MHMRA of Harris County - Annual Report Fiscal 2013-2014 | Page 13

In addition, people with autism
often have abnormal responses to
sounds, touch, and/or other sensory
stimulation.” 6

of her diagnosis, Eileen believed that
there were no negative consequences
for her behavior, and the behavior
persisted.

As a little girl, Eileen was bullied
in school. Her adaptive and social
skills were delayed. She also began
to evidence behavior problems that
included lying, stealing, changing
labels on prescription bottles, and
behavior outbursts. Later on, she
developed a compulsion to physically
pick up children and individuals of
small stature. Every day she set a
goal to pick up a certain number of
individuals, which took most of her
time and energy throughout the day.
She also struggled with patience when
among peers who spoke slowly or
stuttered. Her response to this was to
rush others to speak with gestures and
verbal prompts.

In April 2013 she was admitted to
the Dual Diagnosis Services (DDS)
of the Specialized Therapies and
Rehabilitative Services (STARS) Clinic.
She came to the DDS program to
reduce what she called “an addiction”
to physically picking up children. In
addition, she had been hospitalized
for depression and attempting suicide
three times within a period of five
years.

Her peers from the Coffee House, an
MHMRA program to assist individuals
with Asperger’s in addressing their
ability to socially interact with others,
reported that Eileen’s behavior made
them feel uncomfortable. As a result
of her behavior, Eileen was banned
from certain establishments in her
community such as the children’s
section of the local book store and the
daycare of her church. She admitted
to going to the parks and strategically
physically picking up individuals after
engaging the parents in conversation.
Because of this she had brief encounters
with the law due to complaints over
her behavior. However, because she
was never arrested, often times because

The beginning of her journey in the
DDS program was bumpy, as she had
difficulty seeing the perspective of
others and tended to care most about
her own needs. Because her IQ falls
in the “normal” range, talk therapy
was challenging. She was unable to
understand why the behavior was
unacceptable when she found it
pleasing. Eileen’s treatment required a
team effort and a number of protocols
to help her manage her compulsions.
Shortly after biting a staff member
resulting in Eileen’s last hospitalization
in September 2013, Eileen’s psychiatric
medication was changed, which
resulted in a turning point for her.
After returning home from the
hospital’s strict boundaries and close
monitoring, Eileen was motivated
to return to the DDS program and
committed herself to working towards
attaining “a life like others”.

The treatment team was reassembled
and therapy began with a combination
of psychotherapy, applied behavior
analysis, psychiatric care, and psychoeducation provided by the DDS
Clinical Team. She worked very
intensely with the psychologist who
provided Systematic Desensitization,
a form of cognitive therapy, increasing
her ability to manage her urges when
exposed to children and individuals
smaller in stature.
After a few months, Eileen had showed
a tremendous amount of progress.
She currently attends college and
volunteers at the American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Her family is beginning to trust her
again. She was invited to a family event
during the previous holiday season
and was able to successfully manage
her behavior. Although her journey
is not over, she is still working on
improving her verbal expression and
anger management.
To this day, Eileen maintains her
commitment towards therapeutic selfgrowth by attending regular sessions at
the ST IL