Pathways-Autism Program

The Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center at Shawnee Mission Medical Center has served children with special needs in the Kansas City community since 1972. The Britain Center offers a unique program that involves parents in the process of therapeutic treatment and education. Young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have unique educational and therapeutic needs which we hope to address in our new “Pathways” Program which will begin in August of 2009.

About the “Pathways” Program

This intensive, highly specialized program is for children ages two to five years, who are not yet in Kindergarten, who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or display characteristics of ASD. Interventions that will be utilized in this program include: 

• Speech-Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Sensory Integration Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Aquatic Therapy
• Feeding Therapy
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Floortime/DIR Method
• TEAACH Method
• Integrated Listening Program
• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
• Total Communication

Staff

The program will be staffed by an Early Childhood Special Educator who is also a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), a Speech-Language Pathologist with training in ASD, an Occupational Therapist who also has a master’s degree in ASD, and paraprofessionals with training in ASD. Support staff will include: a Physical Therapist, a Music Therapist, and volunteers.

Program Details

An individual program will be developed for each of the five children in the program. We will utilize the STAR Autism Program, a research-based ABA Curriculum, which utilizes discrete trial training, pivotal response training and functional routines as well as speech-language and occupational therapies.  Additionally children will receive individual and group music therapy, group physical and aquatic therapies. Parents will be involved in all aspects of the program. The program will be in session Monday through Friday for three hours each morning.  

Program Cost

The “Pathways” program will begin in mid-August of 2009 and will operate through July of 2010. We will close for various holidays and breaks throughout the school year. Parents will be asked to sign a year long contract at a cost of $26,000. This cost may be reduced by insurance reimbursement for speech and occupational therapies, if applicable as well as scholarship funds, which will be determined on an individual basis. 

For additional information, please contact Amy Milroy, Director, at 913-676-2253 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .