New autism resource in Augusta: ABLE Kids opens fun, educational clinic downtown

Downtown Augusta has a new business, and this one addresses a very important cause in the community.

ABLE Kids cut the ribbon on its new downtown Augusta clinic Thursday morning, offering fun and educational activities for children ages 2-6 who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Inside, each room is a little bit different. Some of the highlights include an indoor playground, a space-themed sensory room, a calming corner with a cushy seating area, and a fun gross-motor room featuring a small indoor trampoline.

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ABLE Kids Founder Allan Soto, who also owns Pineapple Ink Tavern downtown, explained how the clinic serves to provide children with early intensive intervention including applied behavior analysis therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

"We're basically preparing them to enter the school system," he said. "We want them to have all the different coping mechanisms and be able to deal with the stressors and the stimulus that they're going to encounter."

Kids are normally at the clinic 32-40 hours per week Monday-Friday. The clinic also addresses parents' needs through monthly family trainings and connecting them with other resources.

When the kids are finished at the clinic and ready to move on, ABLE marks the occasion with a graduation ceremony complete with caps and gowns. Soto said many of their graduates have been able to move into neurotypical classroom settings with no special education components except for an occasional check-in.

ABLE's board certified behavior analyst executive director Mattavia Smalls recalled one little girl she helped achieve that goal.

"She was non-verbal, not potty trained, not interacting with her peers," Smalls said. "She graduated a year ago. She's now in a neurotypical classroom with minimal supporting. They pull her out maybe once to do some math, but outside of that, she's doing amazing. She's playing with her peers, going up to them and asking them to play. Fully potty-trained. She's really doing great."

The downtown clinic is located at 702 Broad St. But, it's already booked up However, ABLE does have more than a dozen other clinics across Georgia and South Carolina, including multiple around the Augusta area. For more information, go to ablekids.com .

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: New autism resource in Augusta: ABLE Kids opens fun, educational clinic downtown