The Developmental Disabilities Program is a unique and highly specialized clinical service for children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 22 years who show signs of serious emotional and behavioral problems in addition to a developmental disability, such as autism or mental retardation. The program offers a variety of clinical services including: Inpatient, Day patient, Residential, Home-based, Outpatient care and Research. The program's staff is highly experienced and professionally trained in the area of developmental disabilities and psychiatric disorders. The Developmental Disabilities Program's model of care emphasizes family involvement as well as continuity of care across its various treatment settings. Regardless of where a patient is transferred within the program (inpatient, day, residential, home-based or outpatient), the treatment team remains unchanged. Patients and their families keep the same doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists and teachers. The continuum of care model results in a seamless transition of patients across treatment settings. We believe that continuity of care is critical to effective treatment and that it is among the key factors responsible for producing favorable treatment outcomes.

The goal of the Office of Special Populations is to ensure that children with diverse learning needs are provided equal access to a public education and that schools develop effective strategies for meeting the needs of these unique learners.