Autistic child speaks first words at Abilities First program at age 6: Organization a ‘gem’ for community

“He was actually completely nonverbal, and they told us if he didn’t speak by five, that he would never speak,” she said. “Then it was two months before his sixth birthday ... (Abilities First) sent us a video of him saying, ‘I want a sucker.’”

“Of course, you know, candy,” she laughed.

Since then, Oliver has stayed at Abilities First at its Autism Learning Center. Gustafson said the change in Oliver has been “everything.”

For 88 kids in the Early Childhood Learning Center, 73 in the Autism Learning Center and more in the pediatric therapies department, Abilities First offers an opportunity for differently-abled children to socialize and prepare for independence.

Many parents at Abilities First share similar goals, and its full-time staff of 55 works diligently to reach those goals, according to Executive Director David Hood.

Coming into its 68th year, Abilities First was started by seven families in Middletown who had children with different abilities who were not able to find resources they were looking for.

David Hood, who has worked as executive director since 2022, said Abilities First is primarily an educational center with three key programs: the Autism Learning Center, Early Childhood Learning Center and pediatric therapies.

“Our primary focus is to prepare kids for their educational journeys beyond Abilities First,” Hood said.

The Early Childhood Learning Center has seven classrooms with 88 kids aged from six weeks to 10 years old, though most transition out at six years old. Some kids attend the 60,000-square-foot center on Timber Trail Drive for a few hours or full days.

Stephanie Cress, director of the Early Childhood Learning Center, said there is at most a 1-to-10 student-teacher ratio for school-aged children, though for infants, there is never more than 10 infants for two teachers.

“We try to maintain that lower ratio,” she said. “It definitely makes room for that more individualistic approach with each child.”

Curriculum for the Early Childhood Learning Center is “child-based, child-led.”

“Their goals are based on where they are,” Cress said.

Jen Marshall, director of the Autism Learning Center, said the area is similarly child-led like the Early Childhood Learning Center.

The Autism Learning Center serves 73 kids and added two new classrooms recently because of need — the center has grown by 164 percent since 2022.

“We use positive enforcement, we don’t force anyone to do anything, but we find their interest, and we use that interest,” she said.

Like Cress, Marshall works to prepare kids for a traditional school program.

“Can they sit together at the table? Can they sit by a friend at circle time? Can they share their toys? It’s very important what we do for them and our families really recognize it,” Marshall said.

The pediatric therapies department focuses on physical, occupational and speech therapy and employs six therapists.

Karen Guo, pediatric therapies director, said the department provides therapy for kids at Abilities First and also on an outpatient basis.

“Every child in the Autism Learning Center has at least one therapeutic discipline on their (individualized education plan),” Hood said.

About a quarter of the children at the Early Childhood Learning Center also complete therapy and around 120 kids complete therapy in the summer on an outpatient basis.

Each department rounds out the center to a bustling hub for potential, and the Abilities First team works to make sure finances are not a burden for parents.

About 75 percent of the families who use Abilities First programming pay tuition using vouchers or some sort of support, according to Hood.

Without vouchers, tuition would be about $250-300 a week for the Early Childhood Learning Center.

Two of the key things Abilities First does, according to Hood, is connect families with Jobs and Family Services and assist through the voucher process.

For the Autism Learning Center, every child qualifies for the Ohio Autism Scholarship, which provides a stipend for each child which helps offset the cost of tuition.

Abilities First chooses not to charge tuition on top of what families can receive from the scholarship since 80 percent of families are at or below low-income levels, according to Hood.

Only about 70-80 percent of the center’s $3.5 million operating costs are paid through tuition, scholarships and insurance, meaning 20-30 percent has to be raised. Its annual fundraising gala will be on Oct. 18 at The Event Center of Middletown.

The city of Middletown recently donated $73,000 to Abilities First to close its funding gap for the 2025-2026 school year after hearing from Hood and multiple Abilities First parents.

“This is such a gem, not only for our community but really in this country and world,” Middletown Mayor Elizabeth Slamka said. “This is really a gold standard of what education could be for every student.”

For parents like Cydney Elliott, this gold standard has allowed her son, Toby, to “thrive.”

She enrolled Toby, 6, into the Autism Learning Center summer program this year.

“It worked out flawlessly,” she said. “He just started to thrive within weeks.”

Elliott lives in Springboro and drives her son to Abilities First each day now that he is enrolled full-time at the Autism Learning Center.

“It’s worth it,” she said. “I’d definitely drive longer if I had to ... just to see him make huge leaps and bounds with his milestones ... it’s just priceless.”