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Autism Resources in Columbus

November 4, 2022 by Ben Schorr 0 Comments

For those living with autism or who have a loved one on the autism spectrum, having resources available is vital. Autism resources offer support, grants, and information, making them important for families as well as individuals. 

Keep reading to learn about the numerous autism resources available in Columbus, Georgia. 

Resource List for Children with Autism in Columbus, Georgia

In the Columbus, Georgia, area, there are many autism resources, including grants, scholarships, and more. 

1. Parent to Parent of Georgia

Parent to Parent of Georgia offers multiple services for families impacted by autism. The organization has various support groups, including those for Hispanic families, parents, and East African families. It also offers online groups. 

Parent to Parent of Georgia also provides training for parents and other caretakers on learning strategies for dealing with challenging behavioral issues. The organization has offices throughout Georgia. 

You can reach out by calling 770-451-5484 or by filling out a form here. 

2. Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship

The Georgia Department of Education offers this scholarship for K-12 children. It provides funds for private school education when public school does not offer the assistance a child with special needs requires. 

To qualify for the scholarship, the child must have attended at least one year of public school in Georgia or have attended a special needs preschool. The student must also have either a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Plan. 

3. West Georgia Autism Foundation 

The West Georgia Autism Foundation offers grants for families who have a child on the autism spectrum. Its mission is to enrich the lives of those affected by autism. 

Past grants have included scholarships for young adults with autism to attend technical college, as well as research grants. Families in need can also apply to receive support. 

In January 2023, the West Georgia Autism Foundation will host one of its large fundraising events to help families in Georgia. 

Learn more by contacting wgaautism@gmail.com.

4. ASD Ascend Scholarship

The ASD Ascend scholarship offers tuition money for young adults on the autism spectrum who want to attend college. The foundation awards five $1,000 scholarships. 

The ASD Ascend scholarship is open to entering freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who have autism and want to get an associate degree or bachelor’s degree. 

Winners must provide documentation of an autism diagnosis. 

You can contact the ASD Ascend foundation through this form. 

5. Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is one of the leading resources for parents, caretakers, and anyone else who loves someone on the autism spectrum. Autism Speaks provides valuable information on autism, access to specialists who can help parents, support groups, and more.

It also offers grants for families of autistic children, scientists focused on autism research, and autism service providers. Each year, Autism Speaks hosts various walks to help raise money for local services. 

Contact an autism response team at 888-288-4762 or by emailing help@autismspeaks.org. If you speak Spanish, call 888-772-9050.

6. Marcus Autism Center

Marcus Autism Center has many resources to help a child with autism. It can help families with everything from arranging animal therapy sessions to applying for benefits. 

The center offers specialized services and programs to help improve the lives of children with autism and their families. It has a library dedicated to helping families find the resources they need for every developmental stage of their child’s life. 

Call Marcus Autism Center at 404-785-9400.

7. Children’s Autism Assessment Center

Children’s Autism Assessment Center offers some of the best assessment and diagnostic services in the area. It provides gold-standard neurodevelopmental diagnoses for disorders on the autism spectrum while also offering tailored services and recommendations. 

Children’s Autism Assessment Center also offers consultation services for families who would benefit from support in the management of their child’s developmental concerns, like picky eating, late toilet training, sleep difficulties, and challenging behavior. 

You can call 404-390-1322 or email drbrandismith@caacatlanta.com for more information. 

8. Georgia Kids First Special Needs Fund

This scholarship is a general one that provides help for children K-12 who are autistic or have other challenges. The scholarship allows people to redirect their Georgia State income taxes to those in need, providing them with specialized services and educational support. 

To apply for the scholarship or to learn more, call 404-808-6936 or write to info@gakidsFIRST.org.

ABA Therapy in Columbus, Georgia

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the gold standard for autism, based on the process of learning and behavior. It uses positive reinforcement, and it is easy to adapt it to meet each child’s needs. 

It is a type of therapy that can help decrease problem behavior while improving attention, focus, academics, and social skills. It can also help improve communication skills. 

At Hidden Talents, you can get a therapist who specializes in ABA therapy to come right to your home. To learn more about our in-home ABA therapy in Columbus you can call 404-487-6005 or email info@hiddentalentsaba.com.

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Scott Rustulka

Scott, a native of Canada, joined the Hidden Talents team at the onset of 2021, moving his family of 6 from San Diego to the great state of Georgia. He began his journey in behavior analytics in 2001 at a time when autism programs had very little oversight by credentialled clinicians. The onset of that journey was wrought with disappointment in a system that seemed to do very little lasting good for the long-term growth of the individuals within that system.

Over the years, Scott determined to ensure that dignity and respect was afforded to the children he had the privilege of working, while devoting a lot of energy into understanding how the development of a child is the key focus to treatment and not reactive behavior modification. Truly listening to the child and the family and finding ways to make behavior change fun and engaging continues to be his passion. Over the last 20 years, Scott still relishes every opportunity to visit families and have the honor of being a part of their lives.

Maureen O'Brien

Maureen joined the Hidden Talents ABA Team in 2020 and has over 15+ years’ of Office Management and Administrative experience. Maureen is that friendly voice that will most likely greet you when you call into the office with a positive attitude and ready to assist with the screening and the ABA authorization process. Maureen said “the best part of my job is working with a phenomenal team and helping as many families as possible.

Olivia Steele

Olivia’s goal is to act as the bridge between our Registered Behavior Therapists and the families that they serve. She has always gravitated towards opportunities that harbor a personal client connection, with a mission statement to always help others.Olivia is passionate about fitness and wellness, spending the last decade as a part time fitness instructor. She most enjoys yoga and Pilates, disciplines that have both physical and meditative benefits. In her free time, she likes crafting and is an amateur woodworker. She is also a big animal lover; she owns a cat and 13 tarantulas.

Arye Hartal

Arye is a Licenced Behavior Analyst and a former airline pilot. His areas of interest include verbal behavior (VBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Improving the quality of life for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families is of great importance to him. Over the course of his career, he has become highly qualified in implementing many ABA techniques including PRT, FCT, ESDM, DTT and NET.

Arye has experience working in the school, community, and home-based settings. His patience, compassion, and knowledge of ABA contributes greatly to the success of the children that he works with. His interests outside of work include volunteering for I Can Bike (teaching kids with disabilities how to ride a bicycle), traveling, spending time with friends and family, playing hockey, and reading.

Joanna Young

Joanna is a graduate of Ball State University and became a licensed, board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) in 2016. She has worked in this field since 2014 in a variety of settings ranging from in-center, in-home, and currently telehealth. Joanna was introduced to the world of behavior analysis as an undergraduate trying to fulfill her degree requirements, which landed her an internship working as an in-home behavior technician. She quickly realized how effective early intervention ABA therapy was and enjoyed seeing her clients gain new skills as they became more independent.

Joanna particularly loves working with children under 3, especially now that she has her own 6-month-old daughter! She is passionate about ensuring ABA strategies and techniques translate well into the home setting and parents feel empowered to help shape their child's life. Joanna joined the Hidden Talents team in March 2021 as a clinical supervisor and works remotely from Houston, TX.

Elissa Watson

Elissa is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst from Greenville, South Carolina. She has a Masters in Science for Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis and has been working in the field of ABA for 9 years. She has had experience as both an RBT and BCBA in the home, clinical, community, school and telehealth-based environments with a wide range of clients and ages. Elissa, as a part of the Hidden Talents team has broadened her experience to make ABA more accessible to all. When not working, Elissa enjoys spending time with her husband and pets, traveling, and playing music.

Matthew Grennell

Matthew received his Masters of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis in May of 2009 from Florida Institute of Technology. Over the course of his career, Matthew has worked in Florida, Texas and New York, serving both children and adults in both in-home as well as clinic-based settings. The majority of Matthew’s work in Applied Behavior Analysis has been in the in-home setting. Matthew has also consulted with schools and worked as part of multi-disciplinary teams as well as concurrently teaching certification courses for Florida Institute of Technology’s Applied Behavior Analysis program for four years.

Through teaching Matthew was able to not only ensure quality of services provided by himself but also work to ensure that high quality of services could be provided by other Behavior Analysts and service providers. Matthew is very familiar and experienced in working with families to ensure that behavioral progress for every child is maintained in the home through extensive involvement of parents in the process. Matthew has worked primarily with parents and families in all three states he has worked in and has experience with collaborating successfully with all professionals involved in a child’s care.

Matthew believes strongly that a child’s success is best achieved through building skills that maximize success in all areas of their life as a comprehensive approach. Matthew believes that, through this approach, not only does the child benefit directly from improvements in their skill level but the family benefits as well.

Sharifah Christie

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Sharifah moved to America when she was 8 years old. She knew from a young age that she wanted to have a career focused on helping children. In college for her undergraduate program, she studied Speech Pathology at the University of West Georgia. In the later part of the program, she was exposed to the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and decided to make a switch, eventually graduating with a masters in ABA with an emphasis in Autism at Ball State University. Her fascination with the field deepened as she continued to work as a Behavioral Therapist for over two years.

Desiring to develop in other roles and responsibilities within this field, Sharifah is now managing the administrative aspects of the clinical hiring and training at Hidden Talents and enjoying every moment of it! Sharifah has always said that the most favorite part about her career so far has been the privilege of seeing the progress the kiddos have made overtime and making a difference in their lives while creating a fun learning experience for each of them.

Kimberly Culbreth

Kimberly is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst from South Carolina with more than 10+ years in the ABA field. Kimberly completed her undergrad at Clemson University, and she graduated from Capella University with a Masters of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2018. Kimberly is very passionate about working with children with disabilities and helping them succeed. She consistently goes above and beyond for all of her clients.

Kimberly has experience working with children in the home, clinic, community, and telehealth-based settings. She recently started at Hidden Talents to help broaden her experiences with working with children with disabilities. Outside of work Kimberly enjoys spending time with her 3-year-old daughter, traveling, and cooking.

Bisirat Haile

Bisirat Haile is a passionate Board-Certified Behavior Analyst serving her community for over 10 years. Bisirat Has a 10-year track record of working collaboratively with families and RBTs to create lasting change for children with ASD. Bisirat is a telehealth BCBA for Hidden talents. Listening to the priorities of families and earning their trust is extremely important to Bisirat. Bisirat joined the Hidden Talents team as the company shares her commitment to learning and listening to families to provide them support. Bisirat is excited to potentially work with you and provide you support.

Lindsay Campbell

Lindsay Campbell is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Advanced Certified Autism Specialist. She is a future clinical neuropsychologist who is passionate in diagnosing, assessment and creating individualized treatment plans to address each child’s area of need. Lindsay has worked in a variety of settings including forensic, school, home, hospital, and telehealth settings. Lindsay received her dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice from California State University, and her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from National University. After receiving her BCBA, Lindsay went back to complete her Doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology from California Southern University and will be graduating in 2021 with the highest honors.

Her ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between diagnostic evaluation and treatment with ABA to allow timely access to ABA services. Lindsay believes the most important letters after her name are 'MOM' as she is the mother of an atypical child. She brings a professional and personal perspective to teaching and raising a child with atypical learning skills to build relationships and further support parents. Integrating ABA techniques and evidence-based practices, she believes we can make significant changes to increase skills of children and their family.