New Doctor to the Central New York Area

Calling all parents/caretakers/teachers/therapists/etc. to children who have behavioral issues with their child (autism/ADHD/whatever...):

A new clinic is now open at the Upstate: the Family Behavior Analysis Clinic headed by Dr. Henry Roane.

Dr. Roane received his Ph.D. in 2000 from Louisiana State University in Psychology with an emphasis on the assessment and treatment of behavior disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities. He completed a pre-doctoral internship in pediatrics and psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

I had the chance to meet him and his wife, Heather, last week at a meet and greet luncheon sponsored by FEAT. His wife, also a part of the clinic, specializes in feeding issues. Dr. Roane does not refer to himself as an autism expert, but as a problem behavior specialist. His particular interest includes severe behaviors, in particular, self injury.

Dr. Roane presented some of his research to us, and it was very compelling. There was an overview of how the clinic runs, and he presented video of some of his work at his previous clinics. It appears that they first work with the family to get a description of the problem behaviors. They then bring the child into the clinic and attempt to bring out the behaviors using various possible antecedents. They have customized software that one of the clinicians uses to track various variables, such as the occurrences of problem behaviors, and other observables. The session is videorecodred. They analyze the data and then attempt a treatment plan. Their goal is to lessen the problem behaviors by 80% for each child - and according to the information he presented, he has been able to achieve that rate (and usually even better) for a majority of his patients. (I want to say 90% of his patients, but I am attempting to recall the presentation from memory and could be wrong.) Once the treatment plan has been tested for efficacy, it can then be documented for use in IEPs. The nice part of the program is that they teach family members how to use the techniques and give them the guidance they need to follow through.

Dr. Roane and his wife, also a clinician, have worked with some really tough cases. They provided pictures of patients who were self-injurious to the point of hospitalization (tantalizing to watch around lunchtime, eh?). One child had gouged his arm continually and the scars resembled that of a burn victim with grafting, another tore her retina (to the point of almost blindness), another client had pica and swallowed everything - he showed an X-ray in which the child had swallowed a safety pin that was closed, but opened while in the throat. These cases are so troubling for these families - and frequently insurance companies refuse coverage citing that it is not a medical condition. Dr. Roane has experience with handling insurance companies and school districts. In other words, he doesn't leave these families hanging with just a report and some ideas on how to manage. He appears to offer them the support they need beyond the treatment plan, with training, and help in resolving issues with IEP's and insurance companies. I do hope his work is as good as presented.

I cannot personally or anecdotally recommend him, but he seems to come with a very good reputation and good credentials. Hank had an aunt who was severely retarded and had self injurious behavior. His interest in the field began in college when taking a psychology course where they addressed such issues. I find that when people have a personal connection to an interest, they are just that much smarter and motivated about the issue.

The clinic officially opens in January, and they have begun a patient list already. For referrals please contact Kelly Martini at (315-464-3145). I am hoping this clinic can give hope to those parents who are struggling with issues with their babies. BTW - they handle ages 2-21.