"Hannah's Hope" quilt

"Hannah's Hope" quilt made by Kelly Jolly

Kelly Jolly, from Ingleside, made a quilt to display in the learning center for all of our children to enjoy. The puzzle pieces are the national symbol for autism spectrum disorders. She also included an "awareness" ribbon on the quilt. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this project and for making it so special for us. We love it!

Week of Observations

Our lead teacher, Robin Blue, has begun to observe our children this week. Robin has been busy going into our homes and attending our children's therapy sessions to gather information about each child. Next week, Robin will travel to Austin for hands-on training at the Horizon Program and attend a workshop at the Central Texas Autism Center. She will begin the ABLLS assessment the following week.

Invitation from North Bay Lions Club

The North Bay Lions Club in Portland invited Tommy and Marsha Coulter to share information about Hannah's Hope with them. We certainly appreciated the opportunity to "get the word out" about what we are trying to accomplish. Tommy spoke about our journey with Hannah and the world of Autism. Everyone at the meeting was very supportive of our efforts and asked us some really good questions! At the end of the meeting two members volunteered their talents to help us with the learning center. Michael Hansen is going to help us with our website and Valerie Noe, owner of "Portland Creative Arts Center", has volunteered to work with our children and give them the opportunity to work with clay. We truly appreciate the way the community has reached out to us. Thank you, North Bay Lions for your support!

We Have a Teacher!

Robin Palmer Blue is a Board Certified Music Therapist with advanced training in Biomedical Music Therapy Applications. She has also received the professional designation of Neuroligic Music Therapist. Robin has a Master's degree in Special Education with an Early Childhood emphasis. Outside of her formal education, she has extensive training in autism spectrum disorders and has experience using ABA protocol and child-directed approaches in her teaching.

Robin relocated to South Texas in July 2004 providing music therapy at a residential facility charter school and contracting privately in the Corpus Christi area. Previously, Robin had a private practice in Tennessee providing music therapy services for children and adults with various disabilities. The majority of her clientele consisted of children with autism spectrum disorders. Robin will continue to provide music therapy privately, in addition to being our lead teacher.

Offering Hope for Autistic Children and their Families

Hannah's Hope is dedicated to the education of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Our vision is to provide a highly individualized program that will address the needs of each child. Our approach utilizes Applied Behavior Analysis, a scientific discipline that has proven to be an effective intervention for individuals with Autism and Developmental Disabilitities.

About Us

We are a group of parents with autistic children working with members of the community to provide effective treatment options and support for autistic children and their families. Currently, this program is at the development stage. We are in the process of interviewing prospective teachers and staff. As parents, we are attending workshops to better educate ourselves and are raising funds to purchase materials and supplies.

What We Offer

• Full day/year round program
• 1:1 direct teaching
• Natural environment teaching
• Data-based instruction and progress tracking
• Support for parents and siblings

Location

The use of a house in downtown Corpus Christi has been donated for the learning center. It is located at 903 Chaparral. Renovations are in progress. The house will allow us to have space for a motor room, a sensory room, music therapy and parent training.


Upcoming Events

March 12
Autism Workshop (Intro. to Applied Verbal Behavior)
Jesse Franco. director of Horizon Program9:00-4:00 Gateway Community Church in Gregory, TXFee: $60 (lunch included)