HOLLAND—At the end of an exhausting day playing with bubbles, swinging, creating, learning and growing, 2-year-old Benjamin now just wants to cuddle in his mom’s arms.

Ben, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old, is a member of the first class of the Clinic Home Intensive Program (CHIP), St. Vincent Mercy Children’s Hospital’s new program for children ages 2 1/2 to 5 who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

Just two weeks into the program, Ben’s mom, Julie DeArmon, couldn’t be happier.

"I’m so amazed at how fast he is adjusting," she says. "We’re very excited. He’s doing very well."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorders (ADS) are a group of developmental disabilities caused by a problem with the brain.

Scientists do not yet know exactly what causes autism. They do know autism can impact a person’s functioning at different levels, from mild to severe. People with ASDs frequently have problems with social, emotional and communication skills.

It’s estimated one in every 150 children has autism.

Ben and his 11 classmates are at the CHIP Program from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., four days per week, where they receive one-on-one attention from the staff that includes an occupational therapist, speech therapist and behavior consultant.

At first glance, CHIP looks like a warm and inviting preschool with large photos of each student surrounding the open gym area. A closer look shows the playground area and classrooms have been specially adapted for kids with autism.

The children in CHIP are divided into two groups of six kids each. They spend half of their day in a highly structured, one-to-one behavioral program in which skills are broken down into small steps. Each step is repeated until the child becomes fluent enough to add another step. Steps continue to be chained together in this way to make progress toward the overall goal.

The carefully planned curriculum is individualized, following the child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). It varies from relatively basic tasks such as turning to look when the child’s name is called to complex conversation skills and handwriting. The emphasis is on making learning manageable and fun.

The other half of the day is spent within a group doing typical preschool activities such as art, story time and music. It’s during these group times the children learn how to interact with each other and learn how to take turns.

The CHIP leaders say it is unusual to find a program that offers both the play-based and structured behavioral activities.

The staff in both areas communicate with each other many times during the day to discuss what works and what doesn’t with each child, says Patty Cunningham, co-leader of the program and its occupational therapist.

The staff of CHIP is working closely with the parents to help them learn the skills to work with their children at home.

Before being accepted into the program, the families were videotaped at home playing with their children. The staff then made suggestions to the parents about how to improve their interactions with the children.

CHIP also plans on having the parents be active participants during the preschool day once the children have acclimated to their new surroundings.

Michelle Nagle, a co-leader of the program and its speech therapist, says parental involvement is a critical component because it’s the parents who are taking care of the children the majority of the day. The team leaders of CHIP want the parents to know what is going on in the classes so everybody is doing the same thing.

"Forming relationships with parents is a huge accelerator of the program’s success," she explains.

"Teaching can go on anywhere and everywhere," adds Heidi Bleyer, CHIP’s behavior consultant. "Kids with autism often struggle with being productive during their leisure time. Parents can help them. Any experience can be turned into a teaching opportunity."

CHIP is not meant to be a long-term solution for children with autism. The ultimate goal, say its leaders, is to work with the students intensely for 12 months so they are able to go back to their home school districts into the least restrictive environment possible.

After only two weeks into the program, the staff is already seeing some significant changes with the kids, including more curiosity, more awareness and more interaction with the other children.

The CHIP program came about as a result of discussions by the four members of a St. Vincent Hospital diagnostic team for children with autism.

Leading the team is Karen Ratliff-Schaub, a developmental pediatrician, along with Ms. Cunningham, Ms. Nagle and social worker Leslie Barnhart.

Ms. Bleyer believes the program, the only one of its kind in the Midwest, can make a difference in the lives of kids with autism.

Ms. Nagle notes the National Academy of Science recommends kids with autism spend 25 hours per week in individualized attention. This program gives the children 24 of those hours.

At $30,000 for the 12-month program, the cost is quite prohibitive for many families. Ohio residents, however, qualify for the Ohio Autism Scholarship, which pays for two-thirds of the cost. St. Vincent Mercy Children’s Hospital has been able to work with several of the families on ways to cover the remainder.

Because he lives in Michigan, Ben doesn’t qualify for the Ohio Autism Scholarship so his parents have done some private fundraising to help pay the tuition. They feel it is that important for Ben to be in this program.

The Clinic Home Intensive Program is located at 1049 S. McCord Rd. in Holland. The program currently has a waiting list for new students, but hopes to grow to accommodate 24 children by next year.
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For information on the CHIP program, call 419-865-3314.