The Steiner Family's Story
Double Success: Twins Achieve with BHRS
Twins Mason and Braden Steiner had tantrums and struggled to communicate more than most two-year-olds. For help dealing with the behavior problems, their parents turned to the Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS) at Barber Behavioral Health Institute.
The boys were diagnosed with autism when they were 16 months old and were getting ready to transition out of early intervention services when they first met Dr. Jennifer Musolff, their new behavior specialist consultant. She worked with the twins’ parents to develop strategies for changing problem behaviors. Their therapeutic staff support (TSS) would then work with the boys and their parents several days every week to implement the plan.
Kara Steiner said that their family began to see changes very quickly.
“A lot of what we learned was about how to interact with the boys and come up with solutions to behavior issues,” said Kara. “They gave us a lot of ideas.”
Many of the problems the twins were experiencing were caused by not being able to communicate feelings or needs. They began using Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) books to express themselves with pictures of things such as common foods and toys, as well as drawings to convey what they were feeling.
Today, Braden is attending third grade in a fully inclusive classroom with supports. Mason is attending the Elizabeth Lee Black School where he is also now talking, able to verbally express what he needs and his feelings, and learning to read.
“It has been a 180 – degree turnaround,” said Kara.
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