SD BAND: Bridging Rural Behavioral Healthcare Needs in South Dakota

As a school psychologist working for a small public school, I remember a teacher asking me to observe a student in her classroom. She expressed concerns about an elementary student's unusual behavior, lack of playing with classmates, lack of communication and even some unusual motor movements, including flapping her hands. This was in 2001, and I was experiencing my first referral for a student who would eventually receive an educational diagnosis of autism.

At that time, autism was considered rare, and providing educational support to meet their needs was challenging. I began to see a growing...