More than Autism!

18-year-old Colby, who has lived with severe autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder, and other conduct disorders, has recently graduated high school! After living at Texas Hill Country School for nearly two years, and participating in highly structured, behavioral academic programming, he met his  academic goals and exceeded most of his behavior goals. With staff members and his family by his side, Colby was able to participate in his graduation ceremony.

At time of admission in 2022, Colby’s programming was focused on behavior and emotional dysregulation, non-compliance, and aggression towards himself  and others. He exhibited poor receptive and pragmatic language skills and an inability to clearly express his ideas, wants and needs, except through negative behaviors. He was unable to complete most activities of daily living, suffered from extreme pain-headaches of unknown origin, and hypertension.

The treatment approach at Texas Hill Country School focused on developing trusting relationships with him, providing a consistent and predictable schedule, and medical management. Colby was initially having multiple episodes of physical aggression and elopement each day, but at time of discharge there were many days he displayed neither of these behaviors.

The highlight of Colby’s rehabilitation was not only his graduation from high school, but his markedly improved ability to participate with others in social and community outings. Once medically and behaviorally stable, it was heartwarming to witness how much Colby enjoyed his time at the park, swimming pool, laser tag, bowling, and movie theaters. His successful inclusion into the community was a huge accomplishment for him and the treatment team.