The Hope Center for Autism
Donation protected
The Hope Center for Autism’s mission is to opens doors for people affected by autism and related disabilities. The school accomplishes this through providing the supports and services necessary for people with autism to reach their full potential.
The Hope Center for Autism is a 501c(3) non-profit as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. The Hope Center Charter School is a public school within the Martin County School District and is governed by all applicable state and federal laws.
The Hope Center is moving their location to be able to grow their classrooms and have the facility to reach more childrem with Autism. Our mission as the community is to raise money to help fund a new playground. As you can imagine playgrounds are expensive and Autistic children need specialized toys that are fun, educational, and stimulating.
All proceeds minus the gofundme fee will go directly to the Hope Center. For more information regarding this fantastic opportunity to give back to your community please feel free to contact: Director Shannon Kiess @ the Hope Center direct.
For more information about the Hope Center: http://hopecenterforautism.org/
1. The playground should be fenced so that when a child feels the need to flee from over-stimulation, he isn’t able to leave the area.
2. The playground should include nature—gardens, grassy areas, trees, etc. Recent studies from University of Illinois found that a walk in nature helps children with ADHD stay attentive.
3. The safety surfacing must meet or exceed all guidelines. Children, who do not feel their senses strongly, may want to climb as high as they can go and jump off. The intense fall enables them to feel the impact. They may not recognize the danger so it is important that the safety surfacing material is maintained on a regular basis.
4. There should be quiet areas where a child may go to regroup when she is over stimulated. This quiet area can be made through landscaping or the use of playground equipment, such as a playhouse.
5. The playground equipment should be spaced a little further apart enabling the child to play without touching or being touched by another child.
6. There should be playground equipment that swings, goes around in circles, and enables children to climb and jump. These activities help children with both their vestibular and proprioceptive systems.
7. There should be equipment such as monkey bars where a child can hang. This puts pressure on their muscles and joints and helps to develop the proprioceptive system.
8. Parents who are raising children with autism often talk about how much their children like to slide, so it is important to keep slides in your playground. You might want to include different types of slides since different types of slides often provide different sensory input.
9. For tactile input, sand and water activities work well. You might want to include a very large sandbox, where a child could cover himself with sand. The weight of the sand will calm some children.
10. There should be play activities that the child can do by himself, while keeping out of the major line of traffic. Play panels such as tic-tac -toe, or a marble maze, often can meet this need.
11. Children with autism often need to work on where their body is in space. Crawling through tunnels is a good activity for this. It may be important to have windows in the tunnels for the caregiver to watch and provide assistance if needed.
The Hope Center for Autism is a 501c(3) non-profit as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. The Hope Center Charter School is a public school within the Martin County School District and is governed by all applicable state and federal laws.
The Hope Center is moving their location to be able to grow their classrooms and have the facility to reach more childrem with Autism. Our mission as the community is to raise money to help fund a new playground. As you can imagine playgrounds are expensive and Autistic children need specialized toys that are fun, educational, and stimulating.
All proceeds minus the gofundme fee will go directly to the Hope Center. For more information regarding this fantastic opportunity to give back to your community please feel free to contact: Director Shannon Kiess @ the Hope Center direct.
For more information about the Hope Center: http://hopecenterforautism.org/
1. The playground should be fenced so that when a child feels the need to flee from over-stimulation, he isn’t able to leave the area.
2. The playground should include nature—gardens, grassy areas, trees, etc. Recent studies from University of Illinois found that a walk in nature helps children with ADHD stay attentive.
3. The safety surfacing must meet or exceed all guidelines. Children, who do not feel their senses strongly, may want to climb as high as they can go and jump off. The intense fall enables them to feel the impact. They may not recognize the danger so it is important that the safety surfacing material is maintained on a regular basis.
4. There should be quiet areas where a child may go to regroup when she is over stimulated. This quiet area can be made through landscaping or the use of playground equipment, such as a playhouse.
5. The playground equipment should be spaced a little further apart enabling the child to play without touching or being touched by another child.
6. There should be playground equipment that swings, goes around in circles, and enables children to climb and jump. These activities help children with both their vestibular and proprioceptive systems.
7. There should be equipment such as monkey bars where a child can hang. This puts pressure on their muscles and joints and helps to develop the proprioceptive system.
8. Parents who are raising children with autism often talk about how much their children like to slide, so it is important to keep slides in your playground. You might want to include different types of slides since different types of slides often provide different sensory input.
9. For tactile input, sand and water activities work well. You might want to include a very large sandbox, where a child could cover himself with sand. The weight of the sand will calm some children.
10. There should be play activities that the child can do by himself, while keeping out of the major line of traffic. Play panels such as tic-tac -toe, or a marble maze, often can meet this need.
11. Children with autism often need to work on where their body is in space. Crawling through tunnels is a good activity for this. It may be important to have windows in the tunnels for the caregiver to watch and provide assistance if needed.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jason Flannery
Organizer
Stuart, FL
Shannon Kiess
Beneficiary