History

In 1979, Mecklenburg Autistic Group Homes, Inc. (MAGH) opened one of the nation's first group homes specifically designed for people with autism.  The Park Road Group Home was originally licensed as a group home for Developmentally Disabled Adults (DDA). In 1982, Park Road became the first group home in Mecklenburg County, and one of the first in North Carolina, to be certified as an Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR).

Since that time, the Park Road Group Home has been replaced and seven new homes have been opened. Most recently, the organization acquired an ICF/MR group home for adults with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

In 1997, MAGH was approved to provide Medicaid services for children and adults under the Community Alternatives Program (CAP). These services are provided in the individual’s own home, place of employment, and the community. With the addition of these “Community Services”, MAGH was renamed Autism Services of Mecklenburg County (ASMC). ASMC is currently endorsed to provide services in Mecklenburg and the eight other Counties comprising Piedmont Area Behavioral Healthcare and Pathways.

In 2007, ASMC opened an After School Program for children with Autism and other developmental disabilities at the Metro School in Uptown Charlotte. This program serves children aged 5-21 and is licensed by the NC Division of Health Service Regulation.

Recently, Autism Services (ASMC) has begun operating a Day Activities Program. Utilizing the assistance and guidance of vocational coaches, participants learn job skills and operate individual service businesses such as laundry, vending machines, and seasonal gift baskets.

In 2008, Autism Services opened a new office in Gastonia in order to expand Community Services to Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland counties.