What people are saying…
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“Creations of Hope is a fantastic experience in STEAM exploration for children with autism! As a Special Education Teacher, I was able to observe students from Kindergarten through 8th grade engage with this program. They learned to make choices regarding the hands-on activities they participated in, developed problem solving skills during construction-based projects, and practiced predictive questioning skills during science-based experiments. All activities were supported by robust communication options, including visual choices, directions and completed samples. My students were always excited for Makerspace and Hope's creativity is already missed by all our students and staff alike!”
— Allison Gebler, Special Education Teacher
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“I have been a teacher for students who are on the Autism Spectrum for about 7 years now and I have had the pleasure of working side by side with Hope for about 5 years. She has not only helped our students with their speech, language and communication needs but she also created a very useful and meaningful STEM program for our student population. Using a hands-on approach such as a STEM program for our students has been a game changer; they are challenged and provided with an ongoing opportunity to use problem-solving skills, turn-taking skills, social skills and higher-level thinking in a fun and interactive way. Hope is a phenomenal educator who takes the time to tailor the program to fit the needs of each individual student! Her enthusiasm for the program quickly spread throughout the school and it was more than evident in the faces of our students.”
— Natalia Amador, Teacher of Students with Disabilities
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“I want to thank Ms. Hope for her expertise and professionalism. We worked together during the school year, and she was very efficient and diligent implementing instructional techniques and strategies during our Makerspace group. Our group consisted of six preschool children with autism. Instruction and content were always relevant and valuable, and individualized to meet the instructional needs of each student. Thank you, Ms. Hope, for all your support!”
— Consuelo Alzate, MA, Teacher of Students with Disabilities
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"I’ve seen so many of our developmentally diverse students, often passive, listless, and just-plain-bored in more “traditional” educational settings, become alert and eager to participate in these Makerspace activities. To me this eagerness is still both striking and exciting – and encouraging, most of all. In Makerspace, rather than prompting students to “pay attention”, one may have the (albeit more enviable) problem of needing to prompt them to “wait their turn”. Here students learn by experiencing and doing, not simply by observing, and their curiosity is awakened in ways I seldom see. Our unique students thrive on novelty and uniqueness, far more than neurotypical students do, and these are two qualities Makerspace is made of. These activities and students are, in almost all cases, the perfect match. If you want to see renewed interest it helps if you’re offering something new. If the objective is interest and involvement, new objects will help for a time, but sometimes whole new approaches are needed. Makerspace offers both – but especially the latter. Without lots of alertness there is little learning, but once you gain that often-elusive attention wonders will happen. One way Makerspace engages that child we may feel is so out-of-hand is in offering him or her something transformative that’s also hands-on. Makerspace is proof that being educated and entertained do go hand in hand."
-Peter Welsh, Teacher Assistant and Writer
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My time working with Hope during our Makerspace sessions was truly a rewarding experience! The students enjoyed a variety of hands-on fun and educational activities. The students were encouraged to choose their activity using different forms of communication. They also worked on things such as social interaction and play skills. Hope is a true professional!
- Gloria, Paraprofessional