Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com August 29, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 7 checked off a box every time the student entered a set of data into a computer. Once all the boxes on the sheet were checked, the student got a reward. Since the student couldn't speak, he told his teacher which reward he wanted by pressing buttons on an iPad. Some higher functioning students stopped to chat with staff during a tour, using administrators' first names. That fun learning environment starts with a committed workforce, said Chief Development Officer Jared Bouzan. "They've taken the oath to be teachers that work with children with autism. You walk around here and you see the smiles on their faces and the desire to work with these children – it's such an extraordinary thing to see," said Bouzan. Need for services The number of autism diagnoses has increased exponentially since even the turn of the century – from 1 in 150 kids in 2000 to 1 in 68 kids today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2013 report from the state Autism Commission applied CDC esti- mates to the Massachusetts population and suggested around 75,000 people in the state have autism. That estimate assumes that the disorder is equally prevalent among age groups and is prob- ably a bit high, said Carolyn J. Kain, executive director of the Autism Commission. The Autism Commission that put out the report has since been dissolved and was reestablished last fall. In a state where insurance coverage of autism services is mandated by law, one of the biggest obstacles to getting the right services to a child on the autism spectrum is a shortage of professionals who can work with them, said Elaine Gabovitch, an autism spectrum disorder specialist at UMass Medical School. "We know that applied behavior anal- ysis is the gold standard in treatment for children on the spectrum. But if you can't get access to that because there aren't enough providers, then what hap- pens? You're kind of stuck," said Gabovitch. "In those cases, those chil- dren do not have the same benefits as children who have access to high quality applied behavior analysis therapists." Figures to measure the exact shortage of applied behavior analysis therapists and other specialists don't yet exist, Gabovitch said, though that's something UMass Medical School's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center is working on. So far, the sense is that the closer to Boston a child lives, the more likely he or she is have a trained therapist within his or her school system. Qualified workers are harder to find in rural areas, Gabovitch said. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the social work field will grow by 12 percent between 2014 and 2024, a faster-than-average rate. To address staffing, NECC recruits directly from undergraduate psychology departments around the country, Foster said. Employees can get their certifica- tion in applied behavior analysis or spe- cial education for free right there at the center, through partnerships with Simmons College and Western New England University. More than 1,000 people have gone through the program since it launched about 20 years ago, Foster said. "We pitch to them, 'Come work at the New England Center, get your graduate certification in special education or applied behavior analysis and really learn how to work with these children.' It's very successful," she said. Industry-wide efforts Other autism services nonprofits said they had to come up with creative ways to address workforce challenges. At HMEA, Inc. in Franklin, which works with 3,000 families, about 100 people are on the waitlist for in-home services, said President and CEO Mike Moloney. "Your child is diagnosed, your insur- ance covers it, but you have to wait. It's a chronic and persistent problem," Moloney said. To help address its workforce chal- lenges, HMEA in 2014 launched a pro- gram with Assumption College to offer employment opportunities for students interested in working as applied behav- ior analysis therapists. The program was aided by a $56,700 grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. Worcester's Behavioral Concepts, Inc. hired 26 applied behavior analysis thera- pists in the first two months of 2016, and is still hiring, according to the company. It launched a partnership last year with Bay Path University in Longmeadow through which staff can get a master's degree and, eventually, a board certifica- tion as a behavior analyst. Behavioral Concepts created an autism specialization certificate with Quinsigamond Community College and has a partnership with Assumption, where students work 30 hours a week at BCI or its onsite school, the Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction. The new NECC center NECC's day and residential student programs are at capacity, Foster said. But she said she hopes the institute and capital campaign will allow NECC to enhance its workforce training to increase availability of NECC programs. "To have a broader impact, we're going to have to disseminate the knowl- edge we've acquired over the past 41 years, so that's what that autism institute does," Foster said. n What's important to Sarah: R Bankers who understand the accounting industry R Mobile banking for easy account access R Services that save her time so she can balance the books ...and her life. If it's important to you, it's important to us. From a full range of cash management services to bankers who understand your business, Webster Five helps you succeed at both work and life. web5.com/business KHJ22790_WEB-305_6.5x8.5 BizBanking_Sarah_MECH2.indd 1 8/10/16 6:17 PM Founded: 1975 Revenue: $77,941,777 in 2014 Founder: Vincent Strully Jr., CEO Employees: More than 1,000 Research: Nearly 200 studies published in peer-reviewed journals, 1,000 academic papers presented at conferences. Serves: Children on the autism spectrum, ages 14 months - 22 years New England Center for Children At a glance Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Services, NECC

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