter, Abby.

Abby Hutchinson had difficulty sitting at a table to color a picture and wasn’t participating in preschool or daycare activities.

After she was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disorder, Abby’s parents set out searching for a school that could address her needs.

Within two weeks of enrolling Abby at The Shape of Behavior, she was sitting at the dinner table eating with her parents, Brenda Hutchinson said.

“I was very, very pleased.” Brenda Hutchinson said.

At The Shape of Behavior, an individual program is built for each child, said Rachel Mayberry, assistant director of The Shape of Behavior’s Woodlands location.

“Everything that we do is individualized,” Mayberry said. “Many people feel that their children are not motivated, but we find what motivates them and we use that to motivate them to do other things.”

In Abby’s case, she had an interest in rocks, leaves and twigs, Mayberry said.

Through a process called conditioning, staff members paired the rocks and leaves with food and toys to draw Abby’s interest.

Since autism is a spectrum disorder, cases range from mild to severe. Children with mild cases may lose their diagnosis over time but children with more severe cases may have developmental problems that follow them through life, Mayberry said.

“For most children, we suggest two years of early intervention to prepare them for the least restrictive school environment,” Mayberry said. “Abby was with us for only about six months and she was able to go into a preschool environment without any assistance from us. She’s one of our real success stories.”

Now at the age of 4, Abby has successfully completed more than a month at preschool, according to her mother.

“There is hope out there,” Brenda Hutchinson said. “It’s worth it, even when you look at the price tag. It made a world of difference for out child. I will never forget how happy she was going there.

“It was wonderful to see people love her as much as I do.”