Autism Center marks a decade of service

Current and former clients of the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center, along with dozens of family members, area residents and university faculty and staff, gathered Friday to celebrate the center's 10-year anniversary.

Located at 611 N. Fountain St., a few blocks east of the Southeast campus, the center opened its doors in January 2010 and provides diagnostic and intervention services to families and individuals impacted by autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In the decade since it opened, the center's staff has served nearly 2,000 clients ranging in age from 1 to 69 who have come from 19 counties in the Southeast Missouri region.

Among the anniversary celebration attendees Friday was former Sen. Jason Crowell, who played a major role in the development and opening of the center during his years in the Missouri Senate.

Autism Center director Renee Patrick invited a variety of speakers to the celebration, including those who have received services from the center over the years.

"That's really what it's about, so it's really cool that they agreed [to speak]," Patrick said.

Dakota Smith, a high school senior from Greenville, Missouri, is one of the hundreds of children and teenagers who have received therapeutic services at the center over the years. He said without the center's staff, and the support of his mother and grandmother, he would not be the person he is today.

Smith described Patrick as "a friend to me, teaching me things that I can do to overcome my problems and rise above my disorder." He added, "I've come so far -- I have friends I talk to on the phone. I went to prom last year. I spend most of my time in the mainstream classroom, and I've been in the top five of my class since my seventh-grade year."

Southeast alumna Kathleen Howland said her time spent working in the autism center opened her eyes to the challenges faced by those who have ASD.

"It made me more aware of people who are different than me in Cape," Howland said. "At school, you see everybody that's in my age range, and we're all doing the same thing and going through the same thing together. Coming here made me realize that there are other people out there that really need help, and I'm very fortunate to have been in that position."

Michelle Crosnoe of Cape Girardeau shared one of her most memorable experiences with the center.

Her son, Connor, 10, is on the autism spectrum. She said she vividly remembers the day Patrick diagnosed her son with ASD.

Crosnoe said the center director "looked me right in the face, and her eyes held mine, and she said, 'His future's gonna be good,'" Crosnoe said. "And you know what? She was right."

Southeast president Carlos Vargas said while the center mostly focuses on children, its doors are open to people of any age looking for help managing their ASD.

The $2.6 million facility, built on the site of the former Washington School in Cape Girardeau, was funded by the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative and approved by the Missouri General Assembly in 2007. Ground was broken on the new facility Jan. 23, 2009, and it opened Jan. 4, 2010.

The facility, which is formally known as the Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment, offers a variety of treatment services, including speech therapy and counseling, among others. The facility can be reached at (573) 986-4985 or at autismcenter@semo.edu.