HOPE CENTER FOR AUTISM INC
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Mission Statement
Opening doors to a limitless future
About This Cause
The Hope Center for Autism is a public charter school in Martin County Florida educating children with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities in prekindergarten through sixth grade. As an area nonprofit we provide a wide array of community supports including Next Step, an adult social and independent living club; social groups for middle school students, parent training, aftercare and ongoing support for all members of our community affected by autism or wanting to improve the lives of individuals with autism. Building Hope for the Future is a capital campaign raising money to build a larger facility to accommodate our growing wait list. A December 2018 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study stating that the prevalence rate of autism in Florida is 1 in 21. This is a significant increase from previous years and creates a heightened sense of urgency to develop supports for the future of individuals with autism in our community. The Hope Center has purchased land in Jensen Beach Florida to house two buildings, a serenity garden and a community playground that will provide the supports needed in our area. Our first building will support the needs of young children with autism including prekindergarten through fifth grade with a cafeteria, classrooms and a sensory lab all designed to create an optimal learning environment for children with autism, so they can learn the skills needed to transition to a less restrictive setting. The second building will meet the needs of the secondary students as well as adult population of people with autism in our area. A parent resource center, educational living suite and classrooms will provide supports for individuals with autism from middle school through adulthood. Community supports will also be provided through peer mentor training, autism friendly business collaborations and educator resources for all teachers in our area. Unfortunately, none of this is possible without your help. The Hope Center is raising $2.5 million dollars to begin construction on the future home of autism support for the Treasure Coast. Please help us to ensure the future of our community is prepared to support the ever-growing population of people with autism and affected by autism. The Hope Center for Autism, Inc. (HCFA) is a nonprofit Public Charter School in Martin County for children pre-kindergarten through the 6th grade with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. Our mission is to open doors for people affected by autism throughout the Treasure Coast through education for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder as well as for those who support their needs. We use evidence-based supports to instruct our students in the Florida Standards and Florida Access Points. We use a continuous improvement model with ongoing progress monitoring to ensure that the interventions used are successful. Our goal is to teach our students the skills needed for them to successful transition to a less restrictive educational setting. As a Positive Behavior Support Gold Model School, the Hope Center incorporates principles of applied behavior supports to teach our students the socially valid and age appropriate expectations of our community. We provide ongoing professional development to ensure our educators are implementing the most current methodologies available for people with autism. Thanks in part to the ongoing support of the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource System, the Hope Center has incorporated ongoing professional development in the implementation of environmental communication training and project core to facilitate language development in our students. Parent trainings are available to support families in implementing proven methodologies in their home. Local educators benefit from guided tours showcasing the elements of project core evident throughout the school. The Next Step program was developed for young adults with autism and related disabilities ages 18-30 who need added support for socialization and independent living. Members are responsible for planning social events and inviting each other to attend. The purpose of the group is to facilitate the development of mutually supportive relationships that will translate into future living situations. Adults lean on friends and family for support in navigating vocational, medical, social and emotional situations. Providing young adults with autism with the skills needed to support one another will lead to independent and fulfilling lives. Next Step will incorporate numerous opportunities to give back to our community. Volunteering provides an opportunity for adults with autism to learn the expectations of an employment situations without the fear of losing a job. Volunteers will be supported through mentoring provided by fellow Next Step members as well as staff from the Hope Center. Middle school social groups will start in the Winter of 2019. Middle school students will have an opportunity to get together and engage in a variety of activities that are mentored by Next Step members as well as Hope Center staff. Social skills education will also be provided using the PEERS program from UCLA. PEERS is an evidence based social skills program that provides instruction in how to make and keep friends. Staff trained in the implementation of PEERS will provide instruction to middle school students as well as parents to ensure generalization of skills across settings. Mentors from Next Step will model socially appropriate social interactions and guide their mentees in developing supportive and fulfilling friendships. Our summer camp program, Surviving Social Situations, provides instruction in social skills through a theme-based model that provides training for typical peers as well as children with autism throughout elementary and secondary school. The goal of the program is to teach children with autism the pragmatic skills required for academic and social success through fun camp activities. Typical peers are trained to model age appropriate social skills and help their peers with autism to participate in activities. Typical peers earn volunteer hours as well as skills that will help support the growing population of individuals with autism for many years to come.