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Matthew is six years old. He loves to paint and color; we think he has natural artistic talent. When he started at Birchtree at age five, Matthew’s verbal language was limited to “push please,” “need help,” and other two-word phrases, but his ability to communicate through works of art was evident.

Matthew speaks in full sentences now: “Kristen, can you help me with the paint?” he asks as he paints a picture of one of his teachers during a play, paint, and create class at the nearby Rumble Tumble Gym.

 

Matthew is learning to interact with typically developing peers and to complete multi-step projects independently. We are preparing Matthew to transition into a typical classroom in the future. “Look, isn’t it beautiful!” he says as he displays his masterpieces.

—Story told by Kristen Holden, Clinical Instructor

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Abigayle is an engaging seven-year-old whose laughter and smile are contagious. In addition to being diagnosed with autism, Abigayle is also blind.

Abigayle struggled to communicate her wants and needs effectively when she first arrived at The Birchtree Center. She had long, exhausting, violent tantrums. We established consistency in Abigayle’s daily routine, gave her tactile learning aids to help her navigate her environment and activities, and taught her how to identify and cope with her emotions. 

“Pee-uw!  Something smells!” she observed on a recent field trip to the petting zoo at York’s Wild Animal Kingdom.

“That’s a goat--do you want to feed it?” I asked. I described how it would feel to have the goat eat from her palm. She said she was ready! 

Abigayle bravely extended her hand.  When the goat began to eat, she jumped in surprise and dropped the food on the ground. But she didn’t scream or have a tantrum.

Instead, she turned to me and said, “it’s OK, it’s OK.”  I was so impressed that Abigayle was able to try something new and cope with a scary situation! She’s ready to learn, explore her environment, and participate fully in her family and community.

—Story told by Rebecca Walsh, Behavior Analyst

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Erich is an active eleven-year old who enjoys jokes, dancing, and going to the gym. When he first enrolled here two years ago, Erich demonstrated self-injurious behavior. He would hit his head with the back of his hand, sometimes hundreds of times each day. He didn't have much time to do anything else!

We developed strategies to help Erich learn to maintain a calm body, and rewarded him with enthusiastic and frequent praise for his successes. When Erich follows all our classroom rules for three days in a row, he earns a trip to his favorite restaurant.

Erich is available for learning now that his self-injurious behavior is at near-zero levels. His arithmetic and writing have improved remarkably, and he already has achieved mastery of 94% of his Individualized Education Plan learning objectives for this school year. We’re looking forward to helping Erich make the transition to a less-restrictive academic setting in the future.

—Story told by Blaire Luebkeman, Clinical Instructor

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