Once Shunned. Блейк Пирс

autistic. And like many autistic people, he has serious problems with social and language skills. He was making great progress for a while, and the work program seemed to be doing him a world of good, really drawing him out of his shell.”

      With a sigh, Dr. Rhind added, “Then the night before last, the Public Works Department called to report that he’d gone missing. We were terribly worried, but he did show up here a couple of hours later. He apparently walked all the way back from wherever he’d been. But …”

      She squeezed her hands together worriedly and continued. “He’s had some kind of terrible setback. He was getting along so well, but now he’s returned to being completely uncommunicative. We had no idea why, although we seldom do know why with our autistic residents. Their progress is often touch and go, and we have to deal with our share of disappointments. But from what you’re saying, maybe his setback had something to do with …”

      Dr. Rhind looked deeply troubled now.

      She added, “I really can’t believe that Wesley would ever hurt anybody. He’s not at all prone to violence.”

      Jenn said, “We have no reason to think otherwise, Dr. Rhind.”

      Bill added, “But we do need to talk with him if it’s at all possible.”

      Dr. Rhind thought quietly for a moment.

      Then she said, “His mother is with him in his room. She’s been trying to help him through this setback. Let’s go see how she’s doing.”

      As Dr. Rhind led Riley and her four companions into the facility, Riley was surprised by her surroundings. She remembered all too well the last time she’d been to any kind of a care facility. It had been back in Mississippi when she, Bill, and Jenn had interviewed a man suffering from dementia.

      That had been a home for the elderly, and the place had made Riley distinctly uneasy. It had all felt fake somehow, and more like a funeral home than someplace where living people were actually cared for.

      But this place was entirely different.

      For one thing, the people in the hallways were of all different ages, ranging from children to the elderly. And many of faces the were happy faces. Several residents waved and smiled at Riley and her companions.

      Wait—are they residents or staff? Riley wondered.

      No one seemed to be wearing uniforms of any kind, so Riley couldn’t be sure she could tell residents from staff members.

      They passed by a comfortable sitting room where people sat around talking and playing board games and eating snacks, and a classroom where a small group of students took notes and listened attentively to their instructor.

      As they continued on past spacious apartment-style rooms, Riley said to Dr. Rhind …

      “I’m impressed. This seems more like a combination school and dormitory than a …”

      Riley stopped herself from finishing her sentence, but Dr. Rhind smiled broadly.

      “Don’t be afraid to say it,” she said to Riley. “You mean a mental institution.”

      Riley nodded, blushing a little.

      Dr. Rhind said, “We try not to treat our residents like … well, patients. Instead, we treat them as individuals, with their own problems, hopes, changes, challenges, abilities, limitations, and needs. We try to foster a feeling of family for residents and staff alike. This leads to positive networking and relationships that might last a lifetime, even after some of them leave here to live in the outside world. Our ‘alumni’ often come back to help others, to teach them valuable life skills and other lessons that they’ve learned. Above all else, we try to foster independence.”