Clinic for autistic kids shut its doors

An Arkansas Children’s Hospital clinic specializing in the treatment of autism patients closed last week because its director is moving to a job out of state, a hospital spokesman has confirmed.

Dr. Richard Frye, director of the Autism Multispecialty Clinic at Children’s Hospital, has taken a position in Arizona, said Hilary DeMillo, a hospital spokesman. The clinic, which had been available once a week, held its final appointments last week with no others scheduled, though other services will be available to affected patients, she said.

“Most of these kids will have concerns that will be addressed on our campus,” DeMillo said. “We will be looking at each individual patient’s care and develop a plan based on their needs. They will see specialists on the Children’s Hospital campus.

“We’re really taking steps to make sure individuals have the best care plans,” she said. “It won’t be a blanket approach.”

Letters were sent out late last week to the families of the clinic’s patients, notifying them of the change. She didn’t know how many letters were mailed or the number of children who are regular patients at the clinic, many of whom are from out of state, DeMillo said. Frye didn’t see adults as patients, she said.

The UAMS Dennis Developmental Center and the UAMS Child Study Center, both University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences programs, are on the Children’s Hospital campus and focus on child developmental and psychiatric services, DeMillo said. The hospital will also work with patients’ primary care physicians and therapists for continued treatment plans, she said.

“We are going to do what’s right for each child,” she said. “We will continue to have comprehensive care for them on the Children’s Hospital campus. If they are wanting to come in to see us, we will make sure that opportunity is available, but we will also work with the primary care provider to do what is best for that particular child.”