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Perkins School
dedicates residential program to boys with Asperger's
(October
2006 Issue)
By Nan Shnitzler
A middle school boy asked an aide about the thick stack of papers
she was toting. That's your homework for tomorrow, she joked. The
boy paled in horror. He took her literally, not comprehending the
remark was meant as affectionate teasing. The aide used the incident
as a teaching moment, but chances are, this same adolescent among
public school peers would be regarded as a freak, ostracized into
loneliness.
This population is served at a new residential program at Perkins
School in Lancaster, Mass.: bright, talkative boys ages 12 to 18
who face a particular barrier to entering adolescence, says Laura
Beckman-Devik, M.A., Perkins clinical director and chief operating
officer.
The boys have Asperger's Syndrome, a developmental disorder on
the mild end of the autism spectrum, characterized by problems with
non-verbal communication, lack of social or emotional reciprocity,
intense preoccupation with a particular topic and inflexible adherence
to routines and rituals.
While prevalence rates range from one in 500 to one in 5,000, specialists
as early as Hans Asperger in the 1940s agree that the disorder is
more common in boys and usually manifests by age three.
As a result of their inability to read social cues or process joking
or idiomatic speech, the boys are perceived as weird or worse, but
are unable to modify their behavior to compensate. Another problem
is that bipolar disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder
display high rates of comorbidity with Asperger's.
"They are coming to us with difficulty in public school placements,"
Beckman-Devik says. "We take into account their challenges and build
on their strengths."
Called Center Bridge Hall for the street address of the unprepossessing
neighborhood home, the program houses four and can accommodate five.
Three were referrals and one was already in residence at non-profit
Perkins, which serves about 180 special education students in kindergarten
through 12th grade from 20 school districts, split about evenly
between day and residential programs.
Beckman-Devik describes Center Bridge as just the right size,
a small, reassuring intimate program tailored to each resident.
Each has his own room to retreat to and time to pursue unique interests.
"Our hope for this program is to afford them the opportunity to
mature, adjust and make friends. In the right circumstances, these
kids have extraordinary possibilities," Beckman-Devik says.
In addition to individual counseling, therapy abounds. Gathering
in the dining room to eat dinner together is a natural opportunity
for residents to converse while working on social competency with
a facilitator. Animal-assisted therapy with dogs and horses provide
comfort, acceptance and reassurance. Expressive therapy channels
hobbies and special interests. The outdoor adventure program teaches
team building, problem solving, leadership and trust.
Perkins has seen success with Asperger's students in its day program,
but when the Center Bridge house became available, officials thought
a small, Asperger's-dedicated residential program would be beneficial
to students whose families wanted them to do well but found it stressful
to cope with one child's disproportionate demands.
Thus, family consultation is part of the program. Clinicians partner
with parents and siblings to help them regain "what they want in
their families," Beckman-Devik says. As a result, parents become
advocates for their children and even connect with other parents.
It all helps to "separate the Asperger's from the adolescent," she
says.
The annual cost of about $145,000 for in-state and $148,000 for
out-of-state placements is all-inclusive: room, board, tuition,
therapy, activities, trips and more. It is paid by the referring
agency, Beckman-Devik says, typically the school district or the
state Department of Social Services.
The 12-month program has been in place only since June, but progress
is tangible.
"Given the level of services in a small setting, it's evident the
kids have been able to work through some of the challenges they've
had," Beckman-Devik says. To have fun, to have a conversation is
a big thing for them. The larger issues will take time."
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