Behavior Management

Terrance's Mom: "There use to be a time when going into the public with my son was a verbal and visual cue of "Take your fingers out of your ears". With the help of the STAR program my family now knows how to stop this behavior with a self-modeling video. THERE ARE NO MORE TEARS FOR ME and NO MORE STARES FOR MY SON!"

Terrance's Sister: "At first I was frustrated when my brother would come into my bedroom and constantly mess up my bed after I made it up. But now with the help of the STAR program, I know how to let my brother enter my bedroom without messing up my bed. They taught me how to use a visual picture timer with a go and stop sign that both of us could use. Thanks to STAR program, my little brother knows his LIMITS.

Early Childhood

Allison's Mom: Allison is a beautiful 3 ½ year old twin that first came to the program one year ago. The program has been wonderful not only for Allison, but also her parents. STAR therapists taught them how to work with her while they learn with her. “She is a beautiful little bud that has opened like a flower.” They always knew there was something beautiful inside, but they are only now discovering who she is and are looking forward to finding out how far she will go. “Things are so different now. Before therapy, she never noticed if someone entered the room. Now she runs to great her mother at the door. Before, touching her was impossible even for a hug. Now, Allison pushes through her siblings to snuggle with her grandmother.” The results of therapy are shown not just in improved speech or eye contact, but in the increased affection and participation of this little girl in the life of her family.

The family approach offered by the STAR program was critical in keeping the family intact. Parent groups and even the school tend to address only the mother. The STAR program was the first place that worked with Dad to keep him involved and helped him to remain an integral component of his child’s life.

They can’t imagine being at this point without STAR. “You can read all the books on this subject you want, but the real help comes from competent experts that can show you what to do. All the therapists are so accessible and care so much.”

Alexander's Mom: "The enthusiasm and positive approach, as well as the originality and variety of activities....We believe the services Alexander has received at WCEC-STAR have been of the highest caliber! We're very pleased and appreciative of the assistance and services provided by a highly qualified and genuinely caring group of professionals."

Brian's Mom: "STAR is a major component of developing a program - Trish helped develop IEP goals…He now has a 1:1 assistant, speech, and OT. (Brian's) behavior management plan was put in place because of STAR."

Chase's Mom: " The social skills play group was great over t he simmer. I saw improvement over the 10 weeks. It helped him stay on task some so that now he is able to partially participate in a regular education
classroom."

Sarah's Mom: "I became more aware of what Sarah needs and how to find appropriate school settings. I learned how to better communicate with SLP, OT, teacher, pediatrician, etc. I didn't know how to get appropriate speech therapy until STAR."

Sarah's Mom after she participated in the Early Childhood Social Group: "Preschool teacher reports great progress between Jan 1 and now. Sarah is doing her work…and she loves school. She is participating in a structured preschool and "gets" the rules a lot better (waiting in line, sing during music, etc.)."

Program Planning/Outreach

Ben's Mom: "I found the STAR program and the staff that worked with our home and school team to be very knowledgeable. After their visit with our child's school team I felt that people had a clearer understanding, plan of action and expected outcomes. Collaboration between the general education, special education and related services staff is essential to meeting the complex needs of my child. The STAR staff provided an environment that fostered a sense of collaboration
between all groups, while respecting the unique gifts that each team member brought to the table. It is wonderful to have a resource such as this for the unique needs of individuals with autism."

Jeremy's Mom: "The teachers that came to Louisville with me for a planning session with you came back very motivated. They have been using the information that you provided. I recently implemented a behavior plan for Jeremy's strings (cello) class at school that is working. Last week, Jeremy's resource teacher was looking at modeling a classroom plan after it. The idea is a short list of "what good behavior looks like." When the teacher "catches" you demonstrating these things, you earn points, stickers etc. that can be redeemed when a certain number (of points) is collected. Thank you for all I have learned about the COMPASS model."

Nathan's Mom: "My fourteen year old son was fortunate to be one of the first to become part of the STAR program and it has been a great advantage for him, for us (his family), and for his teachers. They have worked with him in a one on one setting, a group setting, at his school, and with his teachers....seeing him in all these ways has given her great insight on how to best address his needs. I feel so blessed to be located only an hour and a half away from someone of STAR's caliber and with their expertise in the field of autism and for Nathan to be a part of the STAR program. It certainly makes facing the future a lot less scary."

Karen' Mom: Karen is now 6 years old and has been coming to STAR for 1 ½ years. She was diagnosed at the WCEC with autistic disorder. The number one benefit of the STAR program from her Mom’s perspective is that it teaches parents how to deal with the day to day obstacles by providing practical, specific tools that she wouldn’t have thought of on her own. STAR taught her how to teach her child.

Karen has made significant improvements not only in her home life, but also at school. STAR has worked with her teachers to implement the strategies across all environments to maximize the benefits to Karen. Her behavior and speech have improved significantly. Her family would like to put our therapists “in their pockets” to carry around all day as needed. In reality, the tools they have received from STAR have allowed them to do just that.

The only regret this mom had was not coming for an evaluation sooner due to denial and the fear involved with receiving this diagnosis.

Social Skills

Randall's Mom: "STAR is wonderful! They provide a service to these very special children that no one else can. It's obvious that they really care about children. As parents, we have been taught along with our son, different teaching methods. They really understand Asperger's Syndrome and even incorporated his video game "obsession" into his therapy. STAR has given us progress that we weren't sure was possible. We look forward to continuing our work with STAR and cannot express our thanks enough."