CHS Breaks Ground for New Therapy Center for Families Navigating Autism

Center For Human Services broke ground Friday afternoon for their new state-of-the-art therapy center for Limitless Life Solutions.

This ground breaking reflects expanded services, enhanced care, and a renewed commitment to meeting the growing needs of our community.

In 2023, Center for Human Services started Clinical Behavioral Services in Pettis County to solve a critical need through one-on-one Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) for families navigating autism and other diagnoses requiring supports to improve communication and challenging behavior.

CHS CEO David Kramer spoke with KSIS immediately after the brief ceremony.

“I was overwhelmed and humbled by the crowd.It was absolutely amazing,” Kramer said, adding that the project ois expected to be completed by mid-winter of 2026.

There is a real need for a local autism center for those needing those services, rather than driving to Kansas City or other faraway places for appointments, for instance.

“If you can imagine that you have a family member locally who has a son or daughter with autisim, and being cooped up in a car for an hour-and-a-half, or two-hour drive for therapies that might happen every single day, that's just not the way to support somebody with autism,” Kramer said.

“So have a local therapy center is just life changing for those familes,” he noted, adding that the new center will serve three or four counties.

But the CHS does provide other services to 11 counties in five school districts overall.

When asked is he was excited to get the project underway, Kramer said that he was more excited for his team.

“You're talking about a team who's been working out of borrowed space for the last two years, including my office, which has been turned into a therapy classroom. So personally, I am excited about getting my office back, but really for my team, I am so excited that they are able to work out of a state-of-the-art center,” Kramer told KSIS.

In a few short years, the team, led by Board-Certified Behavior Analyst Kayla Holland-Orell, has grown from one to nearly 50 team members. They are currently at capacity, and the waitlist for services has nearly doubled in this region. This growing trend is a sample of what is occurring throughout Missouri.

CHS has discovered the unmet need is both a rural and urban issue, with families lacking the early intervention services they need. While our goal is a massive effort, we intend for Limitless Life Solutions to provide solutions wherever supports are needed.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data showing that 1 in 31 children in the United States is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), an increase from the previous estimate of 1 in 36. It is absolutely critical for those faced with communication and behavioral challenges to receive the early intervention and training they need to prevent greater challenges as adults, the CHS said.

In response to the growing demand for these services in our region and beyond, CHS is adding a new therapy center at its headquarters in Sedalia, allowing them to better meet the needs of those we serve and continue delivering life-changing support. While ABA is most well-known for supporting individuals with autism, it can be applied to a wide range of challenges and populations, and the CHA sees great growth opportunities in school districts, businesses and more.

The new space will include a waiting room, small and large therapy rooms, classrooms, offices, an outdoor play area and dedicated parking.