A quarterly newsletter for donors of The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Tech The Spectrum Major Gifts Allow Scott Center to Create First Endowment By Adam Lowenstein, Florida Tech News Bureau Florida Tech’s renowned Scott Center for Autism Treatment now has a nearly $600,000 endow- ment after six benefactors, led by Brevard County real estate devel- oper Fred Sutton, pledged to sup- port the university-based nonprofit facility. “The Scott Center is first and fore- most a community resource,” said Lisa Steelman, dean of Florida Tech’s College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, under which The Scott Center operates. “Fees and finances are always secondary to our mission to be a facility that, simply put, helps families. This generous support means that we can continue to focus our energy and innovation on doing what we do best.” The process began several months ago, when Sutton, a co-founder of Sutton Properties, agreed to donate $100,000 to the center, which at the time had no endowment. The gift entitled Sutton to have a room at the center named, and Sutton issued a challenge to Gary Grant, Florida Tech’s vice presi- dent for development: Develop and carry out a plan to receive gifts to name multiple rooms at the center. Grant and his team developed the plan and showed it to Sutton, who approved and said he will provide his gift once others have been secured. Over the next few months, the team did just that, securing gifts from several benefactors. Each will have a room named for them. Greg Williams, the parent of a Florida Tech student, agreed to donate $31,000 from the Philip S. Harper Foundation. The New York Jets, which chose Florida Tech as the NFL team’s official STEM partner, agreed to donate the pro- ceeds of the 50/50 raffle held at one home game. The first game was in December; the two others will come over the next two seasons. But Sutton was not done with his challenges. Speaking at The Scott Center’s annual An Evening of Hope fundraiser in February, he agreed to pledge another $150,000, in addition to the $100,000 he had already provided, if the univer- sity could secure an additional $250,000 in gifts within the next four days. Hearing that challenge from the audience, Ted Parker, founder and CEO of Revolution Technologies and a member of The Scott Center Advisory Board, agreed to pledge $100,000 if the remaining $150,000 could be secured. Grant later reached out to Alan Smith, a longtime Florida Tech benefactor who has served on the university’s board of trustees since 1996. Smith agreed to pledge $50,000. He then contacted another board member, the Distinguished Alumni Award winner Vik Verma, who also agreed to pledge $50,000. Grant was still $50,000 shy of Sutton’s challenge when he heard from Greg Williams, who had Celebrating donations to The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at the center’s recent An Evening of Hope XI fundraiser were—from left—College of Psychology and Liberal Arts dean, Lisa Steelman; global philanthropist Ed Scott, who helped fund the creation of The Scott Center; Brevard County real estate developer and donor Fred Sutton; Florida Tech president, Dwayne McCay; and The Scott Center executive director, Michael Kelley. Florida Tech president, Dwayne McCay, presents a token of appreciation to Brevard County real estate developer and donor Fred Sutton at The Scott Center’s recent An Evening of Hope XI fundraiser. Continued on page 7 Inside this issue Issue 1 Spring 2019 PG.2 Scott Center Events Recent Staff Publications PG.3 By the Numbers: Children Served by The Scott Center PG.4–5 Evening of Hope XI Donors and Sponsors PG.6 Help a child find the superhero within PG.7 In the Mail: Letters from Families of The Scott Center PG.8 About The Scott Center
Transcript
A quarterly newsletter for donors of The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Tech
TheSpectrum
Major Gifts Allow Scott Center to Create First Endowment By Adam Lowenstein, Florida Tech News Bureau
Florida Tech’s renowned Scott Center for Autism Treatment now has a nearly $600,000 endow-ment after six benefactors, led by Brevard County real estate devel-oper Fred Sutton, pledged to sup-port the university-based nonprofit facility.
“The Scott Center is first and fore-most a community resource,” said Lisa Steelman, dean of Florida Tech’s College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, under which The Scott Center operates. “Fees and finances are always secondary to our mission to be a facility that, simply put, helps families. This generous support means that we can continue to focus our energy and innovation on doing what we do best.”
The process began several months ago, when Sutton, a co-founder of
Sutton Properties, agreed to donate $100,000 to the center, which at the time had no endowment.
The gift entitled Sutton to have a room at the center named, and Sutton issued a challenge to Gary Grant, Florida Tech’s vice presi-dent for development: Develop and carry out a plan to receive gifts to name multiple rooms at the center.
Grant and his team developed the plan and showed it to Sutton, who approved and said he will provide his gift once others have been secured.
Over the next few months, the team did just that, securing gifts from several benefactors. Each will have a room named for them.
Greg Williams, the parent of a Florida Tech student, agreed to
donate $31,000 from the Philip S. Harper Foundation. The New York Jets, which chose Florida Tech as the NFL team’s official STEM partner, agreed to donate the pro-ceeds of the 50/50 raffle held at one home game. The first game was in December; the two others will come over the next two seasons.
But Sutton was not done with his challenges. Speaking at The Scott Center’s annual An Evening of Hope fundraiser in February, he agreed to pledge another $150,000, in addition to the $100,000 he had already provided, if the univer-sity could secure an additional $250,000 in gifts within the next four days.
Hearing that challenge from the audience, Ted Parker, founder and CEO of Revolution Technologies and a member of The Scott Center Advisory Board, agreed to pledge $100,000 if the remaining $150,000 could be secured.
Grant later reached out to Alan Smith, a longtime Florida Tech benefactor who has served on the university’s board of trustees since 1996. Smith agreed to pledge $50,000. He then contacted another board member, the Distinguished Alumni Award winner Vik Verma, who also agreed to pledge $50,000.
Grant was still $50,000 shy of Sutton’s challenge when he heard from Greg Williams, who had
Celebrating donations to The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at the center’s recent An Evening of Hope XI fundraiser were—from left—College of Psychology and Liberal Arts dean, Lisa Steelman; global philanthropist Ed Scott, who helped fund the creation of The Scott Center; Brevard County real estate developer and donor Fred Sutton; Florida Tech president, Dwayne McCay; and The Scott Center executive director, Michael Kelley.
Florida Tech president, Dwayne McCay, presents a token of appreciation to Brevard County real estate developer and donor Fred Sutton at The Scott Center’s recent An Evening of Hope XI fundraiser.
Continued on page 7
Inside this issue
Issue 1 Spring 2019
PG.2
Scott Center Events
Recent Staff Publications
PG.3
By the Numbers: Children Served by The Scott Center
PG.4–5
Evening of Hope XI Donors and Sponsors
PG.6
Help a child find the superhero within
PG.7
In the Mail: Letters from Families of The Scott Center
PG.8
About The Scott Center
Scott Center Events, January–March 2019
Although we do serious work here at The Scott Center for Autism Treatment, we still enjoy creating fun and educational activities for our children to enjoy.
In January, the children of our Early Intervention Program took part in their first-ever art show! Donna Sewell and Sarah Smith of the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts came to the center to spend time with the children and guide them through creat-ing their own masterpieces. The pieces were then displayed in our gallery and awarded by our illustrious guests.
March brought Dr. Seuss Week to the cen-ter, with themed days like “Wacky Hair” and “Thing One, Thing Two.” On the last day, the children were encouraged to wear green for “Green Eggs and Ham Day.” Florida Tech’s Panther Dining Hall even provided green eggs and ham!
Recent Publications
Jimenez-Gomez, C., Rajagopal, S., Nastri, R., & Chong. I. M. (in press). Matrix Training for Expanding Communication of Toddlers and Preschoolers with ASD. Behavior Analysis in Practice.
This study evaluated a teaching strategy to not only expand but also enhance the flex-ibility of language in children with ASD. Children with ASD often struggle with com-munication, and the problem is compounded by lack of flexibility in skills acquired. We explored a method for expanding language in children that resulted in a range of new, flexible skills learned with minimal teaching.
Jimenez-Gomez, C., McGarry, K., Crochet, E., & Chong. I. M. (in press). Training registered behavior technicians (RBTs) to implement naturalistic behavioral inter-ventions using therapeutic play proto-col. Behavioral Interventions.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a training protocol for staff to provide learning opportunities to children through play. An important component of ABA interventions for children with ASD involves extending learning opportunities to naturalistic envi-ronments like those encountered outside the clinic. After our training, staff were able to promote learning and generalization of skills in situations less structured than those encountered during teaching time in the clinic. This is an important skill for staff because they can optimize their interactions with clients to produce more learning.
Blackman, A. L., Jimenez-Gomez, C., & Shvarts, S. (in press). Effectiveness of online versus in-vivo training for parents of children with ASD. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice.
This study compared two formats for coach-ing caregivers of children with ASD—online or live in the clinic. Results showed caregiv-ers assigned to the group receiving training online obtained the same gains as those trained at the clinic, and there was no dif-ference between the two groups. This has important implications regarding our ability to provide valuable information to a broader population, e.g., people who are not located near our facility.
2 The Spectrum2 The Spectrum
193children served byThe Scott Center
17 children were helped with the WISH Scholarship ��������������������������������������Community Psychological Services
EarlyIntervention
GroupTherapy
Parent-ChildInteraction Therapy
PediatricDiagnostic Clinic
PediatricFeeding
SocialSkills
SpeechEvaluation
SpeechTherapy
Telehealthat The Scott Center
as WISH Scholarship Recipients
19
108
1
5
5
3
9
39
10
3
16
4
8
2
6
Number of Children Served, by Service
By the NumbersThanks to the generosity of donors like you, The Scott Center is able to make a positive impact in the lives of so many children and their familes. In just the first quarter of 2019, 193 children were served by The Scott Center, receiving assessment, diagnosis and early intervention.
Spring 2019 3
With GratitudeLiberte
Freedom—$10,000 SponsorsDale and Pamela Dettmer
EgaliteEquality—$5,000 SponsorsBIMDA Dan and Caterina Schwinn
FraterniteBrotherhood—$2,500 SponsorsBerman Hopkins Wright & LaHam: Mike Durante
Financial donations, which go toward providing critical
early intervention treatment, can be made online at
give.fit.edu/scott-center, or mailed to:
Florida Institute of Technology Attn: Scott Center for Autism Treatment
150 W. University Blvd. Melbourne, FL 32901
Donations of FinancesDonations of Finances
Camp EPIC, our summer program for children ages 7–12 years old, is looking for help with obtaining
the following supplies. Feel free to drop them at the center or to contact Courtenay to come pick them up!
� Arts and crafts supplies
� Bean bag chairs and large pillows
� Books
� Cooler with wheels
� Picnic blankets
� Point store items: small toys, candy, Minecraft,
Fortnite, Pokemon, iTunes, gaming cards
� Shelving—easily stored, lightweight
� Snacks and drinks
� Sports and outdoor equipment
�Wagon—collapsible, four-sided
Donations of SuppliesDonations of Supplies
Help a child find the
superhero within.Help a child find the
superhero within.
6 The Spectrum
In the MailThe Scott Center holds a very special place in our hearts. It is a place of comfort, community, family and transformation. A place where we feel accepted, welcomed and loved from the moment we walk into the doors. The amazing staff members are what make The Scott Center so special. The staff members are very profes-sional and well trained. They have shown Shawn and our whole family so much support and compassion while guiding us through our journey with autism.
When our son, Shawn Jr., started attending The Scott Center, he was nonverbal and had a difficult time communicating his needs. I remember the first magical moment that we experienced after Shawn started attending the center. He was sitting in his room on his bed and started to use sign language to request bubbles. Our whole family was shocked and overjoyed because Shawn had never been able to request something that he wanted before. We were so happy to know that he loved bubbles and that he wanted to go outside and play with them. This opened up a whole new hope for his potential in our hearts.
The Scott Center has helped Shawn in numerous ways. Since attending The Scott Center for the past year, Shawn has started speaking. Even better than speaking, Shawn has started request-ing things and communicating his needs. His eye contact has improved, and he now often responds to his name. Shawn is potty trained and is able to help brush his own teeth. All of these skills have been accomplished through the high-quality, one-on-one ABA therapy that The Scott Center provides. In addition, Shawn is attending speech therapy and feeding services at the center. Feeding services have really helped overcome some of his sensory issues that have prevented him from eating the nutritious foods that he needs.
One of the most difficult things I have ever heard was that my son might never learn to speak. I will never forget that moment. It hit me like a ton of bricks and was hard to cope with. I was worried I would never know what my son was thinking or what he needed. I think that day I lost some of my hope and became full of sadness. The Scott Center gave me back my hope and has filled my heart with joy. In fact, I feel like they gave me back my son. Shawn has come out of his shell and into our world. We have really enjoyed watching him transform and flourish. It has been such a blessing to hear him call me “Mom,” and I can’t thank The Scott Center enough for that.
Thank you,
Amanda Wise
earlier pledged $31,000. Williams agreed to pledge an additional $50,000, bringing his total to $81,000.
Sutton’s challenge had been met, and The Scott Center now had an endowment valued at $581,000 that will ensure its operations have a basis for funding in per-petuity.
“The amazing generosity displayed with these gifts illustrates not just a recognition of the caliber of care and service The Scott Center provides, but also that our university community is comprised of visionary, selfless people who want to make the world around them a bet-ter place,” said Florida Tech President Dwayne McCay. “We are deeply thankful to these supporters.”
Continued from page 1
Rashmi Shah, Susie Wasdin and Lila Buescher enjoy the festivities at An Evening of Hope XI.
Florida Tech president, Dwayne McCay, poses with university trustee Jonnie Swann at the recent An Evening of Hope XI.
Julia Barney and Melissa Parker dive into party favors at the recent An Evening of Hope XI fundraiser.
Spring 2019 7
Keys to Success
The Scott Center for Autism Treatment's Keys to Success:
Equal emphases on service, train-ing and research: Applied research ensures that best practices are utilized for treatment and future clinicians are well trained. It also ensures that pro-cedures are effectively conveyed to the community.
Ongoing assessment of treatment effectiveness: Occurs through out-come measures, satisfaction surveys and formal evaluation systems at all levels of training.
Affiliation with Florida Tech’s School of Psychology: This allows the clinic to draw upon the universi-ty's resources for marketing, fundrais-ing and public relations, as well as for operational services.
A focus on the entire family: Family involvement is integral in the imple-mentation, evaluation and ongoing revision of treatment plans. This emphasis on caregiver training helps to prevent and address problem behav-iors that might arise later. Families have access to other counseling resources, including Autism Advisor, to help them manage the challenges of raising a child with a disability.
The Story of the Scott Center
When Reece Scott was diagnosed with autism early in life, there was little information on how one could treat this condition. Through personal persistence and the help of his parents, great teachers and therapists, Reece was able to over-come many of the challenges of autism. He grad-uated from Georgetown University and went on to pursue a master's degree in modern Japanese studies at the University of Oxford in England.
Edward and Cheryl Scott, Reece’s parents, decided to fund the creation of The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Tech in 2009 as a result of their experience with their son. Former U.S. Representative Dave Weldon was also a key partner in the creation of The Scott Center, securing funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Today, The Scott Center for Autism Treatment pursues a three-fold mission of clinical service,
research and training. Parents and children from around the world now come to The Scott Center for the most advanced treatment methods available.
As an integrated component of Florida Tech's School of Psychology and Applied Behavior, graduate students receive state-of-the-art train-ing and supervision from doctoral-level faculty. This prepares them for a future as profession-als to continue the work to improve the lives of individuals and their families. The Scott Center is ranked among the best in the world for its research contributions to the field of behavior analysis.
The Scott Center for Autism Treatment is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, not-for-profit organiza-tion that provides children, youth and families affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and provides a full range of evaluation and ser-vices, from diagnosis to intensive treatment.
The Spectrum is a publication of The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Tech
150 W. University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901-6975Phone: 321-674-8106 ext. 1 • thescottcenter.org
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