Straith Hospital in Southfield has opened a specialized pediatric behavioral health unit that is designed to serve children and adolescents with profound autism and severe behavioral challenges.
An independent nonprofit, Straith Hospital offers behavioral health, surgical, inpatient rehabilitation, and orthopedics services.
The new 16,630-square-foot Straith Behavioral Health unit is designed to deliver safe, compassionate, and effective integrated care, providing behavior analysis and psychiatric and medical services in one place, according to hospital officials.
The new unit holds 12 inpatient beds with 24/7 care, and the length of stay is individualized and based on each child’s unique needs and progress.
The program works closely with care coordinators and clinical partners to regularly review treatment and support a timely, safe transition to the next level of care when appropriate. In addition, a comprehensive outpatient day program is offered six to eight hours a day, five days a week.
Straith Behavioral Health was established to address a critical gap in care for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and complex behavioral needs who have had limited success in traditional outpatient services.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects approximately one in 31 children in the United States, and many individuals require more intensive, coordinated support to remain safely engaged in their homes, schools, and communities.
In Michigan, there are limited programs that offer care beyond in-the-moment stabilization, resulting in long waiting lists and emergency room placements that are not designed to identify or address underlying causes of the severe behavior, according to Straith.
Such programs translate “to more costly, frequent, and inappropriate hospitalizations, delays in receiving critical behavioral support, and out-of-state placements, which are difficult on families.”
Straith Behavioral Health’s Severe Behavior Program brings together a multidisciplinary, hospital-based team, including applied behavior analysis, nursing, psychiatry, medical services, and social work, to deliver trauma-informed, individualized care across inpatient and outpatient levels.
The integrated approach allows the team to address behavioral and medical needs simultaneously while supporting safe transitions to the next level of care.
“Our goal is to improve children’s quality of life and build meaningful, functional skills that support long-term success,” says Karoline Kenville, executive director of Straith Behavioral Health.
“Caregiver collaboration, education, and training are central to our model. From the point of admission, our team works intentionally toward discharge (by) focusing on continuity of care and transition plans that support each child’s return to home, school and community settings.”
Straith Behavioral Health features:
- Medical offerings, including psychological evaluations, psychiatric services, medication management, feeding and nutritional services, and dental and pediatric evaluations.
- Therapeutic offerings, including applied behavior analysis, speech and language services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work services, and family training and school consultation.
- An environment carefully structured to reduce unnecessary stimulation, manage risk and support consistency, predictability, and engagement during treatment.
- Treatment rooms structured to safely manage high-acuity behaviors while promoting learning, regulation, and skill development.
- Therapeutic treatment rooms designed to sustain and support intervention during severe behavioral episodes, allowing staff to prioritize safety, dignity, and clinical effectiveness.
- Dedicated observation rooms that allow clinicians to accurately assess behavior and treatment response in real time, supporting precise, data-driven decision-making and individualized care.
Straith Behavioral Health’s multidisciplinary team will use data-based applied behavior analysis to address underlying causes and teach adaptative skills to replace and reduce severe challenging behavior.
Applied behavior therapy can help promote independence and improve socialization, self-advocacy. and other developmental milestones. Any individual who completes the inpatient program will transition to outpatient care and Straith’s continuing care program.
“Straith Hospital’s program will bridge a critical gap in Michigan’s continuum of care by combining intensive behavioral treatment with inpatient medical and psychiatric services to reduce reliance on emergency services,” says Brad Bescoe, CEO of Straith Hospital. “We are proud to help empower families and foster an environment where children living with these challenges can thrive, reach their full potential, and remain closer to home.”
Straith Behavioral Health was made possible by a $19.1 million grant from the Michigan Health and Hospital Association in 2023. The nonprofit collaborates with The Autism Alliance of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Oakland University, Rutgers University, and other national partners.
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