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:: Our Mission

The goal of HEART is to implement effective educational supports and programming for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders so that each student will learn at an individualized pace to maximize their potential. We will provide education, encouragement and resources to those involved in the lives of these students in order to promote a caring, nurturing environment where flexibility and high expectations are maintained.
 
What is Autism?
The following definition is from the Autism Society of America:

AUTISM is a severely incapacitating lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It occurs in approximately fifteen out of every 10,000 births and is four times more common in boys than girls. It has been found throughout the world in families of all racial, ethnic and social backgrounds. No known factors in the psychological environment of a child have been shown to cause autism.

The symptoms are caused by physical disorders of the brain. They include:

  1. Disturbances in the rate of appearance of physical, social and language skills.
  2. Abnormal responses to sensations. Any one or a combination of senses or responses are affected: sight, hearing, touch, pain, balance, smell, taste, and the way a child holds his body.
  3. Speech and language are absent or delayed while specific thinking capabilities might be present.
  4. Abnormal ways of relating to people, objects and events.

Autism occurs by itself or in association with other disorders which affect the function of the brain such as viral infections, metabolic disturbances, and epilepsy. It is important to distinguish autism from retardation or mental disorders since diagnostic confusion may result in referral to inappropriate and ineffective treatment techniques. The severe form of the syndrome may include extreme self-injurious, repetitive, highly unusual and aggressive behavior. Special educational programs using behavioral methods have proven to be the most helpful treatment.

AUTISM IS TREATABLE -- Early diagnosis and intervention are vital to the future development of the child.

There are five kinds of autism, which is why doctors use the term autism spectrum disorder. The three main types of autism include:

  • Classic autism
  • Asperger's syndrome — A milder form
  • Nonspecific pervasive developmental disorder (PDD-NOS) — Used to describe a group of children who don't quite fit the criteria for the other types

There are also two rare autism disorders:

  • Rett syndrome — A neurodevelopmental disorder that affects mostly girls. It includes problems with movement and speech, along with autistic features
  • Childhood disintegrative disorder — A severe type in which the child loses more physical, language and social skills than in classic autism