ROBINSON, Texas — Erica Strickland-Etheredge and other staffers work around the clock to help nearly 100 special needs clients of all ages and their families at Focus Behavioral Associates in Robinson.
"It allows them the opportunity to be involved and everyone should be they have the right to be," Strickland-Etheredge said.
Special needs clients are seen at the facility if they are struggling to get by in social or public settings like at school, the grocery store or the movie theater.
"It's really important that their quality of life is as good as it can be and with their families. We see a lot of families that stop going out to dinner and they stop going places because behaviors can be so rough," Strickland-Etheredge said.
Through different techniques like visiting the problem place with therapists, extensive communication, positive reinforcement and more, staffers are able to help their clients become more comfortable with the world around them.
"Just seeing their quality of life change, their communication skills increase, their challenging behaviors decrease I was like, 'Wow this is great," Strickland-Etheredge said.
The experts also work with others in the community including local businesses and first responders. This is to teach them how to be accommodating in a professional setting.
"They didn't realize how some of the individuals with developmental disabilities respond. It's very similar to somebody that might be on some type of drug or maybe drunk so you have some erratic behavior when they're lost or confused or around someone they don't know or trust," Strickland-Etheredge said.
They are hopeful their services help everyone be more understanding and accepting while allowing their clients to live a more happy and healthy life.
The facility also offers job training to children 14 and older.
If you know of someone Emani Payne should spotlight in the future, you can email her at epayne@kcentv.com.
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