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Albuquerque Journal A SPECIAL CROP Mandy's Farm will provide shelter, routine for young women with autism The idea behind Mandy's Special Farm is to create a place where young women with autism - who likely will never live independently - can grow old together. The million-dollar home was built for the special needs of women with autism, said Ruthie Horn Robbins, chief executive officer of the home and the mother of Mandy, who has autism. Robbins hopes to attract young women who can get along well enough with each other to live together into their 80s. "If it works, it's a really good thing," Robbins said. "New things are really hard for them." Robbins said Mandy's Special Farm will open initially as a day program on Tuesday. Young autistic women who would benefit are in their late teens to early 20s. They need long-term care and lots of structure, and they function at a level that doesn't allow them to be in social situations without supervision. Applicants also must enjoy animals and a rural lifestyle. The farm will house up to six women. Nestled in the South Valley on 4.2 acres, the home will function as a working farm, so each woman has a hand in getting things done. It will have horses, chickens and goats and a plot for vegetables. It also offers an indoor swimming pool and an indoor trampoline for therapy. The Rotary del Sol Club has planted rows of dwarf fruit trees, Robbins said. The huge kitchen is designed so that each woman will have plenty of her own work space. According to the National Institutes of Health, autism is a brain disorder that causes people with it to appear indifferent and distant. Autism impairs the ability to communicate, but the degree of severity ranges from people who can function in the world to people who can't get along without help. People with autism aren't able to form emotional bonds, and they demand consistency in their environments, such as eating the same foods and following the same routines every day. To fit those needs, Robbins said the program will be very structured, as well as educational. She is planning to start with the day program so Mandy and the others who join will know "life is going on, just in a different place." They then will ease into living at the house. The home will be staffed with student-teachers from the University of New Mexico, such as speech/language pathologists and occupational therapists. "So it's not a brand new thing for teachers" when they begin their careers, Robbins said. She said Mandy, 17, speaks at the level of a 3- or 4 year-old and attends the Side-by-Side program at Madison Middle School. She communicates by icons. For example, if she sees an icon of a horse, she knows it is time for riding a horse. If she sees a swimmer, it's time for swimming. At McDonald's restaurant, she orders by handing the cashier an icon of whatever she wants to eat, such as chicken nuggets. Robbins said that when Mandy turned 12, she started to wonder "What's going to happen to this child?" She said she found an out-of state school but wasn't satisfied with the level of care there. She decided if an independent living home with full-time care was what Mandy needed, other young women probably needed the same. Robbins decided to start a nonprofit corporation in 1995 to raise money for the home. Robbins kicked in some money of her own, while raising about $800,000 by word of mouth. She and a friend also got family and friends involved in helping out. Robbins hasn't settled on a price for boarding and schooling the women, but sheis working on building an endowment fund. << Back to list of articles |
