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Devereux Texas launches new short-term residential treatment program for youth with disabilities

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Texas recently launched a new short-term residential treatment program at its League City campus for youth with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

The program is based on Devereux’s Short-Term Autism Intensive Residential Services (STAIRS) model, which provides intensive treatment for youth with severe behavioral challenges and skills deficits who have not responded to treatment in traditional community-based or residential settings.

“This was one of the most ambitious and important projects in the history of our League City campus – developing a premier residential treatment program designed specifically for individuals with moderate to severe autism and I/DD,” said Devereux Texas Executive Director Pam Reed. “The launch of this program is a tremendous milestone that furthers our mission and meets a critical need in the behavioral healthcare field.”

Devereux Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical/Medical Officer Yolanda Graham, M.D., noted, “Devereux Texas’ program is a true replication of our proven STAIRS model, which was initially developed for our Devereux Pennsylvania Children’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services (CIDDS) center. We are incredibly proud of the positive outcomes achieved through STAIRS with a majority of our youth showing a decrease in the frequency of challenging behaviors and an improvement in functional communication skills, and we look forward to achieving similar outcomes in Texas.”

Serving youth in need

Devereux Texas’ new residential program serves youth, ages 8 to 17, with:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• Moderate to severe intellectual disability
• Moderate to severe communication and adaptive behavior skills deficits
• Behavioral challenges that require intensive supervision and support
• Other disorders are considered case-by-case, based on adaptive, communication, behavioral, and educational needs.

Devereux Executive Director of Autism Services Todd Harris, Ph.D., who helped develop the STAIRS model and has been providing training and support to Devereux Texas team members throughout the implementation of the new program to ensure fidelity, says there is a significant demand for these types of services.

“Many children and adolescents with autism and psychiatric and behavioral health concerns are served successfully in their homes with community supports. However, about 10 to 15 percent of these individuals demonstrate serious behavioral disorders that require expert and intensive treatment,” Harris explained. “Traditional residential treatment facilities frequently struggle to support the treatment needs of this challenging population. Our STAIRS model addresses those needs to help individuals thrive.”

Treatment objectives

Individuals enrolled in Devereux Texas’ new residential program receive comprehensive clinical services and support. The goal of the program is to help youth achieve:

• Maximized self-sufficiency
• Improved ability to complete everyday tasks independently
• Opportunities to build social connections with support in an environment based on inclusion and respect for individual variability
• Behavior change built on individual strengths with treatment oversight from a Board Certified Behavior Analyst

“Devereux has extensive experience serving individuals with autism and I/DD,” Reed said. “We are excited to meet the unique needs of those in our care and help them lead happy and healthy lives.”

Next steps …

In addition to Devereux Texas, other centers, including Devereux Arizona are working to develop new short-term residential treatment programs based on the STAIRS model.

Learn more about Devereux Texas, and learn more about Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health.

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