In May of 2022, Lighthouse Autism Center is celebrating 10 years of business. This would not be possible without our clients. These families were some of the first families to receive services at Lighthouse Autism Center and helped build a strong foundation. We would not be where we are today without them! Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Autism Center and for trusting us to provide compassionate care and for being a part of our story.
Meet: John and Tara Antonucci, parents of Hunter
Hunter’s Lighthouse Story
Hunter attended Lighthouse Autism Center Park Place and Edison Lakes between 2012 and 2018. He was nine years old when he first enrolled.
Lighthouse Journey:
Tell us about your favorite memory from your child’s time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
Hunter loved all the staff at Lighthouse- and he would frequently try to “butter “them up with hugs to get out of his work.
Tell us something your child does or is independent with now that you attribute to their time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
Hunter learned to dress himself, basics of following one and two step direction, all important daily life skills doing laundry, using the microwave and basic hygiene like teeth brushing and flossing.
How did Lighthouse help your family and child reach their goals?
Lighthouse gave us hope, an outstanding support system of other parents in our area who were dealing with issues with the schools and overall, a resource for ABA therapy that was new to the community at the time. Gregg and Sandy were truly angels for providing this resource to parents in the community.
What advice would you give prospective parents who are considering Lighthouse Autism Center for their child?
Lighthouse is an outstanding resource!
At LAC, we are seeing incredible progress made by our learners every day.
In May of 2022, Lighthouse Autism Center is celebrating 10 years of business. This would not be possible without our clients. These families were some of the first families to receive services at Lighthouse Autism Center and helped build a strong foundation. We would not be where we are today without them! Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Autism Center and for trusting us to provide compassionate care and for being a part of our story.
About Ginny
Ginny attended Lighthouse Autism Center Park Place and Edison Lakes between 2012 and 2017. She was 12 years old when she first enrolled.
Ginny’s Lighthouse Journey
Tell us about your favorite memory from your child’s time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
How happy she was to go to Lighthouse and see all her friends and therapists. We (Ginny) still sees and interacts with a couple therapists and friends she made at Lighthouse.
Tell us something your child does or is independent with now that you attribute to their time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
Ginny is able to put on her socks and shoes with minimal help, she can brush her teeth without much help and apply deodorant. She can put on her coat and her shirts. And she can undress completely by herself. She uses utensils and can pour a drink (most of the time). She can complete simple puzzles and color. She will swing independently on her swing set, enjoys walking on the treadmill and of course she enjoys a good ‘dance party’!
How did Lighthouse help your family and child reach their goals?
Ginny grew in ways we didn’t think would be possible. Lighthouse Autism Center gave us the support we needed to help Ginny be as successful as possible. We are so grateful that Lighthouse was a part of our lives and our daughter’s life. LAC is truly a game changer. A dream would be an LAC for adults – adult day services.
What advice would you give prospective parents who are considering Lighthouse Autism Center for their child?
Trust the BCBA’s and RBT’s they know what they are doing, and they have your child’s best interest in mind. Follow through with what they are doing at the center at home as much as you possibly can. Have them partner with your child’s school and be a strong advocate for your child. You won’t know what your child is capable of if you do not try different tasks/skills.
At LAC, we are seeing incredible progress made by our learners every day.
In May of 2022, Lighthouse Autism Center is celebrating 10 years of business. This would not be possible without our clients. These families were some of the first families to receive services at Lighthouse Autism Center and helped build a strong foundation. We would not be where we are today without them! Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Autism Center and for trusting us to provide compassionate care and for being a part of our story.
Meet: Tom and Christi Sexton, parents of Dylan
Dylan’s Lighthouse Story
Dylan attended Lighthouse Autism Center Park Place and Edison Lakes between 2012 and 2017. He was 12 years old when he first enrolled.
Lighthouse Journey:
Tell us about your favorite memory from your child’s time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
We have several, but I think one of the parties they had where Dylan was laughing and dancing around. He absolutely loves music.
Tell us something your child does or is independent with now that you attribute to their time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
He’s very polite. He always says “please” and “no thank you” if he does not want something. Even if he’s yelling it, he’s still polite.
How did Lighthouse help your family and child reach their goals?
Lighthouse has helped in so many ways.
What advice would you give prospective parents who are considering Lighthouse Autism Center for their child?
We would encourage them to go. Lighthouse has been such an important part of our lives. They have been so incredibly helpful in every way. Having to take your not very verbal child to a place and leave them is a very scary thing. I felt so relaxed when he was there rather than a regular school. I knew he was being taken care of and that I didn’t need to worry about his safety. That is huge for us parents!
At LAC, we are seeing incredible progress made by our learners every day.
In May of 2022, Lighthouse Autism Center is celebrating 10 years of business. This would not be possible without our clients. These families were some of the first families to receive services at Lighthouse Autism Center and helped build a strong foundation. We would not be where we are today without them! Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Autism Center and for trusting us to provide compassionate care and for being a part of our story.
Meet: Lisa Cook, parent of Ally
Ally’s Lighthouse Story
Ally attended Lighthouse Autism Center in Mishawaka between 2012 and 2013. She was four years old when she first enrolled.
Lighthouse Journey:
Ally was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two. The specialist at the Mayo Clinic told us about ABA therapy. He painted a picture of what Ally’s life would be like if we continued with the limited therapies she was receiving (not graduating high school or living alone as an adult) and then what her life could be like with ABA therapy. We were living in a small town in Iowa at the time and there were no ABA centers in the state. We struggled for another year, until our insurance stopped covering the limited therapies she was receiving. It became clear that Ally would not thrive if we stayed in Iowa. She was an expert escape artist, dismantling every child lock system we installed. We struggled to keep her safe in our own home. She was not verbal and any change in routine led to hours of meltdowns. We took a huge leap of faith, left good jobs and put our house on the market and moved here.
Long story short, we fought insurance for another year to get ABA coverage and so many doors slammed shut. My favorite memory from LAC was the first time we met Gregg and Sandy and they shared their story. They gave us so much hope. They offered the last spot at the Mishawaka center to Ally. Sandy helped us move mountains with insurance. The staff that worked with Ally was so creative in finding ways to motivate her. My favorite was the paper ballerinas they made with her and hung from the ceiling over her workspace. She still has them. Over the course of 1 year Ally’s speech exploded. She went from using a few sentences to get her needs met, to talking nonstop about everything. She no longer attempted to escape our house and her tantrums became few and far between. She went from eating 3-4 different foods to trying new foods daily. But it is really so much more than the measurable goals and data sheets. When Ally was little, I could see in her eyes that she understood every word I said, and I wanted so desperately to connect with her. The biggest impact that LAC had on our family was bridging that connection. My husband and I have a relationship with her that we didn’t think was possible. I love the depth of our conversations and her unique perspectives. Ally is a prime example of the profound impact of early intervention.
Lighthouse did an amazing job transitioning her into kindergarten. She has had several outstanding teachers in elementary school that have continued to build upon the foundation that was started at LAC. She is now a straight A student and has scored above average on the ILearn 3 years in a row. She no longer has an IEP. Her robotics team made it to state and placed 2nd overall. She loves to fish, plays guitar, is competitive in archery, and boys…so many boys. More importantly, she’s happy. She’s becoming a great advocate for herself. She remembers a lot from her time at LAC and wishes that every child with autism could go there because of how much it helped her.
We sacrificed so much and fought so long to get ABA therapy for Ally. It was so worth it. It blows my mind that other parents would hesitate to send their child to Lighthouse Autism Center. I would love for them to meet Ally.
We have been thrilled to see how Lighthouse has rapidly expanded over the past 10 years and how many more families you have been able to help.
At LAC, we are seeing incredible progress made by our learners every day.
In May of 2022, Lighthouse Autism Center is celebrating 10 years of business. This would not be possible without our clients. These families were some of the first families to receive services at Lighthouse Autism Center and helped build a strong foundation. We would not be where we are today without them! Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Autism Center and for trusting us to provide compassionate care and for being a part of our story.
Meet: Jodi and David Donathen, parents of Alexis
Alexis’ Lighthouse Story
Alexis attended Lighthouse Autism Center Park Place and Edison Lakes between 2012 and 2017. She was 12 years old when she first enrolled. Lexi was the eleventh client to join at Lighthouse Autism Center’s very first center! The group of kiddos that attended with her have a very special bond to this day as well as the group of parents. These families continue to cheer each other on and pick each other up. They consider the group as one big family.
Lighthouse Journey:
Tell us about your favorite memory from your child’s time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
The holiday party at Christmas time. We enjoyed watching Lexi participate in the stations and the camaraderie between she and the other members of her pod. Every season brought a special event, but Santa and his elves sparked a special light with our girl.
Tell us something your child does or is independent with now that you attribute to their time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
Lexi’s independence with self-help was vastly improved while in attendance at the center(s). She has continued to dress herself with minimal cueing and assist. LAC helped us to see her potential and carry the tools and tactics used by the therapist to Segway into her everyday life at home.
How did Lighthouse help your family and child reach their goals?
Lighthouse Autism Center helped us be better equipped to recognize her abilities and to let her grow as an individual.
What advice would you give prospective parents who are considering Lighthouse Autism Center for their child?
Jump. Feet first! Be ready to watch your child bloom and grow. But the work is not just for your child. Be prepared to step back and work yourselves. It’s a team initiative. The work doesn’t stop at the center. Ask questions and reflect at how your household can begin mimicking the work that is being done during the day. Join in your child’s education in a new and functional way that acknowledges who they are as an individual, not a standard set of prewritten and defined goals and objectives set forth by a district or corporation. The program is not cookie cutter/one size fits all. It is an individualized education program (IEP) that is truly centered around your learner.
At LAC, we are seeing incredible progress made by our learners every day.
In May of 2022, Lighthouse Autism Center is celebrating 10 years of business. This would not be possible without our clients. These families were some of the first families to receive services at Lighthouse Autism Center and helped build a strong foundation. We would not be where we are today without them! Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Autism Center and for trusting us to provide compassionate care and for being a part of our story.
Meet: Kub and Cheryl Marshman, parents of Adam
Adam’s Lighthouse Story
Adam attended Lighthouse Autism Center Park Place and Edison Lakes between 2012 and 2015. He was 11 years old when he first enrolled.
Lighthouse Journey:
Tell us about your favorite memory from your child’s time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
Adam was potty trained by Lighthouse staff. This was such a challenge that so many parents struggle with.
Tell us something your child does or is independent with now that you attribute to their time at Lighthouse Autism Center.
Before Lighthouse, Adam’s diet consisted of a lot of milk, yogurt, and snack type foods. Lighthouse came to our house at dinner time and after roughly 5 days of therapy, encouragement, and rewards, Adam was eating the same meals we were. It was a remarkable turnaround. Today, he eats a large variety of foods including every food group.
How did Lighthouse help your family and child reach their goals?
Goals were documented, and progress data driven and measured. There were regularly scheduled in person progress meetings and reports on goals and progress.
What advice would you give prospective parents who are considering Lighthouse Autism Center for their child?
You are the parents of your child. No one knows your child like you do. Put your trust in a group of people who have nothing but your child’s best interest at heart. At some point you have thought, “I know my kid has more potential than what I’ve been led to believe”. Lighthouse and you can uncover that potential.
At LAC, we are seeing incredible progress made by our learners every day.
Get to know the Compassionate Team of Clinical Experts at Lighthouse Autism Center
Janine Shapiro’s Lighthouse Story
Janine Shapiro is the Lighthouse Fusion Director. She has an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders, a graduate degree in speech-language pathology, and a certificate in applied behavior analysis. She has been a speech-language pathologist for 16 years and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for 14 years.
What made you decide on a career in therapy?
I have two younger siblings who presented with developmental speech disorders. I grew up in clinical waiting rooms! My parents had enormous respect and gratitude towards my brothers’ speech therapist; she was a hero in our house!
What inspires/drives you?
I’m inspired by the progress I see each day. I am driven to create new techniques- Fusion procedures- that produce results parents and other practitioners never dreamed possible.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Working alongside and collaborating with some truly brilliant speech and behavior analytic clinicians. I look forward to going to the office each day. I’m passionate about my career, which I don’t view as work. I’m extraordinarily lucky.
How has this career path impacted you?
I do not take anything for granted. I live a very grateful life. I’m most thankful for the families who trust me to give their children a voice.
What advice would you give to those seeking a Similar career path?
When offered an opportunity to learn, raise your hand! Add as many techniques to your toolbox as possible; each one will one day bring a learner a step closer to better communication and a more independent life. Seek out great mentors.
Why Lighthouse Autism Center?
Lighthouse has embraced the Fusion model, which I believe is key to enhance ABA therapy effectiveness. I’m thrilled for this platform to share Fusion techniques with more learners and professionals.
What is your favorite part about Lighthouse Autism Center?
The friendly clinical and admin staff.
What Lighthouse Autism Center value to you identify most with?
Putting a premium on innovation and creativity. Lighthouse has demonstrated their commitment to this value through the development of Lighthouse Fusion.
What is a fun/unique fact about you?
My family is South African.
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
Get to know the Compassionate Team of Clinical Experts at Lighthouse Autism Center
Ashley Tells Us About Her Time Working At Lighthouse
Ashley Whitaker is a dually certified speech-language pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst at Lighthouse Autism Center. She has a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis. She has been in practice for nine years.
What made you decide on a career in therapy?
I always knew that I wanted to teach, but I didn’t know in what way. I loved the personalization I saw in speech therapy and ABA therapy and knew that I wanted to help make an impact in the lives of children and families.
What inspires/drives you?
The success of our learners and our families that support our learners every day.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Watching our learners have success!
How has this career path impacted you?
This career path inspires me daily to be better and do better for our learners and their families. It pushes me to think outside of the box to come up with interventions to make significant change.
What advice would you give to those seeking a Similar career path?
Ask questions and don’t be afraid to learn something new!
Why Lighthouse Autism Center?
Lighthouse’s commitment to families is inspiring.
What is your favorite part about Lighthouse Autism Center?
Commitment to the happiness of families and staff.
What Lighthouse Autism Center value to you identify most with?
Care about people more than anything.
What is a fun/unique fact about you?
I’ve walked the red carpet at the Emmy’s before!
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
Get to know the Compassionate Team of Clinical Experts at Lighthouse Autism Center
Emily Sears’ Lighthouse Story
Emily Sears is a dually certified speech-language pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst at Lighthouse Autism Center. She received her master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Ball State University in 2010 and completed her BCBA coursework through Florida Institute of Technology in 2011. She became a licensed SLP in 2011 and was certified as a behavior analyst in 2012. She has been in practice for 14 years.
What made you decide on a career in therapy?
I had briefly heard about ABA in one of my undergraduate classes and it sparked my interest enough to delve further. I found a clinic near me that had a dually certified practitioner on staff and reached out asking about internship opportunities. During that internship, I completely fell in love with the science of behavior analysis. I saw how seamlessly it blended with speech pathology and how much more effective it made my therapy to utilize both sciences together. I was committed from that moment to become dually certified and work with this population.
What inspires/drives you?
The effectiveness of the science is what drives me. Seeing the progress of our learners and the dedication of the entire team is what continues to inspire me.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of this job is witnessing the successes of our learners. I love watching our clients learn a new skill and how the entire team celebrates each milestone. I also really love watching our learners find their voice, whether it be vocally or through an alternative method of communication. It really is life changing.
How has this career path impacted you?
This career path has impacted me in so many ways. First, I am excited and passionate about going to work every day, which has positively impacted my personal happiness. Over the past 14 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented behavior analysts and speech pathologists, which has positively impacted my effectiveness as a practitioner. This career path has also positively impacted me as a mother. I am more patient. I can slow down, recognize, and celebrate my children’s successes, no matter how small they may seem.
What advice would you give to those seeking a Similar career path?
You won’t regret it. You get to work with the best kids, while positively shifting the trajectory of so many lives.
Why Lighthouse Autism Center?
I’ve been passionate about bridging the gap between speech pathology and behavior analysis for over a decade now. With the Lighthouse Fusion model, we are finally able to do that on a larger scale. I’m proud to be a part of such an exceptional team of both speech pathologists and behavior analysts.
What is your favorite part about Lighthouse Autism Center?
My favorite part about Lighthouse is that we are truly committed to providing compassionate care and quality therapy to children with autism. I love our collaborative model and how we all work together towards achieving a common goal.
What Lighthouse Autism Center value to you identify most with?
“Care about people more than anything.” I think if we all start there, everything else falls into place.
What is a fun/unique fact about you?
I have three young boys, so I’m well-versed in the areas of bug catching, ninja wrestling, and getting stains out of pretty much anything.
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
Congratulations to our 2022 Autism Awareness Scholarship Recipient
In 2020, Lighthouse Autism Center established the Lighthouse Autism Center Autism Awareness scholarship. This scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance to an individual enrolled at a college or university as an undergraduate student in their junior or senior year, preferably in an area that we currently serve. While we had many impressive applications, Heather Hilliard was selected as the awardee for this scholarship.
Autism Awareness Scholarship Winner
Heather Hillard is a senior undergraduate student at Ball State University. Heather is pursuing a bachelors in speech pathology with a minor in educational psychology. She is a first-generation college student who strives to make her goals of achieving a master’s degree in speech-language pathology, into a reality.
Heather chose this major for many reasons, but the biggest one has been the incredible speech-language pathologists that influenced her in her own early development. Heather was a child who experienced a slow speech development and was diagnosed with apraxia of speech. She had surgery for tubes to be placed in her ears at 2 years-old, and she knew it was something she was going to be dealing with for a while, with many speech therapists to come.
Shortly after that, Heather found herself at the young age of three, working with an at-home speech-language pathologist, followed by a year in the Pals Program at the local high school, a year of Head Start at an elementary school, and finally working with another elementary school’s SLP during her kindergarten year.
This really resonated with Heather as she started researching her options for a college and a field of study, since this was a challenge that she faced as a child. Heather knew that in her heart it was right where she needed to be in order to get speech therapy to kids as young as possible to reach their unlimited potential.
Heather has worked in prior roles as a substitute teacher as well as a Registered Behavior Technician. She attributes these experiences to creating the pathway for her to pursue a career in speech pathology. Heather enjoys working with children and finding creative ways to make speech activities effective and fun. She has worked with children with a variety of disabilities, nonverbal and limited speaking abilities.
Heather is a responsible student who values and practices hard work and rigorous study. She has maintained an impressive 3.9 GPA and has been named on the Dean’s List every semester at Ball State University. Heather plans to apply to Ball State’s graduate program upon completing her undergraduate degree and will work towards earning her SLP-A certification. She hopes to provide speech services to Central Indiana and surrounding communities to continue giving back to the state that has allowed her to flourish into the young adult that she has become today.
Get to know the Compassionate Team of Clinical Experts at Lighthouse Autism Center
Sam’s Lighthouse Story
Sam Farber is a speech-language pathologist at Lighthouse Autism Center. She has a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing sciences from Indiana University Bloomington and received her master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University. She has been in practice for six years. Sam recently enrolled at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in May 2022 to pursue her master’s in behavior analysis. She will join the team of three other dually certified SLP-BCBAs at Lighthouse Autism Center.
What made you decide on a career in therapy?
I have two brothers with autism and saw first-hand how therapies could impact not only their lives, but the lives of their loved ones as well.
What inspires/drives you?
My brothers and the clients I get to work with.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Seeing the impact for the kids and their families when they are able to communicate.
How has this career path impacted you?
This career has impacted me very positively both personally and professionally. I get to work with wonderful clients who teach me just as much as I get to teach them and seeing them have a lot of success and go on to bigger and better things really is the highlight for me.
What advice would you give to those seeking a Similar career path?
I would advise them to get experience and volunteer for a variety of different organizations that support individuals with special needs. Not everyone has the experience of growing up with siblings with autism and getting that exposure helps you find what you are most interested such as ages of client, type of setting you want (clinic based vs. home based), etc.
Why Lighthouse Autism Center?
My sister works as a BCBA at Lighthouse and spoke highly of it. I also had general understanding of ABA since I also worked with individuals with autism and grew up with my brothers, which is not common for an SLP. I was interested in the opportunity to work with clients with ASD since each child is so unique and wanted to provide a service that was not available to Lighthouse Autism Center at the time.
What is your favorite part about Lighthouse Autism Center?
The collaboration with the BCBA’s and the families for the clients.
What Lighthouse Autism Center value to you identify most with?
“Care about people more than anything”
What is a fun/unique fact about you?
My favorite season is the summer and I prefer to spend my time off in the sun and on the lake.
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
Get to know the Compassionate Team of Clinical Experts at Lighthouse Autism Center
Emily Lourash’s Lighthouse Story
Emily Lourash is a speech-language pathologist at Lighthouse Autism Center. She has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in speech-language pathology, both from Indiana State University. She has been in practice for six years. Emily recently enrolled at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in May 2022 to pursue her master’s in behavior analysis. She will join the team of three other dually certified SLP-BCBAs at Lighthouse Autism Center.
What made you decide on a career in therapy?
My youngest brother has DiGeorge Syndrome, and we always went to therapy with him during the summer. I loved helping him with his speech therapy homework!
What inspires/drives you?
Providing an effective way for children to communicate their wants and needs.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Watching the progress and seeing the therapists, BCBA’s, and family’s face light up when their client/child has learned a new sound or way to communicate effectively.
How has this career path impacted you?
It has made me more empathetic in public when I see anyone with a disability.
What advice would you give to those seeking a Similar career path?
Stick with it! The classes are difficult, but the career is SO rewarding; no matter what span of life you are working with!
Why Lighthouse Autism Center?
I love the employees and the care they provide for all of the learners and families!
What is your favorite part about Lighthouse Autism Center?
My favorite part about Lighthouse is the way they care for their staff and the clients!
What Lighthouse Autism Center value to you identify most with?
“Judge people by more than their metrics” because there is much more to people than their stats, scores, diagnoses, and behaviors we see upon initially meeting.
What is a fun/unique fact about you?
My husband drag races so we spend majority of our summers at the race track!
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
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Lighthouse Autism Center offers ABA therapy for children with autism. Contact us to learn how our innovative clinical model can help your child make greater progress, faster, all while having fun.
