JOPLIN, Mo. — Amanda Dillard, of Carl Junction, said her daughter, Reagan, would have lost ground after the May 22 tornado if not for efforts by workers at the Ozark Center for Autism.

The same is true for his daughter, Brielle, said Shain Jordan.

But Reagan, age 9, and Brielle, 5, were able to get back to a school routine quickly — though in new quarters — after the center’s building was destroyed by the tornado.

That response brought praise Wednesday from Gov. Jay Nixon when he toured autism center classrooms located in temporary quarters at The Bridge, a Joplin youth center. Nixon was there to praise the center’s quick response after the tornado, and to highlight the effects of a new state law that is expanding the number of youngsters who are able to get the services of the center.

Nixon said the center’s staff had “overcome extreme challenges to continue to deliver care for clients,” including numbers that have expanded since a law was enacted last year requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.



IN STRIDE

The autism center was one of eight Freeman Health System buildings damaged or destroyed by the tornado, but services weren’t delayed for long, Nixon said.

“They hit the ground running, because a gap in treatment means steps backward,” he said.

The center returned to offering services to its clients the Wednesday after the Sunday tornado, and it had classes back in session soon after that, said Paula Baker, chief clinical officer for Freeman Health System and supervisor of programming for the autism center.

Jordan, of Goodman, said the weeklong break before Brielle was able to return to class “was like a regular vacation.”

“If it had been any more than a week, we’d have been dealing with a lot of issues,” he said. “But they were able to start right back. At the old school, as soon as we turned the corner to go there, she’d start grinning. That hasn’t changed here.”

Dillard said daughter Reagan spent three weeks in a program at Carterville Christian Church, where she received all the Ozark Center services, before she returned to classes at The Bridge.

“They jumped in and maintained everything, and she continued to progress,” she said. “The Bridge was kind of a change, but once she figured out that’s where her classroom and her friends were, it didn’t faze her.”



COVERAGE FOR 26

Nixon, along with Baker and Gary Duncan, Freeman’s chief executive officer, toured the autism center classrooms at The Bridge, and spoke with children and staff members.

Baker called Nixon “a champion” for his role in the new law that brought about insurance coverage as of Jan. 1 for patients with the disorder. The law requires insurance companies to provide coverage of up to $40,000 per year for applied behavioral analysis, which has been shown to be one of the most effective ways of treating autism spectrum disorders, she said.

Insurance coverage is paying for services for 26 clients, Nixon said. The center, which has hired seven additional staff members since January, serves nearly 50 via services at the school or in-home services.

Classes are housed in 2,000 square feet of rented space at The Bridge. Quarters will be expanded to 10,000 square feet with a move to a new, temporary building at 32nd Street and Indiana Avenue that is to be opened by Nov. 1. Duncan said that site will be used until construction a new building that will be a state-of-the-art autism school based on the Cleveland Clinic model.



Services

THE OZARK CENTER FOR AUTISM’S services include a preschool, accredited classrooms for kindergarten through grade 12, diagnostic services, in-home services and support groups.