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Posted by lightfoot on Sunday, February 24, 2008 (11:18:21)
By Gretchen Becker
With operations under a new roof with more space, the Verbal Behavior Autism Center [at; 9830 Bauer Drive, Indiana, ph; (317) 848-4774] has room for kids to take wagon rides, learn in a motor skills room, visit a library and even ride a bike.
VBCA was founded in June 2003 with eight families in its first location for on-site behavioral therapy near 91st Street and College Avenue, said Jeffrey Medley, president and one of three founders. The nonprofit organization then operated out of two homes, one in Carmel and one in Fishers.
"The foundation is grass-roots," said Medley, who runs a technology company. "It was founded by parents for parents."
Currently, 30 kids ages 2 to 12 spend their days at the center, Medley said. Most work with therapists 20 to 30 hours a week to improve verbal, behavior and motor skills. There is room to gradually add 20 more children with autism or autistic tendencies.
Instead of cramped space in houses where there often wasn't room for everything therapists wanted to do, now each child has a room, and the rooms are set up for their needs and interests.
The new space is in an office complex in southern Hamilton County. At 16,000 square feet, it is just north of 96th Street, between Keystone Avenue and Allisonville Road.
"It's centrally located to serve the nine-county area," Medley said.
There is room to develop a space for conferences, an outdoor area behind the building for a sensory garden and play area, motor skills room, computer lab, art room, library and a store where children can exchange play money for goods, in turn teaching them life skills, Medley said.
"We don't look at a cause or a cure but the treatment," he said.
Goals are different for each child, said Medley, whose son Noah, 10, attends VBAC.
Carl Sundberg uses the Assessment Basic Language and Learning Skills to create an individual plan for each child and to train the therapists who work one-on-one with children in the program, which costs $50,000 to $60,000 a year. Insurance plans accept some payments for some patients, Sundberg said.
In Indiana, employees with group insurance must have some sort of coverage for autism treatment, Medley said.
"We're really relying on insurance right now," Sundberg said. "I'd like to get to a point where we can offer scholarships."
The Assessment Basic Language and Learning Skills was developed by James Patterson and Sundberg's brother Mark Sundberg, and assesses children in 25 social areas.
"Language is our primary goal," Sundberg said. "We're also working on behavior and social skills, but language is the basis of that. . . . We're trying to get kids into school in a year or two."
Some kids won't be able to transition into school, but they may be able to go to a less restrictive environment, Sundberg said.
Some parents, like Chris Clarke, have streamlined their children into mainstream schools. Clarke is another founder of the organization who still sits on the board.
"There is synergy gained from having all of the operations under one roof," Clarke said. "We want to be the best quality provider out there for children with autism."
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