MERAKEY HAS BEEN rooted within the Baton Rouge community for more than a decade, furthering its commitment to provide a unique assortment of behavioral health services for adults and children. With the opening of the Autism Center last year, the organization, formerly known as NHS, has been able to extend its reach within the community, improving opportunities for those on the autism spectrum.

In less than a year, Merakey welcomed its second location in Hammond, Louisiana, in efforts to build capacity quickly for a community yearning for services, programs and therapies for individuals up to the age of 21 with autism.

“We have a continuum of care designed to meet the childrens’ needs in our community,” says Karen Markle, executive vice president of Merakey’s Autism & Education Division. “We equip them with tools suited to each individual’s transition needs—from their first school experiences throughout their education into adulthood.”

The Bee Me Center, located within the Merakey Autism Center, is a child care development program accepting children from ages 3 to 5 of all abilities, but especially those that are experiencing some developmental delay. The goal is to prepare children to transition successfully into a mainstream kindergarten or first grade class. Designed to help working parents with hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Bee Me program allows therapeutic integration on the same campus.

“Our busy little bees buzz through the program gaining social skills, understanding classroom instruction, following schedules and mastering toilet training,” says Brittany White, director. “Our award-winning curriculum is designed to meet the individualized learning needs of children with different abilities.” 

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control estimates 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism, resulting in thousands of impacted children in the Capital Region alone. Director of Operations Charity Bankston says centers like this are vital to meet the needs of this growing demographic.

“With the increase in diagnostic prevalence, all children benefit from better understanding, interacting, accepting, and working well alongside individuals with autism,” she says. “We want all children to reach their best level of independence and are dedicated, heart and soul, to not only helping special children, but also to developing compassionate future leaders who carry that mission forward to the future.”

Another dynamic Merakey transition program is Specialized Transition Services, designed for individuals ages 16 to 21 to foster a smoother transition to adult independence. The year-long program has two segments. The first track improves independent living skills, including laundry, meal preparation, bill paying and other household tasks. The center provides a neighborhood home converted into a lab allowing participants to obtain first-hand experience in performing tasks. 

The second track focuses on soft employability skills while preparing students for workforce entry. Merakey is often the students’ first employer, providing experience with room to grow and recover from mistakes without losing their job. Merakey collaborates with other local organizations like Gateway Transition Center in Central and the Baton Rouge Community College autism program, extending the continuum of care past age 21. 

The Merakey Autism Center also offers applied behavioral analysis behavior therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy clinical services for those up to the age of 21. Enrolling in one, two or all of the programs and therapies pave a path toward independence.

“Services and resources for teens and adults on the spectrum are minimal,” Bankston says. “Our Specialized Transition Services program is much more affordable for families and keeps individuals within the community, fostering their growth as they transition into adulthood.”