HJEC April 2025 Newsletter

What's Happening?

April 2025

• 4/21/25-4/25/25 - April Vacation - School Closed
• 4/30/25 - Parent Advisory Group - Transition Timeline for ages 20-22

May 2025

• 5/5/25 - Cinco De Mayo Team Celebrations 
• 5/8/25 - Spring Fling Dance
• 5/9/25 - Staff Development Day - No School for Students
• 5/13/25 - Stone Zoo
• 5/14/25 - Drums Alive
• 5/17/25 - Family Meet-up - Breakheart Reservation 
• 5/19/25 - Animal Affairs
• 5/22/25 - Sports Clinic - Basketball
• 5/23/25 - Staff Development Day - No School for Students
• 5/26/25 - Memorial Day - No School

Fostering Social Communication

Happy April! We want to take a moment to highlight some key aspects of speech and language development that are important for students with autism. This month, we will focus on building communication skills, understanding social interactions, and providing tips for at-home activities to help support your student’s progress.

Social Communication and Peer Interactions

For many students, navigating social interactions can be a challenge. One key area we focus on is helping students understand and use social cues effectively. Social communication includes a variety of skills, such as:

• Understanding non-verbal cues: Reading body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
• Initiating and maintaining conversations: Knowing how to start a conversation, keep it going, and take turns.
• Understanding emotions: Recognizing how others feel and learning to express feelings appropriately.

Tips for Supporting Social Communication at Home:

1. Practice Social Stories: Social stories are short, simple stories that describe social situations and appropriate responses. For example, a story about how to greet a friend or how to ask to join a game can be very helpful.
2. Role-Playing: Role-playing different social scenarios can help your student practice how to engage in conversations. Start with simple exchanges, like “Hi, how are you?” and work your way up to more complex dialogues.
3. Use Visual Supports: Many students with autism benefit from visual cues to help them understand social situations. This can include visual schedules or emotion cards to help your student communicate.
4. Provide Positive Reinforcement: Celebrate your student’s efforts when they successfully engage in social interactions, whether it’s making eye contact, saying “hello,” or waiting their turn in a conversation.

Understanding and Managing Anxiety:

Many students with autism experience anxiety, especially in social situations. Here are some strategies to help manage anxiety related to communication:

• Predictability: Let your student know what to expect. If they will be asked to speak in front of the class or participate in a group activity, talk about it in advance.
• Use Calming Techniques: Deep breathing, sensory breaks, or quiet spaces can help manage overwhelming feelings.
• Empathy and Patience: Be patient and validate your student’s feelings. If they are feeling anxious, offer comfort and reassure them that it’s okay to take a break if needed.

A Reminder About Communication and Individual Differences:

It’s important to remember that every student with autism is unique. While some students may be highly verbal, others may have limited verbal communication. Regardless of their current communication skills, all students benefit from being given the tools and opportunities to communicate in a way that works for them. AAC systems, like picture boards or speech-generating devices, can be incredibly effective. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about supporting your student’s communication needs!

We hope you enjoy the rest of the month and continue to find ways to nurture and celebrate your student's communication skills.

- Shauna King M.S., CCC-SLP and Rachel Brown M.S., CCC-SLP

Out Like a Light: Tips for Creating Bedtime Routines

Sleep problems are common among typically developing children, and unfortunately, even more common for autistic children. Several factors may influence and create sleep problems. For this reason, sleep problems are often child-specific and require an initial assessment to determine the root causes and identify the appropriate intervention. For children who may have difficulties falling asleep, a first step can be creating a bedtime routine.

An important component of falling asleep quickly is having a consistent bedtime routine. This could include activities such as putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, and engaging in some quiet activities such as looking at books or playing quietly for a set amount of time before bed. Additionally, having a consistent, set bedtime can help children fall asleep more quickly. One consideration to remember when creating a bedtime routine, is that it should be calming to help the child prepare to sleep. For example, reading to your child or having him or her play quietly (e.g., drawing or coloring) is likely going to be more effective than watching television, playing on an electronic device, or engaging in high-energy activities (e.g., running around the house or playing energetic games with family members). 

Despite having a consistent bedtime routine, some children may require additional support to go to bed and fall asleep quickly. For children who go to bed but experience delays to falling asleep, in some cases, an intervention called “Faded Bedtime” can be helpful. This intervention involves figuring out what time the child typically falls asleep, and temporarily moving their bedtime to a later time. For example, if a child usually goes to bed at 8:30 pm, but doesn’t fall asleep until 10 pm, “Faded Bedtime" would involve temporarily moving their bedtime to a later time (e.g., 10:30 pm). The rationale behind this intervention is simple: if a child is tired, he or she may be more likely to fall asleep quickly and begin to create a healthier sleep pattern. After a child is falling asleep quickly with their later bedtime, caregivers gradually make the bedtime earlier (e.g., from 10:30 pm to 10:00 pm, then 10 pm to 9:30 pm, and continue adjusting the time they put the child to bed until they are at the desired bedtime), assuming the child is still falling asleep quickly. In some cases, the bedtime may need to be moved earlier by 15 minutes, or moved later if the child doesn’t fall asleep quickly. Additionally, some children can benefit from remaining active and awake throughout the day. For example, if a child is sleeping during the day, it’s possible that they may be less tired in the evening when it’s time to start their bedtime routine. It can be helpful to engage the child in stimulating activities and social interactions when they appear tired during the day. This may help them remain awake and ready for bed at night!

For some children who have trouble falling asleep quickly, consistent and quiet bedtime routines may support healthier sleep patterns. “Faded Bedtime” can be an effective intervention component for children who continue to experience delays to falling asleep, even after they have a consistent bedtime routine. If children take naps during the day, beyond what is developmentally typical, and then have difficulties falling asleep, it may be beneficial to prevent or reduce these naps by engaging the child in activities when they appear tired. Overall, these are some steps that may be helpful to create more consistent and successful bedtime routines, and result in children falling asleep quicker. In some cases, children may have sleep interfering behavior, and in some cases want their caregivers attention, rather than going to sleep. In next month’s edition of Clinical Corner, we’ll explore some additional strategies that may help with these types of sleep problems.

References: 

Luiselli, J. K. (2021). Applied behavior analysis measurement, assessment, and treatment of sleep and sleep‐related problems. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 54(2), 654-667.

Mission Moment: Inspiring Hope, Building Potential and Creating Opportunities

Our Mission

Hopeful Journeys’ mission is to provide quality and individualized education to children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities.  We strive to build better futures for children and families by helping them to reach their fullest potential and enabling them to live more productive and independent lives.

"HJEC mission means we are changing our students' lives and setting them up for a brighter future post-grad. Not only are we changing their lives, we are also helping their families as well. We are teaching our students to build connections with their families and community as well as reaching their potential."

-AJ Gonzales, SPED Teacher (Team E)

Student Spotlight: Alex!

We’re so excited to introduce Alex for this month’s student spotlight! Alex started at Hopeful Journeys in 2021, and has been on team F since the summer of 2023 - we could not imagine our team without him! Alex is a caring, fun, and hardworking individual who truly enjoys his days here at Hopeful Journeys. When you see Alex throughout the halls, he always has a smile on his face. Alex comes into school eager to say good morning to his teachers and peers and begin his school day. Throughout the school year, Alex has made tremendous progress in all skill areas. 

While completing academics, Alex is always so proud of himself no matter what he is working on and really enjoys his work! Alex has demonstrated a strength in reading by mastering several Edmark reading lessons and comprehension activities. He also is a pro at typing his first and last name on his AAC device. Alex works hard with his independent living tasks. He has mastered using the microwave to prepare his lunch and is able to complete a leisure routine where he draws or completes a puzzle independently for up to twenty minutes! Alex is building his vocational skill repertoire. He has learned to fill first aid kits and is able to both staple and hole punch papers. Alex helps keep the cafeteria and cluster clean by completing various cleaning tasks and always is so proud to show off his hard work when he is finished. During his breaks from work, Alex enjoys looking at wolf (“Wolfie”) and umpire printouts, time in the computer lab, and he absolutely loves playing outside with his teachers!

Alex really looks forward to the groups and activities that Hopeful Journeys offers. He’s always excited to go to gym, art, and music classes with his classmates. Additionally, Alex has been really enjoying attending Team F’s social group. He has increased independence with raising his hand to help answer daily calendar questions and play games with his peers.  Alex also enjoys the school field trips. Whether it’s Connor’s Farm, Roller World, In the Game, or Stone Zoo, Alex comes in looking forward to his time in the community! He enjoys eating lunch with his classmates, seeing the animals at the zoo and the farm, and playing games at the arcade. Alex also loves to join the Family Meet-ups and his favorite outing was getting ice cream at Richardsons!  Alex really loves his time at the school dances. He’s always on the dance floor dancing away with everyone. Alex brightens up everyone’s day and we are so lucky to have him on Team F. We know Alex will continue to make significant progress here and we are so excited to see everything he continues to accomplish!

Student Spotlight: Emily!

In 2009, Emily joined Hopeful Journeys, where she has made great progress in many areas. Emily is described as silly, funny, and caring, but most importantly, she is thoughtful. She loves to make others smile and laugh, and while doing so, she makes herself laugh, too. Emily has made great friends on Team E and enjoys sharing jokes and playing games throughout her day. A special fact about Emily is her astounding knowledge of trivia and guessing games. You can count on her to be your cheerleader– she loves cheering and pumping up others, students and staff alike.  

Emily is also progressing in speech, money skills, and vocational tasks. When working on speech, Emily focuses on making her words clearer. She loves to talk to her teachers about her weekend, recall things she has done throughout her day, and talk about her interests, giving her lots of opportunities to work on her speech intelligibility. Emily has enhanced her knowledge in academics by reading numbers and using an ATM machine, including typing in her pin number which is an important life skill! 

Another area where Emily has shown growth is her vocational skills in the classroom and on the job. Within the class, Emily works on vocational tasks for an increasing duration of time, allowing her to complete vocational work independently and giving her the tools to complete this work in community settings. Emily shows off the skills she has worked on within the class when she arrives at her vocational jobs. At Miller Mortgage, Emily worked on tasks such as shredding paper, wiping tables, mirrors, and doors, sweeping, vacuuming, and taking out trash when she finished cleaning. Emily started a new job at Backbeat, in 2024, where she sweeps the floors and washes the tables.

Emily is not only a great addition to team E, but one of the original Team E students!  She brings copious amounts of joy, fun, and laughter to everyone she encounters. Her excitement and positivity are contagious to all. We are so proud of Emily’s continued growth and progress. Team E and Hopeful Journeys would not be the same without her!

This is Us: Nick & Lauren

“We were lucky enough to enroll both of our twins, Nicholas and Lauren, at the same time in 2016. Nine years later, their shared experience at Hopeful Journey’s has been remarkable. Each child has very different and profound needs that have been perfectly met by the wonderful staff and curriculum at the school. They could not be happier nor look forward to their school days any more than they do. Hopeful Journey’s has absolutely been the best thing to have happened to our family.” -Ben and Julie Simonds

A Vocational Roadmap: Preparing for the Workplace

At Hopeful Journeys, we are dedicated to equipping our students with the foundational skills necessary for success in the workplace. We understand that employment and meaningful vocational activities are crucial for adulthood, offering greater independence, financial benefit, increased opportunities, and broader social interactions. From day one, we prioritize and are dedicated to planning for each student’s future employment and independence. 

In our Vocational Roadmap series, we will explore the structured steps and components critical to preparing our students for success within meaningful vocational experiences. Each entry will dive into these different aspects, starting with the important building block of prerequisite skill development.

Our vocational training begins with developing prerequisite skills, which are foundational for developing more complex skills in the future. For instance, a student aiming for a cleaning position might start by using wipes and gradually progress to handling a spray bottle and cloth. Similarly, a student preparing for a cashier role would begin with basic math operations. These fundamental skills also include following group instructions, adhering to a written list, and sustaining longer work periods. Prerequisite skill selection and development will always be dictated by what is necessary to complete the final job.

One of our most popular worksites is Backbeat Marketplace, a local coffee shop and European market in Beverly. Here, students engage in hour-long work shifts, several times a week, practicing various skills such as restocking, sweeping, wiping tables, setting up the patio, stamping coffee bags, and interacting with customers. To get our students ready for a new job like Backbeat we need to consider three important steps: 1. Skill Acquisition, 2. Generalization, and 3. Off-site Learning.

In the process of skill acquisition, we begin by teaching specific tasks in isolation within the school environment. Let’s consider a specific job at Backbeat, sweeping. Students first learn to handle the broom and master the sweeping motion, incorporate the use of a dustpan, and learn to dispose of swept-up items. Once the student has demonstrated independence with the skill of sweeping, the complexity of the task can be increased. The student will next be expected to learn how to identify areas that need to be swept, look around the room, look under tables, or even move to a larger room in the school. Each of these steps will help the student not just complete the task with independence but also do so thoroughly once they are at Backbeat.

Generalization ensures that students can adapt their skills to different settings and tools, preparing them for varied environments they might encounter in the workplace, such as using different types of brooms and dustpans, or cleaning spaces of differing sizes and conditions. In short, anything that could change on a job site that would allow our student to complete the task without relearning the skill. If a student is only taught to sweep at school using ripped-up paper in their classroom they may have a more challenging time at Backbeat when directed to sweep up food items or a particularly messy spill.

After learning a new skill and successfully generalizing to multiple locations and/or conditions, it’s time to practice off-site which is where all of the planning, teaching, and preparation comes together! While off-site, students are expected to take direction from the site manager and complete their assigned tasks. Teachers are there to provide support to the students and assist when needed, but the goal for our students is to work as independently as they can. While working off-site, students will begin to put their skills to use. This could include asking a site manager where an item is, using a new type of tool, asking for help when a new task is given, navigating other unexpected roadblocks, or completing a task with full independence.

While this article focuses on the beginning steps of learning new vocational skills, there are many other areas to explore to ensure our students access work environments where they thrive and find enjoyment. Please look out for future articles on the Vocational Roadmap which will cover topics such as identifying job preferences, increasing work endurance, chaining skills together, preparing for adulthood at any age, talking to the team about your child’s vocational future, and how to support vocational programming at home.

Hopeful Journeys Students Skate into Fun and Learning at Roller World!

On February 26th, the students of Hopeful Journeys headed to Roller World in Saugus, MA, for a day packed with laughter, learning, and unforgettable memories. This wasn’t just any field trip—it was a chance for our kids to shine, apply skills they learned in school in the community, and connect with that community. Roller World, with its buzzing arcade, ambient lights, and pristine rink, was the perfect spot for our students to have fun and grow.

The second our students stepped onto the rink, the energy was electric. For some, it was their first time strapping on skates, and the look of determination on their faces as they gripped their teachers’ hands was priceless. Slowly but surely, our kids found balance, inching forward with wobbly legs and big smiles. And then there were the pros—the seasoned skaters, showing off dazzling moves.

Not only was this trip an opportunity for our kids to take a break and have fun, but it also helped build independence. Each student got a ticket to exchange for skates. From there, the rental counter turned into a space to learn. Kids practiced taking off their shoes, lacing up skates, and answering personal questions like, ‘What’s your shoe size?’ with confidence. These little moments might seem ordinary, but for our students, they’re each huge steps forward. Every interaction, every shoe laced, is a building block toward greater independence.

After working up a sweat on the rink, many students enjoyed the arcade. From the sound of claw machines to video games, the arcade was buzzing with excitement. Our students dove into the games, racking up tons of tickets. One student managed to hit 250 tickets in total! The look on his face was priceless as he went around, sharing how overjoyed he was to win such a prize. The excitement was contagious as they played against one another for prizes, and celebrated each other’s wins.

Then came the best part—trading in those hard-earned tickets for prizes. The redemption counter was a flurry of decision-making. ‘Do I want the chocolate bar or save up for the stuffed animal?’ Students weighed their options, counted their tickets, and proudly handed them over to the staff. Whether they walked away with a sweet treat or a fluffy new friend, the pride on their faces was undeniable. This also provided students with a valuable opportunity to interact with community members, exchanging their tickets as one would money to a cashier.

One of the best parts of the day was seeing our students interact with the world around them. Roller World wasn’t just a rink—it was a vibrant community space where our kids practiced social skills in real-time. From saying ‘thank you’ to the skate rental staff to cheering each other on, these moments of connection make field trips so special.

For many of our students, navigating public spaces can feel overwhelming, but days like this help build confidence. They learn how to ask for help, follow directions, and engage with others in a way that feels natural and empowering. It’s not just about skating or playing games—it’s about feeling like they belong.

When the buses rolled back to school, the kids were buzzing with stories of their adventures. ‘Did you see how many tickets I won?’, ‘The pizza was delicious’, ‘I almost fell, but I didn’t!’, ‘I can’t wait to go back!’ These are the moments we live for at Hopeful Journeys—the ones where learning and joy go hand in hand.

Field trips like this one are more than just a break from routine. They’re a chance for our students to practice the skills they’ve worked so hard to learn in a real-world setting. Whether it’s paying for food, waiting in a line, lacing up skates, counting tickets, or simply sharing a laugh with a friend, every moment is a step toward growth.

We’re so proud of our students for embracing the day with such enthusiasm and courage. And a huge thank you to Roller World for being such a welcoming and inclusive space for our kids to explore, learn, and have a blast.

Spring Scavenger Hunt!

As the weather starts to get nicer, a scavenger hunt is a great way to work on a number of skills students learn at school. From communication skills to problem solving, counting, color identification, object identification, following directions and more, this activity can get students moving outside and help generalize the skills they've learned. Have fun!