Program for Children on the Autism Spectrum
In 1999, the Tennessee Department of Education designated Harwood Center as an Early Intervention Resource Agency enabling Harwood to provide programs for children with autism spectrum disorders. Harwood is the only agency in Shelby and surrounding counties funded by the Tennessee Department of Education to provide specialized programs for children under three with autism spectrum disorders. These services are provided at no cost to eligible families.
Currently it is estimated that 1 in 150 children will receive a diagnosis of autism. Harwood Center employs behavior analysts, specialists, and licensed special education teachers to develop intervention programs for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. These services are provided in the home, typical child care programs and/or at Harwood Center. The staff develops specialized programs which are implemented on an individual basis. One such intervention is Applied Behavior Analysis. This is a proven therapy for children with autism and involves an average of twenty hours of individual therapy a week. Harwood is the only agency in Shelby and surrounding counties providing specialized programs for children under three with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Children may receive therapy services while at school. Harwood employs a speech/language therapist who delivers individual language therapy to children needing this service and provides assistance to parents and staff as they work to improve the communication skills of all children attending the Center.
Because of Harwood’s unique physical environment -- its main location is housed within the University of Tennessee’s Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities– Harwood’s center-based students are able to interact on a daily basis with typical children from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
At this time the Harwood Center Medical Center location is the only location avaible for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders or children eligible for these services.