Calgary Herald Brennan Serieska, right, brother Callum, and mom Cherie moved to Calgary from Langley, B.C., to get treatment for Brennan's autism.

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Calgary's nationally renowned Society for Treatment of Autism says it needs $3.3 million for a new facility because it can no longer meet surging demand for its world-class psychologists, speech therapists and social workers.

Word of the society's success in treating autistic children has spread across the country, convincing many families from other provinces to pick up their lives and move to Calgary.

But the popularity has put pressure on the group's existing facilities, in three buildings scattered over a 20-block area in southeast Calgary.

About two years ago, officials began turning away severely ill children from the residential program for lack of space, or putting them on a waiting list.

Now, the society is asking corporate Calgary to help.

"We've had applications from families who are interested in our service, but we physically can't provide service," said Dr. Kimberley Ward, a chartered psychologist with the society.

"We've got the manpower and the willingness to do it, but we don't have the bedrooms . . . and our classroom is bursting at the seams."

Families have moved from as far away as Nova Scotia to get their children into treatment for the neurological disorder, whose symptoms include an abnormal withdrawal into oneself, short attention span, severe difficulty interacting with others and extreme resistance to change.

Cherie Serieska and her husband Dave were one of those couples who left relatives, friends and good jobs behind to move to Calgary.

In their former home of Langley, B.C., the Serieskas say treatment for their son Brennan was limited and staff members were new. In Ontario, where the couple had relatives, their son was not deemed sick enough to be eligible for treatment.

If they had any doubt about Calgary, their child's own doctor said their choices were clear: pay for expensive treatment in the United States or move to Alberta, where the government has provided stable funding for years.

"You don't have that (level of care) anywhere else in Canada," says Cherie. "We checked everything out and it wasn't available."

Cherie, a nurse, found work at Foothills Hospital when they moved here in early 2001.

Her husband, a former court sheriff, is now a city transit security officer. A year and a half later, they have no regrets.

Brennan, now 41/2 years old, is enrolled in a classroom-based program from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday and is doing much better.

While he used to have tantrums when his daily routine changed in even minor ways, such as different meals, he's now much more flexible.

The family even spent a weekend in a cabin recently, where people were coming and going, without any negative reaction from their son.

They attribute that to the quality of care by the staff in Calgary.

"You've got your one-to-one therapists and the girls that work with the kids are so good," says Cherie, who also has a 21/2-year-old son, Callum.

"They do a great job, they know their stuff, but they're really genuine with the kids. They really care."

That quality of care is threatened, said Ward, because it's hard for all the specialists at the facility to share information if they're spread out between the three buildings.

The experienced staff specialize in autism -- they don't treat other disorders -- and customize their care according to the child rather than deliver a one-size-fits-all treatment.

"The kids are very, very complex, so the more that our team can be able to collaborate and co-ordinate service delivery, all the better for the families," she said.

The society has even received calls from people in Britain and India, said Ward.

The society has proposed building a 3,700-square-metre facility on the 0.9-hectare site of its current Margaret House Treatment Centre for Autistic Children at 404 94th Ave. S.E.

The group's current buildings add up to about 1,850 square metres.