A Winter Wonderland of Student Art

Students and staff members worked together to adorn their classroom doorways with winter-themed artwork for The Birchtree Center's First Annual Door Decorating Contest.

Local artists Tess Feltes and Teri Weidner evaluated the decorations' creativity, use of students' artwork, overall appearance, and use of winter themes. They awarded a prize to each classroom as well as a Grand Prize; prizes are listed below.

Door Decorations
by Classroom One

Award:
The Complete
"Winter Wonderland"

Door Decorations
by Classroom Two

Award:
The Biggest
Surprise

Door Decorations
by Classroom Three

Awards:
The Most Action-
Packed Doorway &
The Grand Prize

Door Decorations
by Classroom Four

Award:
The Best
Wintry Mood

Door Decorations
by Classroom Five

Award:
The Most
Winter Fun

Door Decorations
by Classroom Six

Award:
The Most
Fashionable
Doorway

Sweet Holiday Wishes from The Birchtree Center

Students decorated holiday cookies this week at The Birchtree Center. Instructors also worked with each child's family to prepare students for the winter break and for their family's holiday celebrations.

Happy Holidays from the students, staff, and board of The Birchtree Center, and best wishes for 2009!

Happy Thanksgiving!

On November 26, a five-year-old student at The Birchtree Center tasted turkey for the first time in his life. He dipped it in ketchup--one of his favorite foods. Other children sampled stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, and one student discovered that even tiramisu can be a tasty treat!

Eating novel foods with unusual textures is a real challenge for many children with autism. Many individuals with autism are extraordinarily sensitive to taste, smell, color, and texture, and they often have very restricted food preferences.


Every year, instructors at The Birchtree Center offer a practice Thanksgiving meal at our center in Portsmouth to help our students prepare to celebrate the holiday. We encourage students to sample some of the unusual foods of Thanksgiving, and we help children practice the dining behaviors appropriate for a big family meal.

This year, students also learned how to prepare side dishes for the feast. Making mashed potatoes in the classroom helps reinforce lessons in counting and measuring and helps students acquire the food preparation skills they will need for productive, independent lives.

Employment Opportunities

The Birchtree Center is expanding its services, and we're seeking talented, dedicated professionals to join our staff. We offer comprehensive training and supervision within a supportive educational team environment.

A list of immediate openings is posted in the Employment Opportunities section of our website.

Happy Halloween!

Students and staff at The Birchtree Center created scarecrows this month as part of the city-wide Scarecrows of the Port celebration. We also offered our students a practice "trick-or-treat" session to help prepare them for Halloween night. For Halloween tips from The Birchtree Center's staff, click here.

Read-A-Thon Report

From 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10, until 6:00 p.m. the following day, intrepid volunteers conducted a twenty-four-hour Read-A-Thon at SecondRun Bookstore to benefit The Birchtree Center. Seventeen individuals of all ages read, answered literary trivia questions, played Scrabble, and heard local author Tim Horvath read from his work, all while raising pledges in support of The Birchtree Center's educational programs.

Great Expectations: A Reading Marathon (GERM), was established by RiverRun Bookstore and SecondRun Bookstore to bring attention to reading and independent bookstores and to support local nonprofits. GERM has gained national attention, and in October 2008, nine independent bookstores around the country hosted their own events.

The Read-A-Thon participants read more than 4,500 pages combined, from books that ranged from Harry Potter to Sense and Sensibility to sociology texts. In the process, they raised more than $700.00 for The Birchtree Center!

Thank you to the local businesses who donated to this event:

RiverRun Bookstore
SecondRun Bookstore
Breaking New Grounds
Café Espresso
G. Willikers
The Flatbread Company
The Fresh Local truck
The Music Hall
Prelude
The Stockpot Restaurant

You can learn more about the event here and in articles published in Foster's Daily Democrat, the Portsmouth Herald, Bookselling This Week, and Shelf-Awareness.

A New Website!

The Birchtree Center launched a new, improved website this fall. At www.birchtreecenter.org, you can learn more about our programs for children and youth with autism, read about upcoming events, and find out how you can help. You will also find tips for families living with autism, and you can suggest questions for our staff to answer online.

Thank you to the many individuals and organizations who helped make our new website possible! Integrated Development Corporation of Greenland, NH, designed the site and taught us to keep the site up-to-date using the Joomla! content management system. BJ's Charitable Foundation and The Fuller Foundation, Inc., provided generous grants supporting the development of online resources for our families, staff, and students. Dedicated volunteers, staff members, and board members provided essential feedback during the development of the site.

What do you think of the new website? You can offer your comments here or send email to our webmaster.

Fundraising Yard Sale a Success!

On September 20, volunteers from The Birchtree Center, Seacoast United, and Liberty Mutual offered a fundraising yard sale at the Seacoast United Indoor Arena in Hampton, NH. The weather smiled on us, and it was a great success, raising important funds to support programs at Birchtree and Seacoast United.


Many thanks to the dedicated volunteers and generous donors who helped make this event possible, including the following businesses:

Liberty Mutual
Birse's Property Maintenance
BJ's Wholesale Club
Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse
C&J Trailways
Dunkin' Donuts
Exeter Rent-All
Home Depot
Macy's Stores, Inc.
Market Basket
New England Revolution Charitable Foundation
Olive Garden
Outback Steakhouse
Panera Bread
Pepperidge Farm, Inc.
The Portsmouth Brewery
Shaw's Supermarkets
Shear Power Salon
Starbucks
Texas Roadhouse
TGI Friday's

York's Wild Kingdom

On July 31, our students and staff explored York's Wild Kingdom animal park in York Beach, Maine. This field trip offered many new experiences for our students: petting animals, riding a paddle-boat, observing wildlife, and even riding in a go cart--with our instructors at the wheel, of course! Our skilled clinical instructors, special educators, and behavior analysts helped our students navigate through the crowds, don their life preservers, and tolerate the unfamiliar smells and sounds of the park.

"Everyone was involved and engaged!" says Executive Director Christine Guarino. "I saw our students stretching their limits and enjoying their triumphs. I saw students holding the hands of other students, looking into their faces and smiling. I'll never forget this trip!"

Fundraising Yard Sale

Saturday, September 20, will offer a real bargain for the Seacoast community. From 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., volunteers from The Birchtree Center, Seacoast United, and Liberty Mutual Group will host a giant fundraising yard sale at the Seacoast United Arena at 311 Winnacunnet Road in Hampton, New Hampshire.

The sale will feature high-quality furniture, toys, sporting equipment, tools, books, and household items donated by families and friends from the three organizations. You might find a rare antique, a nostalgic toy from your childhood, or something else you couldn’t find in an ordinary store.

When you shop, you'll get a great deal on first-rate merchandise; you’ll be ‘going green’ by finding a new home for other people’s treasures; and you’ll help local children. Sale proceeds will benefit educational programs at The Birchtree Center and at Seacoast United, a local nonprofit that sponsors sporting teams, tournaments, and training throughout New Hampshire and Maine.

Sales will be by cash only. A fundraising raffle at the event will provide chances to win sporting tickets, gift certificates, and other prizes. Parking is available onsite and admission is free. More information is available at www.seacoastunited.org or 603-294-4452.

John Elder Robison Book Reading

On Tuesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m., RiverRun Bookstore and The Birchtree Center are hosting author John Elder Robison for a reading from his New York Times bestseller, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s.

The reading will take place at RiverRun Bookstore on 20 Congress Street in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Staff from The Birchtree Center will be present to offer information about their organization's programs for children and youth with autism.

This darkly funny memoir offers insight into the life of an individual growing up on the autism spectrum. It also provides another look at the family described in Running with Scissors by the author's brother, Augusten Burroughs.

As a child, with no inkling of how to pass for “normal,” John Elder Robison tried to make friends by petting other children with sticks. He seldom met anyone’s gaze, struggled with the simplest social interactions, and was constantly told to “wipe that strange look off his face” by teachers and other adults. Feeling like a freak, he dropped out of high school at sixteen and took refuge in his savant-like abilities with machines.

Despite his lifelong struggles to communicate, Robison is a born storyteller. The author recounts memorable adventures as a teenage tinkerer, toy engineer, auto restorer, and sound & effects engineer for KISS and other bands. Robison also offers valuable insight into the challenges he has faced in navigating typical social interactions. After reading about how Robinson puzzles over small talk, you’ll never see a simple “How are you?” in quite the same way!

This is the debut of the author's paperback tour. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about the event, please visit www.riverrunbookstore.com or call (603) 431-2100. For more information about the author, see jerobison.blogspot.com.

Lemonade for Birchtree

On a hot, humid day last weekend, Joseph and Laura Lynne Riggle offered passers-by some cold lemonade. But instead of selling the drinks, they suggested that each customer make a donation to The Birchtree Center!

With their hard work, they collected over fifty dollars in donations to support educational programs at The Birchtree Center. Thanks, Joseph and Laura Lynne!

Birchtree at the Beach

A trip to the seashore can be overwhelming for some children with autism. The roar of the ocean, the briny smell of seaweed, the slimy rocks, the goopy sunscreen, the jostling crowds of people, the intense sun… All this can lead to painful and frightening sensory overload for children with autism, many of whom are extraordinarily sensitive to sound, smells, and textures.

This summer, The Birchtree Center's highly qualified instructors are helping our students with autism become accustomed to the seashore environment. During summer field trips to the beach and the Seacoast Science Center, our staff is teaching students about sea life, biology, and ecology. At the same time, we’re helping them learn how to cope with the sensory and social experience of summertime beach-going.

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Portsmouth for providing a generous donation towards The Birchtree Center’s field trip expenses this summer!

A Recent Donation

Individuals of all ages are supporting The Birchtree Center!

This June, high school student Katja Ritchie conducted a book and toy drive to benefit The Birchtree Center. She was inspired to help our students after one of our instructors visited her English class to talk about autism.

Her project was part of the "Power of One" initiative at Oyster River High School in Durham, New Hampshire, where each student worked to make a difference in their community or worldwide.

Under Katja's leadership, students and families at her school donated dozens of board games, puzzles, and picture books to use in our classrooms. Executive Director Dr. Christine Guarino was delighted to accept these generous donations from Katja on our students' behalf (photo above).

Now our instructors are using the materials to help our students develop their language and social skills. The games and puzzles also offer fun rewards for our students' hard work.

Thank you to everyone who supported the toy and book drive!

Family Picnic

The Birchtree Center had its First Annual Family Picnic on June 20 at Four Tree Island park in Portsmouth. In spite of the stormy weather, approximately 75 of our students, parents, siblings, staff, and board members gathered for an afternoon of food, games, and visiting.

Thank you to the many family, staff, and board volunteers who helped make the picnic possible!

Happy Father's Day!

On June 10, members of the Portsmouth branch of Altrusa International helped our students make hand-painted stone paperweights as Father's Day gifts. Each student selected a stone to decorate during a field trip to the seashore the week before.

Student Art Exhibit

Colorful multi-media art by The Birchtree Center's students is included in SPLASH! The Art of Portsmouth’s Young People, an exhibit at the Portsmouth Public Library now through May 31.

The Friends of the Portsmouth Library organized the show, which features art by students from public and private schools throughout Portsmouth. A small exhibit reception will take place this Sunday, May 18, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the library.

The Birchtree Center's students created art for this show in honor of their instructors. The life-saver shape represents the life-changing impact that skilled and dedicated professionals can have on children and youth with autism.

Each student incorporated favorite colors, books, objects, and characters into his or her piece.

The exhibit is on display now through May 31 in the Portsmouth Public Library’s Levenson Room at 175 Parrott Avenue.

The library is open 9am-9pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-5:30pm Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday, and 1-5pm Sunday. Access to the Levenson Room is restricted when a program is taking place inside the room; see the library’s program calendar for details.

To read a Portsmouth Herald article about the exhibit, click here.

Happy Mother's Day!

On May 6, volunteers from the Portsmouth chapter of Altrusa International helped students at The Birchtree Center show their love and appreciation for their mothers by planting flowers in decorative pots as Mother’s Day gifts.

Many children with autism are extraordinarily sensitive to smells and touch, and may have difficulty working with dirt or plant material. With guidance and encouragement from The Birchtree Center’s instructors and the Altrusa volunteers, students carefully packed soil around brightly colored, sweet-smelling pansies and marigolds, watered the plants, and signed cards to accompany their gifts.

“We are so grateful to the thoughtful and generous members of Altrusa International,” said The Birchtree Center's Executive Director, Dr. Christine Guarino. “Without Altrusa's help, our nonprofit organization wouldn’t have the time or resources to make these gifts. Many of the Altrusa members are mothers themselves, and they understand how much a handmade present from a child can mean to a hardworking mom on Mother’s Day!”

Fundraising Update

Thank you to everyone who supported The Birchtree Center's fundraisers during Autism Awareness month this April! With your help, we raised more than $1,200 in support of The Birchtree Center's educational programs for children and youth with autism.

On April 1, The Flatbread Company in Portsmouth hosted a benefit night for The Birchtree Center. Families, staff, board members, and friends of The Birchtree Center enjoyed delicious flatbread pizzas from a wood-fired oven, with a generous portion of the proceeds going to support our organization. Thanks also to Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Newington, who hosted a fundraising “book fair" for our organization during their Autism Awareness Month author event on April 10.

Throughout the month, we offered a Spring Fever fundraising raffle, with a variety of prizes offering springtime fun. We sold 145 tickets; thank you to all the ticket purchasers and to our generous raffle donors:

The Boston Red Sox
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Pease Golf Course, Portsmouth
Rolling Green Nursery, Greenland
Water Country amusement park, Portsmouth

We held the raffle drawing at The Birchtree Center on May 30 at 8:00 p.m. , and notified the winners by telephone the following day. The winning ticket numbers are listed below. Congratulations to all our winners!

• A signed baseball from Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Timlin: #890


• 4 Box Seat Tickets to any New Hampshire Fisher Cats home baseball game: #888


• $35 Gift Certificate from Rolling Green Nursery: #877


• $35 Gift Certificate for The Flatbread Company: #884


• 4 Nine-Hole Rounds at Pease Golf Course: #860


• 2 Tickets to Water Country amusement park: #987

Autism Awareness Month Update

Thanks to everyone who supported The Birchtree Center's Autism Awareness Month programs this April. The series increased autism awareness, promoted discussion about the impact of autism on our families and communities, and offered practical suggestions for families living with autism. For a complete list of programs, click here.

The series received some excellent media coverage. The Portsmouth Herald published a feature article and "Thumbs up" opinion piece about The Birchtree Center, our dedicated staff, and our Autism Awareness Month programs. Information about the series also appeared in the Portsmouth Atlantic News, Foster’s Daily Democrat, and The Wire, and during an hour-long radio interview program broadcast April 14 on WSCA-LP 106.1 FM.

The Birchtree Center's Executive Director, Dr. Christine Guarino, wrote an essay in honor of Autism Awareness Month offering suggestions for "Five Things YOU Can Do to Support Individuals with Autism in Your Community." The piece appeared as a letter to the editor in Foster's Sunday Citizen and as a guest column on SeacoastParentsConnect.com.

The educational programs in this series were made possible thanks to generous grant funding from the Greater Portsmouth Rehabilitation Center Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation - Piscataqua Region. Thank you, NHCF, for your support!

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been working to improve the quality of life in our communities since 1962. It builds and manages a collection of funds, currently totaling $344 million, created by individuals, families and corporations for charitable purposes. In 2005, the Foundation awarded $25 million in grants to nonprofits and scholarship funds to students. Based in Concord, the Foundation serves communities through seven regions - Lakes, Manchester, Monadnock, Nashua, North Country, Piscataqua and Upper Valley. For more information, visit www.nhcf.org or call (603) 225-6641.

Spring Treasure Hunt

On April 15, volunteers from Altrusa International's local chapter helped our students celebrate spring with a festive treasure hunt.

Students searched for small toys and candy hidden throughout our center, with encouragement and assistance from The Birchtree Center's instructors and the friendly Altrusa volunteers.

This activity provided an excellent opportunity for our students to practice social skills such as interacting with new people, sharing toys, and saying "thank you." Thank you, Altrusa International, for your generous support of our students and programs!

Left to right:
Two students share their treasures; another student says "Thank You" using an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) electronic device.

Happy Spring!

During this season of growth, The Birchtree Center will be expanding its Outreach Program and welcoming new students to our center in Portsmouth. For information about new employment opportunities, click here.

Spring Fundraising Raffle

The Birchtree Center is offering a Spring Fever Fundraising Raffle this April in celebration of Autism Awareness Month. All raffle proceeds go to support educational programs for children and youth with autism at The Birchtree Center.

Buy your tickets for a chance to win fantastic prizes including:

• A signed baseball from Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Timlin (photos below)


• 4 Box Seat Tickets to any New Hampshire Fisher Cats home baseball game in May 2008


• $35 Gift Certificate from Rolling Green Nursery, Greenland


• $35 Gift Certificate for The Flatbread Company


• 4 Nine-Hole Rounds at Pease Golf Course, Portsmouth


• 2 Tickets to Water Country amusement park, Portsmouth

Tickets cost $3 each or four for $10; the drawing will take place on Wednesday, April 30, at 8pm at The Birchtree Center. To purchase tickets, contact The Birchtree Center at 603-294-4452.

Thank you to the generous organizations listed above for donating raffle prizes!

NH Public Radio Story

New Hampshire Public Radio (broadcasting in Portsmouth from 103.9 FM) featured The Birchtree Center’s story today in a two-minute segment as part of the “Giving Matters” series sponsored by New Hampshire Public Radio and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Board member Dr. Barbara Frankel and staff behavior analyst Dr. Sandra Pierce-Jordan were both interviewed for this feature. To hear Birchtree's story, click here. To see the series schedule and listen to other past features, see www.nhpr.org/givingmatters.

Autism Awareness Month

Join The Birchtree Center in celebrating Autism Awareness Month with series of admission-free educational programs and events this April. For a PDF version of the series schedule, click here. For program information and reservations, contact us.

Tuesday, April 1, 4-9pm
Benefit Night at the The Flatbread Company, Portsmouth
Support educational programs for children and youth with autism at The Birchtree Center while enjoying flatbread pizzas from a wood-fired oven. The Birchtree Center will receive $3.50 for each large flatbread and $1.75 for each small flatbread purchased that night (including take-out).

Monday, April 7, 6:30-8pm
Family Forum: What to do When Autism Comes to Visit and Stays
In this interactive forum for families living with autism, Barbara Frankel, Ph.D., MSW, president and founder of The Birchtree Center, offers suggestions for how to overcome family stress and do more than just survive family life with autism. Get tips for meeting the needs of your child(ren) with autism without sacrificing sibling and family needs.
At The Birchtree Center. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. Complimentary specialized child care is available during the program with advance reservations; contact us.

Thursday, April 10, 3-7pm
Author Event at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Newington
Learn about autism during a series of presentations by local authors and organizations. At 3pm, hear from author Karen Crystal, author of Navigating Through Autism. Following that, Cindy Ziobrowski, Director of Camp CARD-NE, will offer information about her organization’s local enrichment programs for children with autism. At 6pm, author Cynthia Lord will read from her Newbery-Honor-winning book, Rules. This humorous novel for middle readers tells the story of Catherine, a twelve-year-old girl in Maine whose younger brother has autism. Both books will be available for purchase and signing. Staff from The Birchtree Center and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities New England (CARD-NE) will offer information throughout the event.
For more information, contact the store at 603-422-7733.

Monday, April 14, 10-11 AM
"Portsmouth at Large" Discusses Autism on WSCA-LP Radio Portsmouth, 106.1 FM
Portsmouth at Large, an interview program featuring local nonprofits, hosts a discussion about autism and local autism resources with executive director Christine Guarino, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, and other Birchtree Center staff.

Wednesday, April 16, 6:30-8pm
Family Forum: Meeting Home-Based Challenges for Families Living with Autism
In an interactive presentation designed for parents of children with autism, Sandra Pierce-Jordan, Ph.D., BCBA, Staff Behavior Analyst at The Birchtree Center, offers practical suggestions for helping your child with autism in the home environment. Parents will hear tips for facilitating self-care, leisure skills, and more.
At The Birchtree Center. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. Complimentary specialized child care is available during the program with advance reservations; contact us.

Monday, April 28, 7-8:30 PM
Film Screening at The Portsmouth Public Library
Autism Every Day, an honest and engaging 44-minute documentary from Autism Speaks, shows the daily struggles of families living with autism. After the film, share your thoughts and ask questions during a panel discussion featuring The Birchtree Center’s families and staff.
At the Portsmouth Public Library’s Levenson Room, 175 Parrott Avenue.

Wednesday, April 30, 7-8 PM
Public Book Discussion at The Birchtree Center
Join staff from The Birchtree Center for a book discussion of Mark Haddon's revealing and humorous novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Program participants can purchase the book at a 20% discount at the River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth.
At The Birchtree Center. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. Complimentary specialized child care is available during the program with advance reservations; contact us.

All programs are admission-free and open to the public. For program information and reservations, contact us. For directions to The Birchtree Center, click here.

Funding for the educational programs in this series was provided by the Greater Portsmouth Rehabilitation Center Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation - Piscataqua Region.

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been working to improve the quality of life in our communities since 1962. It builds and manages a collection of funds, currently totaling $344 million, created by individuals, families and corporations for charitable purposes. In 2005, the Foundation awarded $25 million in grants to nonprofits and scholarship funds to students. Based in Concord, the Foundation serves communities through seven regions - Lakes, Manchester, Monadnock, Nashua, North Country, Piscataqua and Upper Valley. For more information, visit www.nhcf.org or call (603) 225-6641.

Valentine's Day

On February 11, volunteers from the Portsmouth chapter of Altrusa International helped our students with autism say “I Love You” with handmade valentines for their families.

Because autism is a neurological disorder that impairs brain development in the areas of communication and social skills, many children with autism find it difficult to express their emotions using words. “These beautiful handmade cards are a wonderful way for our students to show their love for their families this Valentine’s Day,” said our Executive Director, Christine Guarino.

With encouragement and assistance from the Altrusa volunteers, students assembled festive red and white paper collages using materials supplied by the club. Students received individual help as needed from The Birchtree Center’s specially trained instructors, who used the project as an opportunity to review classroom lessons about colors, shapes, and counting. Smiles of accomplishment spread across many students’ faces as they signed their names to the completed cards.

Altrusa International is an international association of professional women who volunteer their energies and expertise to projects dedicated to community betterment. The Portsmouth chapter of Altrusa International has been a steady supporter of The Birchtree Center since we first opened our doors in 2002. Thank you, Altrusa, and Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

To see an Atlantic News article about the project, see page 23A in this PDF file.

The Penguin Plunge

On February 3, two of The Birchtree Center's instructors, Cynthia Birse and Ryan Kent, braved icy winter waters and took the "Penguin Plunge" to raise money for the Special Olympics of New Hampshire. They were joined by 805 fellow “plungers” wearing a variety of festive, luau-inspired costumes--see photos at www.sonh.org/penguinplunge.

“This Plunge is a great event for a great cause,” explained Cynthia as she prepared to take the plunge, “and I am always more than happy to jump into the ocean in the middle of the winter!”

Students at The Birchtree Center benefit enormously from their participation in the Special Olympics program, and we’re all proud of Ryan, Cynthia, and their supporters for contributing so generously. They raised more than $1,200, and the event as a whole brought in over $546,000 to support Special Olympics programs in New Hampshire. Well done, Ryan and Cyn!

Photo courtesy of Special Olympics New Hampshire, www.sonh.org.

New Outreach Program Receives Grants

We’re pleased to announce some great news for the New Year: The Birchtree Center has been awarded grants from The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, The Fuller Foundation, and The George A. Ramlose Foundation in support of our new outreach program.

Thanks to startup support from these generous foundations, our outreach specialists are now ready to travel throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Our board-certified behavior analysts and other autism specialists will offer consultation and assistance to families, caregivers, and educators in homes, local schools, and other community locations throughout northern New England.

While all three foundations have supported The Birchtree Center in the past, The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism has been particularly generous, giving The Birchtree Center a total of four grants thus far. The Foundation was established in 1998 by Doug Flutie and his wife, Laurie, in honor of their 16 year old son, Doug, Jr., who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.

To see a Portsmouth Herald article about the grants, click here. For more information about the outreach program, call The Birchtree Center at 603-433-4192 or view a PDF version of our Outreach Program brochure.