The Anderson Center for Autism (ACA), located in Staatsburg in Dutchess County, has been marking the 100th anniversary of its founding this year with a variety of events and initiatives. The institution started out as a small-scale experiment in integrative special education, founded in 1924 on an estate called Mansewood by Dr. Victor V. Anderson, a psychiatrist then working in human resources at Macy’s department store in New York City.
Beginning with one-on-one therapy for a single student, at first the Anderson School took on youngsters with a wide variety of psychological, cognitive and learning problems. The word autism, coined by a Swiss psychiatrist in 1911, wasn’t even in common use back then.
“In the 1920s, they probably didn’t have diagnoses. Typically, they were children of wealthy families who were struggling,” said Eliza Bozenski, chief development officer at the Anderson Foundation for Autism, as she and Dr. Tina Covington, chief operating officer for the ACA, kicked off a press tour of the campus with a look at a historical exhibit in the Spruces administration building. “From the 1950s to the 1970s, most of our students had learning disabilities. It was such a mishmash of diagnoses.”
It was not until 1977 that the Anderson School opened its first group home for three children with autism, Midwood Cottage. The 100+-acre campus was sold by the Anderson family in 1981, and the new owner, Dominic Giambona, turned the facility into a not-for-profit organization. Services gradually became more geared toward students on the autism spectrum; by 2006 the school had fully specialized and changed its name to the Anderson Center for Autism.
It is now considered a leader in its field, providing educational, vocational, residential and clinical services to more than 500 autistic individuals each year. Anderson Center International (ACI) hosts scholars from around the globe to study state-of-the-art integrative therapeutic approaches for people on the severe end of the spectrum; and the Anderson Center for Consulting and Training (ACCT) offers services to municipalities and businesses to help them become more autism-supportive. “Small adjustments can make a world of difference,” Bozenski noted.
Over the course of the institution’s history, of course, ways of viewing, labeling, discussing and treating autism have changed radically. The number of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has also increased “exponentially” in recent years: one person in 36 in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It’s unclear whether this “prevalence” reflects frequency of occurrence or merely fewer cases going under the radar.
The causes of autism are thought to be predominantly genetic, with some possible environmental factors. It should be noted that a 1998 study that cast suspicion on vaccines as a possible trigger has been quite thoroughly debunked and retracted by its author, and an earlier psychoanalytic hypothesis that “refrigerator mothers” were at fault has also been rejected by the mental health profession.
“We’ve seen increases,” Covington affirmed. “There seem to be three things affecting the numbers. First, the DSM [the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] changed the diagnoses, made it a spectrum. There’s more awareness, and also better screening tools.” Bozenski added a fourth variable: “Advocacy on the part of parents. There has been a huge shift in awareness, and less stigma than there used to be.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely been encountering the concept of “neurodiversity” a great deal in the past couple of decades. It’s a newish way of looking at people on the autism and ADHD spectrums, advanced by such people themselves, as differently abled rather than disabled. “We may think and experience life differently from the average person,” goes the argument, “but that doesn’t mean that we need to be ‘fixed’ or ‘cured.’ We have strengths and plenty to contribute to the world.”
To some degree, many argue, the world should be adapting to people with autism, instead of them having to do all the work of adapting to the world. What appear to be improvements in coping, fostered by the medical model, may sometimes actually be more competent “masking” for the public, which can lead to increased anxiety and depression. Autism advocates speak of the “double empathy problem,” challenging the long-held notion among psychologists that people on the spectrum are empathy-impaired and suggesting that difficulties in communication with allistic or “neurotypical” people result from a lack of understanding on both sides.
Such discussions are beginning to have an impact. Social institutions, including some businesses, have responded with a desire to be more cooperative, such as movie theaters hosting screenings that are friendlier to people with heightened sensitivities to noise and other sensory stimuli. In a broader sense, neurotypical people are becoming more aware that some folks in their social and business circles are on the spectrum, and that it may take a little more effort and education on all our parts to connect with them in ways where everyone’s contribution is valued and optimized. Covington described public perception as gradually progressing from “awareness to acceptance to appreciation.”
This normalization of neurodivergence has its limitations, however. People on the highly functional end of autism – notably those with what used to be called Asperger’s syndrome, until the publication of DSM-5 in 2013 – can and often do thrive in society without any sorts of interventions or structured support. But there are also many who are much more profoundly affected, to the point where they cannot find employment or take care of themselves. For people with severe autism, there still need to be institutions that will provide support, safety, counseling and education, integrating them into the world to the best of their capacity. “Some people need 24-hour care,” Bozenski noted.
While there is now some controversy about the appropriateness of its use with people with mild forms of autism, the standard evidence-based therapeutic model for people whose autism is incapacitating is applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA is goal-focused, employing positive reinforcement techniques with the intent of helping people with severe autism become more independent. It’s the approach adopted by most modern support centers in the field, including ACA.
“To optimize the quality of life for individuals with autism” is the Center’s stated mission. “Our goal is to teach people to be as independent, as autonomous as possible,” Covington told HV1.
With the exception of 14 day visitors from local school districts, most of ACA’s students are residential, and the way that classrooms, dormitories and supplemental facilities provide a holistic support system for these 148 youngsters becomes obvious on our campus tour. The 24 classrooms are designed to serve six students each, with a high staffing ratio of one teacher and several aides. Equipment is tailored to the needs of the students in each group.
We visited one classroom where all the students are nonverbal, and each has a specialized electronic speech device that helps them communicate (iPads are a no-no, since their built-in cameras could be inadvertently used in a nonconsensual way that might compromise students’ privacy). Bright colors, pictures, a variety of sensory/motor toys and flexible seating all help create a supportive learning environment.
Separate buildings house spaces for athletics, art, music, occupational and speech therapy, even a pool, as well as providing places for afterschool socializing, and there’s a medical facility as well. Extracurricular activities include teams, clubs, field trips, campus publications, bands, art exhibits, community volunteerism and participation in Special Olympics.
The 17 on-campus residences are laid out like modern college dormitory suites, with a private bedroom for each student and common spaces where they gather for recreation. Household chores are shared, according to the capacity of each individual. Higher-functioning students prepare group meals in some residences, and a cafeteria serves the needs of all, with individualized diet plans that address the myriad food sensitivities and intolerances common among people on the spectrum.
Vocational training, as appropriate, is also part of the curriculum at ACA. The Anderson Center Consulting & Training arm has trained more than 75 local businesses in becoming autism-supportive environments. ACA’s adult residential program for graduates consists of 25 group homes, called Individual Residential Alternatives, throughout the Hudson Valley. The residents receive ongoing services, including vocational placement, Lifelong Learning program memberships and athletic teams. Families of ACA students stay engaged through a group called Anderson Family Partners, which meets monthly.
The school also invests a great deal of energy into professional development for its staff of more than 900 people and is always on the lookout for new recruits; the career portal is online at www.andersoncenterforautism.org/careers. ACA has established relationships with Marist College, Mount Saint Mary College, Dutchess Community College, SUNY Empire State College, SUNY New Paltz and Vassar College to help train the next generation of special education professionals.
One of the milestones of this centennial year was a new Anderson Foundation for Autism initiative to make subgrants; a $6,000 grant to Albany-based Bring on the Spectrum will fund a program for high school students aspiring to build careers that support autistic and neurodivergent individuals. Anderson expanded its services to the Capital Region in 2021 with the opening of Anderson Center Clinic and Anderson Early Learning Academy in Latham. There are also Anderson Early Learning Academy locations in Pine Plains and Mt. Marion.
Other centennial year activities included archival research to create on-campus historical displays, a Founder’s Day event and a September Gala that honored former trustee Vance Gage, Victor V. Anderson’s grandson. The Foundation also gave special recognition at a November 14 reception to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for its commitment to making travel less overwhelming for people on the autism spectrum. Recently, ACCT consulted with Newark Airport to create a first-of-its-kind Sensory Room at Terminal A.
Looking forward, ACA will continue with the next step in its five-year strategic plan: a capital campaign for the renovation of Dellinwood, a historic 11,000-square-foot carriage house on the campus that has a view overlooking the Hudson River. Groundbreaking is planned for the summer of 2025. The building will serve as a training facility, enabling expansion of the ACI to host more international scholars.
“We’re stepping into the next century,” Bozenski said. “We’re extremely proud of our 100 years of being a resource for families in the Hudson Valley and beyond, and we’re dedicated to continuing that.”
To learn more about the Anderson Center for Autism and its affiliated programs, visit www.andersoncenterforautism.org.