Helping kids with autism, step by step

Every Wednesday, shortly after the lunch crowd clears, a bus from Rivendale Center for Autism pulls up to the front door of the Qdoba Mexican Grill in the Battlefield Plaza Shopping Center. Four students, accompanied by Rivendale professionals, file out. They enter the restaurant, wait their turn in line, choose a cookie or brownie and then sit down to eat.

For most people, stopping at a restaurant for an afternoon snack is no big deal. But for this particular group of kids, who have significant autism and difficulty being in public places, those cookies and brownies are life-changers.

“When they first came to Qdoba, they literally walked through the door and I was standing there. I handed them a cookie, and they got back on the bus,” explained Stephanie Marshall, program director at Rivendale. “I was a familiar face they knew. And we built on that progressively.”

That was more than six months ago. Each week, the students came a little farther inside and stayed a few minutes longer.

The Qdoba staff were given training and general information about autism by Rivendale professionals before the program began. They do not turn down the music, dim the lights or make any adjustments to accommodate the students.

The goal of this program, Marshall said, is for the kids to eventually be able to order a meal, exchange money and then eat peacefully. While that might be another six months in the future, families are already seeing improvements at home.

“She seems more patient,” Brenna Hill said of her daughter, Kennedy. “That is part of dining out — you have to be patient. You have to wait in line. Before, if you told her she had to wait, that would set off a meltdown.”

Hill, a teacher at Rogersville, said her family has avoided public outings since Kennedy was a toddler. Now that summer vacation is here, Hill is looking forward to taking her daughter into public places — beginning with Qdoba.

“That is definitely something I want to do with her and see how she deals with me (and) to not have her teachers or peers,” she said. “I want to try small trips to the grocery store, telling her we are there to get milk and leaving — a place where we can go in, grab something and then leave.”

According to Qdoba supervisor Makenzie Oliver, the restaurant employees look forward to the weekly visits from Rivendale students and have enjoyed seeing the kids’ social skills improve.

“We see a lot more eye contact. They have been saying, ‘Thank you’ — not verbally, but in sign language,” Oliver said. “It’s a good experience. It makes me happy to see that.”

“I think everyone benefits from (the program), not just the child but the family,” Hill added. “We have another child, and we take him places. Thankfully we have family in town that can watch Kennedy. But we need to go out as a family. It’s not just three of us. It’s four of us. We can’t let (fear of meltdowns) be an excuse anymore.

“She is a human being too and deserves to be out in public just as much as anyone else does.”

About Rivendale

Rivendale offers two programs on the same campus at 1613 W. Elfindale Drive. The Rivendale Center for Autism is for students with autism spectrum exceptionalities. The Rivendale Institute of Learning is for students with emotional disabilities and learning disabilities, as well as for those on the spectrum.

The private school, which is approved by the Missouri Department of Education, provides a targeted and effective alternative to traditional public education for students with special needs and allows them to achieve their full capabilities, according to its website.

Rivendale’s overarching goal is to transition students back into a public school as soon as possible. The average length of stay for students at the Autism Center is three years, whereas students at the Learning Institute stay approximately two years.

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