SHAMOKIN DAM, Pa. — The new Mission Autism Clinic near Shamokin Dam will offer services to area children with autism.
"We're super excited to bring these services to the Shamokin Dam area. We noticed there was a need for these services in the more rural counties of Pennsylvania," said Paul DeAngelo, the CEO of Mission Autism Clinics.
"We have two different programs. We have a comprehensive program that is for kids that are a little bit younger and have a need for some skill development, and then we have a focused program which is our after-school program. That is for kids that have a specific area that they want to focus on," said Karen Wert, a head clinician at the Shamokin Dam location.
This Mission Autism Clinic, or MAC for short, is the fourth one to open in the state since last June.
Karen Wert has been doing in-home work with kids with autism for nearly 20 years, and she is excited to start work at the new clinic.
"It is really exciting to be able to see the personality behind their eyes and then help them to be able to engage with their environment, which is something kids with autism struggle with," said Wert.
According to employees, the clinic can take on about 30 kids at one time. So far, two families have already signed up for the clinic's services.
"They are working on getting their assessments done, and they are super excited to have a facility like this that is close to them, and they don't need to travel very far to get quality services," said DeAngelo.
The Mission Autism Clinic is currently hiring people who specialize in working with kids with autism. If interested, you can contact the clinic directly.