Inpatient adult autism treatment that prepares patients for the road ahead.

Why families and professional referrals choose the New Directions Program.

Accreditation / Standard

 

Details

DNV Accreditation

New Directions at Nexus Children’s Hospital — DNV-accredited facility

ABA-Informed Programming

Behavior support plans written, monitored, and updated by BCBAs and RBTs

30+ Years in Specialty Care

Nexus Health Systems has provided specialty care for medically and behaviorally complex patients since 1992

24/7 Medical and Behavioral Oversight

Nursing and behavioral staff on-site around the clock

Transitional care for autistic patients in need of an inpatient setting as they reach adulthood.

Common transition challenges we address.

• Aging out of pediatric behavioral hospitals — Patients approaching 18 are discharged from facilities that can no longer legally or clinically serve them, often with no adult equivalent available.

• Psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF) not designed for adult outcomes — Many PRTFs focus on behavioral stabilization for minors, without the adult transition infrastructure (group home readiness, vocational skills, adult community integration) that a 19- or 20-year-old actually needs.

• Insurance changes at 18 and beyond — Medicaid and commercial coverage both shift at adulthood. Our team works with insurance verification and helps to navigate coverage transitions as part of every referral.
• No appropriate step-down to outpatient — For young adults with severe autism and significant medical or behavioral needs, outpatient services are rarely a safe or clinically appropriate discharge option. Waitlists for state-funded adult residential programs are often measured in years, leaving families with no viable option between inpatient discharge and informal family care. For patients who have been unsuccessfully placed before, our program focuses on understanding why prior placements didn’t hold and building the specific behavioral and functional skills needed to help make the next placement stable.

Diagnoses and co-occurring conditions we treat in young adults.

Young adult autism inpatient admissions criteria.

Frequently asked questions about inpatient young adult autism treatment.

• What ages does the young adult inpatient autism program serve?

  The New Directions Program serves young adults ages 18 and up with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and co-occurring neurodevelopmental or psychiatric conditions. Patients must require a level of behavioral and medical support that cannot be safely provided in outpatient or community settings.

• What does Level 3 ASD classification mean?

  Level 3 is the most severe designation on the autism spectrum under the DSM-5-TR classification system, indicating a person requires “very substantial support” due to severe deficits in social communication and highly restricted, repetitive behaviors that significantly impair daily functioning. Read more about behaviors and DSM-5 ASD classifications for severe autism.

• What are the long-term support needs for young adults with Level 3 autism?

  Most young adults with Level 3 autism require lifelong support across daily living, communication, medical care, and behavioral management. For those with co-occurring intellectual disability, independent living is rarely achievable without substantial structured assistance. Common long-term needs include supervised living arrangements, ongoing behavioral programming, AAC support, and regular psychiatric and medical oversight.

  Inpatient treatment like the New Directions Program addresses the acute piece: behavioral or psychiatric crises, functional skill building, and discharge preparation. Our team coordinates directly with group home providers, day programs, and state agencies as part of every transition plan.

  For patients who have experienced unsuccessful community or residential placements in the past, the program’s goal is to identify the behavioral and functional barriers that contributed to those breakdowns and address them directly so the next placement has a stronger foundation.

• What is the “service cliff” for young adults with autism?

  The “service cliff” refers to the point at which school-based supports, pediatric facilities, and Medicaid children’s programs all end at once, often leaving families without any equivalent adult placements. Facilities that specialize in minors cannot extend care past the age of 18. Residential programs designed for children and adolescents are rarely structured to support the shift to adult living, adult insurance, or adult community placement.

  Families navigating this transition are often simultaneously managing guardianship or supported decision-making arrangements, insurance coverage shifts, and the loss of school-based services.

• Why choose inpatient over outpatient treatment for severe autism in young adults?

  Outpatient services assume a patient can travel to appointments, tolerate transitions, regulate behavior in community settings, and generalize skills without daily clinical oversight. Young adults with Level 3 ASD are often unable to meet these minimum requirements and may need a higher level of support.

• Does the New Directions Program treat young adults with nonverbal autism?

  Yes. The New Directions Program has significant experience serving nonverbal and minimally verbal patients with autism spectrum disorder. Our speech-language pathology team assesses and supports each patient’s existing communication system — including AAC devices, PECS, and other non-speech methods — and behavior intervention plans are designed with communication as a core behavioral function. Patients do not need to be verbal to benefit from or participate in our program.

• What is ABA-informed treatment and how is it different from standard behavioral healthcare?

  ABA-informed means the program is structured and monitored by board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) and registered behavior technicians (RBTs), using individualized data collection and behavioral protocols tailored to each patient’s developmental level, not a one-size-fits-all protocol. This differs from general psychiatric care, where behavioral support is typically addressed through medication management and group therapy without the systematic individualization that ABA methodology provides.

• Is education provided during an inpatient autism treatment stay?

  Yes, education and vocational training are available to adults with autism. The New Directions Program provides concurrent academic instruction through the University of Texas – University Charter School, which is accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Students continue their educational programming throughout their inpatient stay, ensuring no academic disruption or loss of educational services during treatment.

  Vocational training is also available to help young adults with autism develop more independent living skills after discharge from an inpatient setting.

• Is Nexus’ inpatient adult autism program accredited?

  Yes, the New Directions Program at Nexus Health Systems is accredited and operates under rigorous clinical and regulatory standards:

  • DNV accreditation
  • ABA-informed treatment
  • BCBA-led programming
  • Care coordination between treatment facilities, schools, and state agencies
  • Concurrent education accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)

• What insurance does the Nexus' adult autism program accept?

  The New Directions Program accepts Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans. For patients who are out-of-network, our admissions team can help during the process of reviewing available coverage options and alternate funding pathways. 

• How does insurance coverage change when an autistic patients turn 18?

  Medicaid eligibility often shifts at 18 as patients move from children’s Medicaid to adult Medicaid programs, which may have different provider networks and authorization requirements. Patients covered by a parent’s commercial plan may remain eligible until age 26 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Our admissions team helps referral sources navigate scenarios during the insurance verification process at no cost.

• How does Medicaid coverage change at 18 for young adults with autism?

  For patients turning 18 on Medicaid, the shift from children’s to adult Medicaid programs can affect which inpatient facilities are in-network and what prior authorization requirements apply. Our admissions team helps coordinate this transition as part of every referral and has experience helping navigate the process across multiple state Medicaid programs.

• Does the New Directions Program accept out-of-state referrals for young adults with severe autism?

  Yes. Nexus Health Systems accepts referrals from across the country. Many of our patients come from states where specialized inpatient neurodevelopmental programs for young adults are not available. Our admissions team can help referrals coordinate insurance verification, travel logistics, and transition planning for out-of-state placements. 

• Can a young adult with severe autism live in a group home?

  Many families seeking inpatient placement are also thinking past the immediate crisis, toward what happens when parental care is no longer possible. For some young adults with autism, a supervised group home is an appropriate long-term living arrangement, but successful placement depends on behavioral stabilization, functional skill development, and caregiver preparation that many placements don’t address before discharge. The New Directions Program incorporates community readiness directly into the treatment plan and coordinates with group home providers before discharge.

• What happens after inpatient autism treatment for adults?

  Discharge destinations vary depending on the patient’s functional level, behavioral profile, insurance coverage, and geographic location. Common post-discharge placements include:

  • Group homes or supervised residential facilities
  • Family home with community-based behavioral supports
  • Adult day programs or supported employment settings
  • Transitional living programs
  • Step-down residential facilities for patients requiring a lower intensity of ongoing structure

   

  Before discharge, the program coordinates:

  • Behavioral protocol and ABA programming documentation passed to receiving providers
  • Direct communication with group home operators, day programs, and state waiver case managers
  • Coordination with school districts or special education teams for transition-age patients
  • Caregiver training for patients returning to family care

  Discharge planning at the New Directions Program begins at admission. The clinical and social work teams work in parallel with the treating team throughout the inpatient stay to identify the appropriate receiving placement and prepare both the patient and that placement for a successful transition.

• What referral sources does the young adult autism program typically work with?

  Nexus accepts nationwide referrals from healthcare professionals, government agencies, and school districts including:

  • Physicians and medical specialists
  • Psychiatrists and behavioral health clinicians
  • Hospital social workers and inpatient discharge planners
  • School districts and special education coordinators
  • CPS, DFPS, DCS, and child welfare case workers
  • Community behavioral health agencies and residential providers

• How do I refer a patient to the inpatient adult autism program?

  A physician’s order or clinical referral is required for admission. To begin the referral process, submit our online request form or contact our admissions team by phone. Our team will review the referral, contact you within one business day, and help initiate insurance verification, at no cost and with no obligation.

  Submit a Referral Call Admissions