The Texana Center—a local nonprofit that provides behavioral care and services for those living with developmental disabilities—opened the Children's Center for Autism at Sugar Land in early September.

The center serves Medicaid and low-income families in the Sugar Land, Missouri City and Stafford areas. The center also provides services to those with private insurance.

"The center has been specifically designed to meet the needs of children with an autism diagnosis," said Kate Johnson-Patagoc, director of specialized children's services.

Johnson-Patagoc said it is common for children living with autism to have difficulty responding to different environments, so the center was built with that in mind.

"To address this issue we installed a wide variety of different types of faucets, hand-drying devices, soap dispensers, drinking fountains and dining seating," she said. "We use this variety as part of our applied behavior analysis intervention so that children are successful when they encounter different situations in the world."

The Children's Center was built through the Texas Healthcare and Transformation and Quality Improvement Program in conjunction with donations from several local organizations, including the Exchange Club of Sugar Land, Fort Bend Cares and the Fred & Mabel R. Parks Foundation.

In addition to housing the Texana Behavior Improvement Center programs, the Children's Center also features Therapy for Tots, a program for children ages 0-3. The center is still lacking a playground, which will cost about $70,000, Johnson-Patagoc said.

"A playground is an important place for a child with an autism diagnosis to develop needed language, play [and] social skills; problem-solving and motor skills; so we are hoping that the community will assist us in making this a reality," she said.

The Texana Center, which began offering services in 1999, serves more than 7,500 individuals each year through its facilities and programs in Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Matagorda, Waller and Wharton counties. The organization is designated by the Texas Department of Aging and Disabilities Services as the Local Mental Retardation Authority and by the Texas Department of State Health Services as the Local Mental Healthcare Authority, according to the organization.

130 Industrial Blvd., Ste. 200

Sugar Land 281-239-1497

www.texanacenter.com

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