Long term housing facility for children with severe autism opens near Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach-area parents struggling to care for their children with severe autism or intellectual disabilities now have a facility nearby that can help.
Coastal Autism Academy, a long term residential group home catering to that population ages 5-21, opened in July on Bay Road outside Surfside Beach, according to Doris Singleton, the program’s executive director.
The facility used to house Seacoast Youth Academy, which was for children with severe emotional and behavioral problems, but Singleton said the decision was made to change the name and population it serves based on an assessment of need in South Carolina.
“There’s a need for this level of residential care,” said Singleton, who also serves as executive director for a similar facility called Pine Grove Youth Academy, which has operated in Kershaw County for more than 50 years.
Steve Van Hollen, director of clinical services for the S.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, agreed that this facility does fill a need because there have historically been struggles finding available beds for children with autism whose behavioral issues required removal from their homes.
These group homes are licensed through the S.C. Department of Social Services and are funded almost exclusively via referrals by state agencies, as opposed to psychiatric residential treatment facilities, which are licensed through the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Controls and funded by Medicaid, Van Hollen explained.
There are no licensed psychiatric residential treatment facilities in Horry County, according to the DHEC website.
The lack of available beds for this population in South Carolina became apparent earlier this year when The Sun News reported that Braedan Sparlin, an 18-year-old man with severe autism, was stuck in a local hospital room, heavily medicated and isolated from his mother, for more than a month due to a lack of availability.
Shortly after that story was published, Sparlin was admitted to Pine Grove Youth Academy and is now back in the Myrtle Beach area as one of the first handful of residents at Coastal Autism Academy, according to his mother, Shawna Sparlin.
“I couldn’t he happier,” she said of having him nearby and getting needed services.
Singleton said their program strongly encourages parental involvement and is licensed for up to 55 residents, but they’re very slowly ramping up as they continue training staff and look to hire additional staff. They had just six residents as of mid-August.
Their training involves techniques on behavior modification, verbal deescalation and health and safety, she added.
Christina Backus, the facility’s admissions coordinator, said all staff are also going through training to become a Registered Behavior Technician, with future plans to bring in a Board Certified Behavior Analyst to monitor them.
Singleton explained that they create an individual treatment plan for each child with the goal of getting each to function at their highest possible level, whether that means they’re able to go back home, eventually live on their own or need to transition to an adult treatment facility.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 6:58 AM.
