Heartspring - Why Heartspring

Thomas

Published Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Having your child attend school far away is difficult for almost any parent, but making the decision to send your child to Heartspring can be even more emotionally grueling. Heartspring is a school for students with special needs, who have educational challenges, as well as behavioral challenges. Thomas’ parents, Donald and Amy, made this very difficult decision when they knew they had done all they could for their son, yet he still needed additional help. Read more »

Tessa learns to use money

Tessa

Published Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Tessa, a day-only student, has attended the Heartspring School since January 2010. When Tessa first began at Heartspring, she was timid and socializing with others was difficult. She didn’t want to participate in group activities and would exhibit inappropriate behaviors that set her apart from her peers. Read more »

Matthew helps meter mail every week as part of his vocational training at Heartspring.

Matthew

Published Friday, July 1st, 2011

“Life was difficult before Matthew came to Heartspring. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of four and a half and for the next eight years life became more and more challenging,” said Matthew’s parents Randall and Jana. Read more »

Brady enjoys his cooking group.

Brady

Published Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Brady’s parents, Christiane and Harlan, struggled with the decision to send him to a residential school. “It was hard to admit that we could not handle it alone any longer and needed expert help,” said Christiane. Read more »

Alex spends time four days a week in the Workshop.

Alex

Published Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

“Hi, I’m Alex.” This is a common introduction you can expect from Alex on any given day. Read more »

Izzy works on communication skills in the classroom.

Izzy

Published Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Isabelle “Izzy” first came to Heartspring in 2007 with educational challenges associated with autism and with severe behaviors, causing a danger to herself and others. Izzy would destroy property, be aggressive towards family and school staff by hitting, biting and pulling hair, and had inappropriate behaviors in the community, such as grabbing food off of other tables at restaurants, grabbing items in stores and destroying them, lying on the floor or ground and having meltdowns. Read more »

Nick reviews a menu during class as part of his "market math" program.

Nick

Published Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

Nick first came to Heartspring in December 2004 as a very cautious and dependent young man. He experienced anxieties with stairs, elevators and escalators and his behaviors were inappropriate and frequent. Read more »

Andrew uses flashcards to work on his math skills.

Andrew

Published Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Students come to Heartspring with a variety of needs and disabilities. Some come to us with multiple disabilities. Read more »

Trent sings a solo at last year's Holiday Program

Trent

Published Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Trent has been at Heartspring for almost one year and is not the same child that he was when he first enrolled at Heartspring last August as a day-only student. “Trent was very introverted when he first arrived at Heartspring almost a year ago,” said Jennifer Luby, Trent’s special education teacher. “He didn’t talk a lot and only enjoyed drawing and being on the computer. Read more »

Josh works to reconcile his classroom's bank account.

Josh

Published Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Josh’s parents, David and Julie, wanted their son to have a “happier life” and searched for schools that could help their son. They found Heartspring and enrolled Josh just one month before his 16th birthday. Read more »

Natasha

Published Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Natasha came to Heartspring at the age of eight. The average stay for a student at the Heartspring School is approximately three years. However, due to severe behavior issues, aggressions and poorly developed communication skills, it has taken more time for Natasha to learn independence skills. Read more »

Eddie

Published Friday, January 1st, 2010

“Eddie is not the same person he was a year ago” is a statement that you hear from most everyone who knows him. Eddie came to the Heartspring School in November 2008 as a day only student and the subject of his transformation is one that genuinely moves his staff to tears. Eddie didn’t just come to Heartspring. Read more »

Andrew

Published Thursday, October 15th, 2009

For most of the students who enroll at Heartspring’s residential school, average is not typically a word used to describe them. The students at Heartspring are exceptional. Exceptional because of the progress that staff and parents have the joy of seeing each of the students make certainly exceeds average. Read more »

Bryce

Published Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Bryce enrolled in the Heartspring School on August 14, 2008 as a day only student from a school district that was 20 minutes away. Getting Bryce to even get into the van to come to school was a huge obstacle that Bryce and his team had to work through. He was transported alone with two aides. Read more »

Daniel

Published Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

“You have fulfilled our dreams of what we asked you to do here,” said Dr. Liz Jurgensen, at a recent team meeting for Daniel, a student at the Heartspring School. Dr. Read more »

Michael

Published Friday, May 1st, 2009

“Michael is a great kid who is very gentle and loving,” says Keith Robinson, home coordinator at Heartspring. “He is shy at first and that sometimes gives the impression he doesn’t know what’s going on, but once you get to know him you realize how smart he is.” Michael is profoundly deaf and communicates very well with friends, family and staff by wearing hearing aids and using his NEO communication device. Read more »

Edgar

Published Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Heartspring teacher Peggy Hallack remembers vividly the day she met Edgar in June 2006. “It was my first day at Heartspring and my mentoring teacher was introducing the students in classroom S123. She gestured to a student that had backed himself into a corner and said, ‘That’s our newest student, Edgar. Read more »

Anthony

Published Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Anthony first came to the Heartspring School in November 2006. He had been attending public high school in his home state with little success. Many factors contributed to Anthony’s enrollment at Heartspring including anxiety and low self-esteem. Read more »

Brandon

Published Thursday, January 1st, 2009

Brandon was a familiar face at Heartspring from 1996-2003, where he attended as a residential student. He came to Heartspring because of his unique needs, as well as his skills. Brandon was very bright, but prior to Heartspring, he was placed in a behaviorally challenged classroom because there wasn't a more appropriate place for him. Read more »

Teacher Exchange

Published Saturday, November 1st, 2008

During a 22-day stay in Wichita, five teachers from China and India enjoyed time spent in the Heartspring School learning how to better teach independence skills to children with autism. Based on their experiences and observations in the classrooms and homes, as well as one-on-one training time with many diverse professionals, the international teachers were able to see how strategies for teaching were implemented, what tasks and visual aids were used and more. When Lily, Lion and Hope from China’s Stars and Rain school were asked how they would implement what they have learned at Heartspring, Lily answered, “We will implement many things, like using new tasks and adding additional structured teaching stations. Read more »

Dan

Published Sunday, June 1st, 2008

Dan is described as a nature type of guy by his teacher, June. She says that it doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside, Dan always looks forward to going outside. When Dan’s parents visit him at Heartspring he can’t wait to “going walking about” said his father, Pat. Read more »

Kylee

Published Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Kylee is a lively six-year-old girl with autism. She enrolled at Heartspring as a day-school student in October 2007. At enrollment, it was reported that Kylee used approximately 10 words, but did not use them consistently or functionally. Read more »

Shae

Published Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

It can be quite astounding to learn that a new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes - as many as one in 150 children. That’s more than 1.5 million Americans with autism, making it more prevalent than Down syndrome, childhood diabetes and childhood cancer combined. Read more »

Kris

Published Friday, February 1st, 2008

Kris is an active 18-year-old with CHARGE syndrome that causes him to have multiple health problems. Additionally, Kris has very unique dental care needs. Many children with developmental disabilities have difficulty tolerating even brushing or flossing their teeth. Read more »

Alice

Published Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Sarah and Doug wanted for their daughter Alice what all parents want: a chance for her to learn, grow and reach her highest potential in life. Diagnosed with autism at a young age, Alice struggled in school and at home with challenges that affected her ability to learn, communicate, care for herself and more. Sarah searched for a place where Alice could learn to be more independent and not be confined to a world where she was limited by her challenging behaviors. Read more »

Chance

Published Monday, October 1st, 2007

Chance, an energetic eight year old has been working with physical therapist, Cheryl Jabara, since arriving at the Heartspring School earlier this year. Currently, he is working on a set of goals aimed at increasing his coordination and balance. Chance is able to go up and down steps with a handrail independently. Read more »

Nayeem

Published Saturday, September 1st, 2007

Six years ago Dr. Saidul Sarker was told his son Nayeem had autism. Struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis and not knowing where to turn for services in his home country of Bangladesh, it was Dr. Read more »

Melanie

Published Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

Written by Sue, Melanie's Mom. Heartspring saved my life and gave Melanie back her life. Prior to coming to Heartspring Melanie had been shuffled from program to program, she did not fit in anywhere and no one knew what to do with her. Read more »

Ariah

Published Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

When Ariah first came to Heartspring he communicated with one word demands, gesturing, and by guiding a caretaker’s hand to the item that he wanted. Ariah communicated using a limited vocabulary and rarely interacted with other students in the classroom. Simple transitions, or a minor change in his schedule, caused Ariah a great amount of anxiety and apprehension. Read more »

Billy

Published Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

A letter from Billy's parents, reprinted with their permission. Where do we begin in saying thanks to the Heartspring Staff? Five and ½ years ago we were faced with the toughest decision of our lives. Read more »

Erol

Published Sunday, July 1st, 2007

The following is an excerpt from an email written by Sibel, whose son Erol is a student at Heartspring. Sibel is originally from Turkey, but now lives in New Jersey. Despite a language barrier, Sibel’s gratitude for Heartspring is evident. Read more »

Gabi

Published Friday, June 1st, 2007

Four years ago, a successful outing in adapted physical education class for Gabi consisted of walking 2-3 minutes at a low speed on the treadmill and being pushed around the gym on a tricycle. Any other attempt at physical activity typically resulted in an aggressive behavior. Adapted physical education (APE) teacher Travis Grover implemented weight loss and tricycling goals for Gabi, gradually decreasing her behaviors and increasing her level of physical fitness. Read more »

Micah

Published Friday, June 1st, 2007

A letter reprinted with permission from Micah's parents It is very important to our family, Sandie and I that Micah participate in Special Olympics. It teaches him different sports, teamwork, and patience. It gives him self esteem and the chance to make and meet new friends. Read more »

Sami

Published Friday, June 1st, 2007

"In the two years that Sami has been at Heartspring, she has gone from needing two staff without community outings to being at restaurants, shopping malls, & movies with a group of peers and an adult. I am treated at Heartspring as a valued member of the team and my input to her programming is appreciated and welcomed. Thanks to Heartspring, I am finally able to proudly show off the sweet, precious spirit that has always been the core of who Sami is. Read more »

Bobby

Published Sunday, April 1st, 2007

By Shelva Wade, Teacher Trying to communicate effectively is extremely difficult for most autistic children. I believe that this story is one example where a student has shown his teacher to “look and think outside the box.” Autistic children are trying, in some way, to communicate. Read more »

Jay

Published Sunday, October 1st, 2006

"The Heartspring staff was able to accomplish with our son, Jay, what our county school system could not, given his multiple disabilities. Using a team approach, they were able to integrate his medical, communications and socialization needs together in a systematic way over a period of time. What Jay accomplished has helped him do much more today in his group home placement. Read more »

Melissa

Published Thursday, June 1st, 2006

“We know Heartspring was an answer to prayer. We had to love her so much to do the best thing for her. She has a better quality of life because of Heartspring. Read more »

Sydney

Published Monday, May 1st, 2006

Our daughter, Sydney, has autism, pervasive developmental disorder and doesn’t speak. She was out of control, physically hurting us and herself. We needed help, we needed hope. Read more »

Chris

Published Tuesday, March 1st, 2005

"Our son Chris who has autism has been a student at Heartspring since 2001. His previous school placements were unable to provide him with the consistent and intensive program that he needed. Heartspring is preparing him to become a participating member of his community. Read more »

Search Results

Contact Us

Outcomes

What's New