With great appreciation I want to share our story. I am Nancy, mother of three children, two of them received the diagnosis of Autism in the year 2014. Currently their ages are 6 and 5 years. They are unique children, and completely opposed in everything. Nico is non-verbal and needs a lot of assistance throughout his daily routine, his learning has been late and he attends therapies since the first year of age. He is a sweet, happy and very calm boy. David is the youngest, is an active, audacious child, speaks English and Spanish and learns everything very fast. He has a very strong personality and wants to be self-sufficient, he does not like to be helped in his routine.
For two years we were looking for therapies or music lessons for special children in our area, but it had not been possible ( For the cost and location). I had been reading about the benefits (Music therapy has been used to support emotional, cognitive and social development in many populations. Music therapy may help to promote wellness by managing stress, enhancing memory, and improving communication) and was very interested in being able to give that opportunity to my children. In January of this year, at a meeting in Texana; information about The Harrison Center for Music Therapy was shared. I contacted them and Kate helped me through the process.
Wonderfully, my children began to receive their sessions from the month of March of 2017. Music therapy, has exceeded all my expectations, is a very comprehensive therapy, which involves many areas of development. In addition, Ingrid is a great person, she involves and motivates my boys very well. My boys are happy, they have responded well to the therapy and when we arrive to the center, they always want to go quickly to see Ingrid. It is very pleasing for us to be able to live this experience. We appreciate and we are very grateful with Susie Bean Gives for the great support gives to families like mine, that only seek to develop the maximum power of our children.
Infinite thanks to Susie Bean Gives and The Harrison Center for Music Therapy. And although we have only a short time, seeing my children so happy and learning, fills us with satisfaction.
Sincerely,
Nancy Oicata
Dear Dr. Salek and the Susie Bean Gives Foundation Board,
We have received the foundations check for December and January ABA and social skills services for our 4 clients.
We thank the board for their continued support of our clients and look forward to continuing our work together in the New Year.
On behalf of Navigating Behavior Solutions, LLC and our scholarship recipients, we wish each of you a very beautiful and blessed Christmas.
Sincerely,
Andrea Cherry, M.Ed., BCBA
Navigating Behavior Solutions, LLC
What a great wonder Hatch has found in our partnership with Susie Bean Gives! Susie Bean Gives values the needs of rural children as evidenced by their generous support of many of our families. We thank you for allowing us to fulfill our service mission of providing ABA to an underserved and often overlooked population very appreciative and deserving of this assistance!
Loueva Hatfield, MEd.
Founder, Hatch
Dear Dr. Salek and the Susie Bean Gives Foundation,
We are honored to be working in partnership with your foundation to help families in need gain access to 1:1 ABA services and social skills programming for their children with autism and related developmental disabilities.
The application process was very easy for both the families and the clinic staff. Within a week span of time, three families are now receiving the services their children could not have access to before. It is an amazing feeling to tell a family “YES” when they’ve only ever been told “No” and the progress each child is making is truly inspiring.
We are so grateful to you, and the foundation, for making ABA services and social skills therapy available for the children and families in our community.
With deepest gratitude,
Andrea D Cherry, M.Ed., BCBA
Brittany Waguespack Smith, M.Ed., BABA
Navigating Behavior Solutions, LLC
Hello,
First and foremost, I want to thank the Susie Bean Gives foundation from the bottom of my heart. ABA services would not have been available for my son without the financial gift from the foundation. My son receives ABA services through Navigating Behavior Solutions, LLC, under the direction Andrea Cherry, M.Ed., BCBA. Within one short week of therapy, my son is showing changes I never expected to see. I’ve noticed his tantrums are getting shorter in duration and he’s starting to express his feelings. He’s telling us what is frustrating for him and we’re able to help him. He is starting to speak more each day!
He is very receptive to his ABA therapy and he looks forward to seeing Andrea in the mornings.
With continued therapy, I can see my son living a happier life, enriched with the ABA therapy he so desperately needs.
I thank all of the donors of the foundation that made his ABA services possible. Your foundation and its donors enrich and enable the lives of children (and families) on the autistic spectrum.
Thank you
Melissa
We are very appreciative for the scholarship awarded to Lia Diaz for ABA therapy from Amanda Moore.
Without your financial assistance we would not have been able to afford this behavioral therapy for Lia which she has benefited from tremendously.
When Ms. Moore began, we set up a treatment plan together which gave us a good idea what her goals would be. Lia has accomplished many of them.
The difference in her behavioral is 97% better. Her school teacher has spoken to us several times about how she is using more sentences when she needs something instead of using only one word. She has been following insructions when asked to do something when in the past she would pretend she did not hear you and walk away. Lia is doing better when she goes outside, as she used to run out of the house when the door was opened. We have seen an improvement in that sometimes she will wait and walk with us instead of bolting out the door.
After playing with her toys she nows picks them up; in the past she would leave them scattered on the floor. When Lia messes up her bedspread in her room, she will now make her bed and fix her pillows.
She has become friendlier and does not get mad as often as she used to in the past when asked to do her schoolwork. We see how much happier she is and even sings or hums to songs. She does not seem to get angry, pinch or hit us with her hand as she used to before therapy began. Ms. Moore has also begun working on her eating new foods as she only will eat a handful of items.
Ms. Moore is a well skilled therapist and is very patient with her. Lia enjoys interacting with her.
We will miss her professionalism and great knowledge of her job.
Angela Diaz, Lia’s mother
Sulema Chapa, Lia’s grandmother
It is with great pleasure that I tell you this story.
I am Alice Ochoa, grandmother to Daniel Sifuentes. He is four (4) years old and is Autistic. This diagnosis as I am sure you can understand was a tough one to receive. You see Daniel is my first grandchild and 1st son to my daughter Naomi. You can imagine the joy of our family as we celebrated and prepared for his arrival. In the beginning, all was well but as he grew we noticed that he wasn’t hitting the normal milestones. Of course, we began to worry. Initially, we all just chalked it up to every child is different and he is just a little slow. As time passed, we knew something was wrong. After many attempts at finding answers we finally learned that he was indeed Autistic. It breaks our heart for Daniel. We want so much for his life. We want him to have a full, happy life. To have friends, to play sports, to tell us funny stories and make us laugh. Daniel is non-verbal. His vocabulary is very limited. We had read that music therapy could help with this. So this grandma began the hunt for a music therapist. I found Kate Harrison of “Harrison Center for Music Therapy” approximately a year ago and Daniel immediately began music therapy. He currently has one (1) session a week with Music Therapist “Nikki”. He loves Nikki and music therapy. We have seen such growth and potential with Daniel since beginning his music sessions. He is so much more “present”. If you know anything about “Autism” then you know that these children lack social skills and are “non-engaging”. However, Daniel has changed tremendously within this last year. He is more engaging, he tries to speak, he watches our mouths and looks into our eyes. This is huge for us. These are things that he did not do before. Nikki quickly realized Daniel’s love of animals. She began working with him on making animal sounds and identifying the animals. She had previously let us know that this was her new strategy. I had taken Daniel with me to run an errand and while out and about we saw a picture of a pig, he pointed at it and then put his index finger to his nose and oinked. I was so happy. I knew exactly where he had learned this. Again, just two (2) weeks ago, the phone rang, guess who answered it? If you guessed Daniel, you are correct. He picked up the phone and said “hello”. This music therapy is helping in so many more ways than we initially could have imagined. Daniel’s vocabulary is still limited but is improving. He continues to show improvement on a daily basis. He finds ways to make his needs known and that is a form of communication. We love it. I truly believe that with hard work and more Music Therapy Daniel is going to continue to improve by leaps and bounds. I can’t wait to hear him say “grandma, I want ice cream”. When he does, we as a family will be sure to invite Kate and Nikki for ice cream. I can’t imagine that Daniel would be where he is today without his music therapy sessions. It works, Daniel proves this to us every day. We still want so much for his life and now have so much more hope and promise.
Sincerely,
Alice Ochoa
We are very grateful for the assistance of Susie Bean Gives. The therapy our child receives is very helpful, and we have seen a huge progress in our son.
Parent: Child receives Susie Bean scholarship at UofH CAAD
As a single parent of four kids, two living with autism, I know that without the assistance of Susie Bean Gives, my boys would not have a shot at life. I believe in the ABA CADD program and thanks to Susie Bean Gives my boys receive and are progressing after every session.
Thank you!
A Mother of Twins
Thanks to the scholarship you chose my son Jonryan for, we are able to bring him to ABA therapy that we would otherwise be unable to afford. We have seen him grow in so many ways and are proud of his accomplishments. We are blessed you chose us.
Thanks!
Renee
Having a sister on the Autism Spectrum, our 7 year-old scholarship recipient’s access to therapy options for his ADHD and Asperger’s conditions was severely limited due to the high cost of therapy for his more severely affected sister. Susie Bean Gives, through the generous support of donors, afforded this child and his military family access to social skills therapy that would otherwise have been forever out of reach. We can’t thank you enough for allowing us to work with the countless number of children in our community who are denied access to effective therapy options due to insufficient financial means.
Thank you,
The Bridge: Social Learning Center
After our 11 year-old scholarship recipient “graduated” from a state-run therapy program for his Autism Spectrum Disorder he and his single mother had no where to turn to and no financial means to access therapy addressing social deficits that continued to devastatingly hold the 6th grader back from experiencing and developing meaningful relationships. Thanks entirely to the generous support of Susie Bean Gives and their donors, we have been afforded the opportunity to provide a meaningful and effective therapy service to this family that has improved the quality of life for both the 6th grader and his mother. We are all in awe at how generous and impacting the SBG foundation is for families in need and the service providers desperately wanting to allow access to therapy services to all affected children in our community.
Thank you,
Carolyn Peterson
I just received your check to cover our parent cost shares for the next three months! Thanks so much for your generous contribution! It is amazing, and I can’t wait to tell our parents about your support. We look forward to attending your next fundraiser on November 13th!
Regards,
Dorothea C. Lerman, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Professor of Psychology
Coordinator, Behavior Analysis Program
Director, Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Department of Clinical, Health, and Applied Sciences
University of Houston, Clear Lake
Dr. Salek and The Susie Bean Gives Team,
As always, we are so incredibly appreciative for the support in the form of scholarships your foundation gives to us so graciously. We have been so fortunate to work with the families in our community that we would not otherwise have had the opportunity to work with if it weren’t for the scholarship support. We are constantly working to expand our scholarship recipients and hope to have more families access our services with your support.
Thank you from us all,
Children’s Autism Center
I would like to say that we were very blessed and thankful for the scholarships that Daniel received. I truly believe he has shown progress with these addition sessions. The scholarships also gave Daniel more time to show Ms. Nicki who he is, and what motivates him. I’m able to hear what goes on during his sessions and he seems to be more focused and has also started attempting to make different sounds/noises in just those few months. He says “ba ba” for bye,and has attempted to say Nicki a couple of times. These sessions gave him the extra push he needed and I am very grateful for them.
Thank you so much
NS
To your entire foundation, we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude. Over the past few months, your scholarships and generous donations have impacted the lives of families who may otherwise not have received help. We cannot explain the magnitude of your giving but we see the results every single day.
With love and Thanks,
Children’s Autism Center
We are so grateful that Susie Bean Gives was able to assist some of our families in paying for services! Although we try to keep costs to families as low as possible, sometimes families simply cannot afford the extra expense, but this in no way diminishes their need for these services. We are so happy to be able to apply for scholarships to help these families and keep the clinic operational.
Thank you from the whole team at the Severe Behavior Disorders Research Clinic!
Dr. Salek,
We received the check and the adorable card. Saying “thank you” is not enough to express how appreciative we are for Susie Bean Gives helping us provide our services to families in need. We too look forward to a lasting relationship with your foundation.
My best,
Carolyn Peterson, MA
Director
The Bridge: Social Learning Center
(512) 238-5858
www.thebridgesocial.com
Music therapy is a research-based treatment shown to be an effective modality for individuals on the autism spectrum to address a variety of functional non-musical goals. Susie Bean Gives scholarships have allowed some of our clients the opportunity to participate in group music therapy that would otherwise be unable to due to financial demands. This funding helps to provide services that foster group dynamics using music based interventions as a catalyst for social interaction.
Our client’s success is not only fostered by the power of music itself, the strength of our clients and our dedicated therapists, but undoubtedly, the ongoing support from our community. We are grateful to partner with such a great organization as Susie Bean Gives and value their wholehearted generosity in providing the music therapy services that our clients so desperately need.
Kate Harrison, MT-BC
Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow
Owner/Director
kate@harrisoncentermt.com
Susie Bean Gives has made accessing scholarships for Social Skills Playhouse families a breeze! The forms and process is simple making it both provider and client friendly. We always receive prompt communications and scholarship funds within 3-5 days. We feel blessed to offer our services to families who would otherwise be unable to participate because of Susie Bean Gives. Erin Webb M.A. LMFT, Social Skills Playhouse, LLC
Erin Webb M.A. LMFT, Founder
Social Skills Playhouse, LLC
www.socialskillsplayhouse.com
713-838-5222
Erin@socialskillsplayhouse.com
Susie Bean has created an extremely beneficial, simple, and generous way of helping families in need receive treatment. The scholarship form is easy to fill out and the money is sent immediately. They have made it possible for many of our families to receive ABA and Music Therapy that they couldn’t otherwise afford. We are so grateful for Susie Bean!
Erin Breen, MS
Viridian Center for Early Intervention
eamcclure@gmail.com
The Susie Bean Gives scholarships have made a tremendous difference in the lives of the families whose children attend our early intervention program, ABA-SkIP. Although partially funded by the state, the services are too costly for the majority of our parents to afford. These scholarships enable us to provide children enrolled in our program 15 hours of behavior therapy per week at no cost to the majority of our families. A total of 9 families have received scholarships this year. The process for securing these scholarships for our parents is easy and efficient.
Dorothea Lerman, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Professor of Psychology
Coordinator, Behavior Analysis Program
Director, Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
University of Houston, Clear Lake
2700 Bay Area Blvd., Campus Box 245
Houston, TX 77058
(281) 283-3437
lerman@uhcl.edu
Good Morning! I wanted to Thank you for the support you provided to my son and I to have Robin Rettie assist me in advocating a meeting. It means a lot to me and my family knowing that there is assistance available in a time of need. Since Robin assisted me with advocating the ARD meeting it taught me things to look for and how to go up against the school.
Thank you for again for supporting Robin, Trayton and myself!!!
Sincerely,
Tiffany Kidd
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude in awarding my son with a scholarship for services for Child Advocacy. Our advocate has been an exceptional ally in my quest for appropriate education for our son. We have struggled with his “unknown/unanswered” situation for about 5 years and the advocate has given me a new hope. Her visibility at the ISD has made them more cooperative to listen to my requests and put a more serious review and importance of my son’s education.
Please continue your great service for other families.
Sincerely,
Mother
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