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Autism center to bring services under one roof

By JENN WIANT - [email protected]

LAKE IN THE HILLS – The Brussels Center for Autism has been borrowing two rooms in a pediatric therapy center for two hours each evening. But that’s not enough space to serve its 450 members.

This weekend, the organization will move into a larger space of its own, increase its hours, and begin to expand services.

“We really didn’t think we would have a place of our own for 10 years,” said Annette Gallagher, president of Brussels Center for Autism.

“Here we are at three-and-a-half.”

Autism spectrum disorders affect about three to six of every 1,000 children in the United States, according to Mayo Clinic. The symptoms vary but often include problems with social interaction, communication and behavior.

The center will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday with tours, in­formation about services, and free food and beverages. Beginning Monday, the center will be open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The autism center will occupy the top floor of a former community center at the Oaks at Prairie Point condos in Lake in the Hills at 1300 Cunat Court. A large banquet room will serve as office space, a snack shop, a place for teens to play video games, a work area for tutoring, a support group meeting area, and a place where parents can find special food items and supplies for their autistic children. On weekends, members of the public can rent out the banquet room, Gallagher said.

The space also includes a kitchen, play areas, therapy and life skills rooms, a calming room, a tutoring room, and a fitness area.

“In essence we’ve created a mini little version of a country club for people with autism,” Gallagher said.

Community service organizations including Pioneer Center, the Adult and Child Rehab Center, the Special Education District of McHenry County, Options and Advocacy, and the Brussels Special Recreation Association will provide training and therapy for center members. Membership with the Brussels Center for Autism is free, and services are discounted, Gallagher said.

Two of Gallagher’s three sons have autism, so she knows how hard – and expensive – it can be to care for autistic children.

“What [parents] need more than anything is an extra pair of hands to help,” Gallagher said. “Everything we’re trying to do is going to simplify their lives and get them back to the state of feeling normal again, by bringing everything under one roof.”

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