"A Commitment to Excellence Since 1984"
A CARF-Accredited Health Care Facility
Serving the Triangle Area and Beyond
"A Commitment to Excellence Since 1984"
A CARF-Accredited Health Care Facility
Serving the Triangle Area and Beyond
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About Us
Autism Services, Incorporated is a private, nonprofit organization which serves adults and children with a primary diagnosis of autism or other intellectual disability in their home or other residential settings. Our goal is to assist each client to live a life of dignity in the least restrictive environment possible.
Our Company
Our Mission
The purpose of ASI is to assist each participant to live a life of dignity in the least restrictive environment. Programming is provided based on the developmental needs of each person and focuses on the achievement of his/her highest social, intellectual, physical, and vocational potential. The ultimate goal for each is to acquire those skills that will enable the individual to function as independently as possible and to live in the least restrictive environment that is appropriate.
The Importance of Accreditation
In 2010, North Carolina became one of a handful of states that mandated national accreditation for health care facilities. Accreditation is important for several reasons; 1) government funding agencies such as Medicare and Medicaid want the assurance that government funds are being spent on the most effective and efficient programs and that financial waste is eliminated; 2) Accreditation assures that professional staff and caregivers are knowledgeable and competent and capable of meeting the challenges of change that are occurring in the delivery of health care services; and 3) for families seeking care for their autistic members, accreditation provides an added measure of confidence, much like the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.” ASI is proud of its accreditation from CARF, and we wear it proudly as another indication of our commitment to excellence in serving men and women with autism.
ASI Leadership and Management
Policies and procedures governing ASI are set by a volunteer, unpaid board of directors, many of whom were founding members of the organization and who have provided continuous service through the years. The knowledge and institutional memory of these long-serving board members are augmented by new members who periodically are welcomed onto the board to assure that new ideas and fresh approaches will keep ASI on the “cutting edge” of best practices in the care of those entrusted to us.
ASI policies and procedures are implemented by a team of professionals and a loyal staff of caregivers who provide the hands on care in ASI group homes throughout its service area, as well the in-home care that also is a key part of ASI’s services.
Board of Directors
Arnold Schechter, President
Chris Brady, Vice President
Wyatt Buckingham, Treasurer
Curtis Bass, Secretary
Chris Niver, Board Member
Susan Daly, Board Member
Herb Campbell, Board Member
Neely Hukill, Board Member
Grace Rowlson, Board Member
Knicole Emanuel, Board Member
Our Story
Who We Are
Autism Services Inc., (ASI) was organized in 1984 by the parents of autistic sons and daughters and a few professionals to serve the then unaddressed needs of high functioning autistic adults and their families. In early 1985, ASI opened its first group home and hired a small staff, headed by Curtis Bass, who in 2013, completed a 30-year tenure at ASI.
Autism is one of the most challenging conditions affecting people. For decades it was poorly understood and often confused with a wide variety of mental disorders that often produced symptoms similar to those affecting persons with autism.
Autism is medically defined as a developmental disorder that appears by age three and that is variable in expression but is recognized and diagnosed by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by impairment of the ability to communicate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns, especially exhibited by a preoccupation with repetitive activities of restricted focus rather than with flexible and imaginative ones. In reality, autism exhibits a spectrum of behavioral characteristics that do not fit neatly into any simple definition.
From the outset, ASI has reached out to and served autistic adults not served by any other organization in the Research Triangle Area of North Carolina. Its mission is threefold: l) to provide community-based homes and programs for autistic adults and children and adolescents; 2) to transition autistic adults from intermediate care facilities (ICFs) and other institutions to more independent living arrangements and 3) to prelude the need to institutionalize adults for whom more independent arrangements are appropriate.
ASI is proud of its success in carrying out its historic mission while adapting to the changes required to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving health care system. Today, ASI remains the only organization in its primary service area committed to serving high functioning adults and their families in addition to individuals with a myriad of other developmental disabilities.
What is Autism?
Autism is a severe, lifelong developmental disability which impairs an individual's ability to develop appropriate language, establish meaningful interpersonal relationships, learn basic social skills and control their behavior. While many persons with autism have other intellectual disabilities, 25% to 40% function in the normal range of intelligence. However, all persons with autism are capable of learning if given appropriate instruction.
Autism occurs in approximately 1 out of every 150 births and usually appears during the first three years of life. Autism is four times more common in males than females and has been found throughout the world in families of all racial, ethnic, and social backgrounds.
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