Concerns raised over home for autistic kids

Concerns raised over home for autistic kids

UNION - Autistic children who would live in a proposed group home in Union would not be subject to treatment research, according to the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

The proposed 2,178-square-foot home for eight autistic children, which would be built at 1001 Prescott Ave., came under fire Wednesday during a Union town board meeting. The outcry varied from people concerned about the children being tested like guinea pigs to people who felt the location could be dangerous because of a steep drop-off behind the site.

Nicole. A. Weinstein, acting public information director for OMRDD, said in an e-mail the children would undergo an established treatment approach known as applied behavior analysis, which involves specific, personalized training and experiences to help the children achieve skills. The agency also would gather information about what might be helpful, based on input from the children and their families.

The proposed Prescott Avenue home would be part of OMRDD's statewide pilot initiative to build one home for autistic children in Broome County, and one each in the Capital District, Staten Island and Long Island.

Weinstein said the Prescott Avenue site was big enough to accommodate the house and provide land for outside recreational use. It also is in a quiet, residential neighborhood, she said.

"This is important to address possible sensitivities to noise, as well as safety concerns - not wanting to be on a high-traffic road," Weinstein wrote.

The site is relatively close to restaurants, parks and stores, important for community integration, Weinstein said.

Dr. Raymond Romanczyk, professor of clinical psychology at Binghamton University and director of the Institute for Child Development, has a three-year contract with OMRDD to create curriculum, provide training for staff and help in designing the home.

Initially Dr. Romanczyk recommended building a two-family/duplex-style house for four individuals each, Weinstein wrote, but the Broome Developmental Disabilities Services Office was told the duplex would not fall within the town's zoning for that area - single-family home.

Weinstein said the plan was changed slightly to make only one kitchen, rather than two, to meet the standard of being a single-family home.

"Other areas of the house are still split into two wings, so each person will primarily interact with three peers," she wrote.
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090307/NEWS01/903070340/1001