Expect Results
What makes Springbrook different from other residential behavioral and psychiatric autism programs in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and throughout the southeast? We work with the entire spectrum of children, adolescents, and teens with autism, including patients across the spectrum, and we begin work with children at younger ages, using advanced, evidence-based autism therapy programs. More importantly, our dedicated staff is committed to autism programs and therapies that address the needs of the whole child rather than just the diagnosis. Everything we do is geared toward improving the lives of children with autism and their families, specifically addressing the treatment of severe behaviors and psychiatric related issues related to the autism spectrum. The Springbrook staff doesn’t merely attempt to control children with autism—we attempt to reach them by every available means.
Productive Treatment Of Autism Takes A Team
There are a lot of incorrect assumptions and misunderstandings when it comes to the treatment of autism in children. In truth, mental and behavioral health care for autism is similar to health care for other kinds of chronic conditions - learning to manage, and even thrive, through therapy, medication, diet, exercise, and routine. Since all aspects of health are interconnected, we can’t improve acute behavioral problems associated with autism without also addressing the mental, emotional, environmental, and physical needs of the child. Likewise, any improvement we make in the overall health and wellbeing of a child with autism will have a positive effect on behavior. Below are some of the practical, physical, medicinal, and behavioral autism therapy programs that our dedicated, experienced staff rely on to connect with your child.
Occupational Therapy for Autism
Our team has pioneered many innovative occupational therapy programs for children and adolescents with autism. Occupational therapy is a broad term that encompasses anything that helps our patients with their motor skills, speech, social interactions, independent living skills, aggression, and willingness to try new things. In addition to daily routines and exercises that promote independent living skills, we encourage fun therapies including gardening, aquatic exercise, tasting groups, and more. Our autism treatment center is large, including several classrooms, a sensory room, a gym, an indoor pool, a pond, and acres of land for exploring—and our occupational therapist makes use of all of it!
The Sunrise Room for Lower-Functioning Children With Autism
In the Sunrise Room we work one-on-one with these children, using autism therapy programs that focus on joining and vocalizing needs, always with the goal of understanding the why behind the behavior. Many of the patients in this unit struggle with antisocial and aggressive behaviors, and we see them make tremendous strides, especially in vocalizing their needs, thanks to individual attention. We also take practical steps, such as required daily naptime, to help address destructive behaviors.
Meet Jesse: Our Therapy Dog for Autism
This is one of our favorite therapy programs for the treatment of autism. A few of our employees volunteer with a local organization to train autism service dogs – and we reap the benefits. Recently, one of our trainees, Jesse, has been placed with our physician permanently. Jesse is a gentle Golden Lab who is a wonderful support for children experiencing anxiety, panic, or meltdowns. Aside from being a reward for our children and adolescents, Jesse’s extensive training helps him be cool under pressure and calm in the face of anxiety - he even knows to hold back if he senses a child is afraid of him!