New Hope for Autism treatment in Logansport

Apr. 20—When it came to finding help for their autistic son, Antonio and Shealey Pena felt like a square peg being pushed into a round hole. Autism therapies seemed to be planned out ahead of time with expectations that clients would adapt to them, not the other way around.

And then they met Beverly Forrey, owner of Hope Behavioral Services, 719 Spencer St.

The difference was that Forrey sat down with the family and asked what their son, AJ, needed help with. She then proceeded to make a plan fit only for AJ.

"Hope Behavioral Services came in and said they had some behavioral therapies for him," said Antonio Pena. "With Ms. Beverley and her crew, they worked with AJ, they set up goals for him. She would ask us what he needed help with."

It took baby steps, slowly confronting each challenge until AJ understood how to react. There was eye contact, recognizing emotions, understanding personal space. Hope Behavioral Services taught him coping skills and ways to eliminate distractions.

AJ is now a 20-year-old college student studying advanced automation and robotics operation at Ivy Tech. He's also gone from client at Hope Behavioral Services to a peer mentor, helping those younger than him learn to manage their autism.

"It's a very tailored program," said Shealey Pena. "We had other facilities we had worked with but they weren't as specific. Hope Behavior Services sits down and asks, 'What are your issues?' and they would create a plan around that."

Beverly Forrey opened Hope Behavioral Services in 2010 after graduating from Ball State with a master's degree in special education alongside certificates in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. The clinic started in Kokomo and now has a Logansport location.

She and her staff would go into clients' homes and work closely with the families to bring personal care. For AJ, they designed activities that challenged him while teaching him how to handle certain situations and stressors. Because AJ had an issue with food and textures, they cooked with him and had him try new meals. They would take walks in the neighborhood so AJ could learn how to cope with sensory issues, such as loud noises or distracting sounds. They went to a gas station and AJ learned how to purchase items and interact with the cashier.

"I always want to put the needs of the child and the family before anything," said Forrey. "That's our No. 1 focus. It's in our mission statement. Sure, we do assessments and we know what targets to focus on, but there are always other things that we don't see — like at home, maybe."

Hope Behavior Services goes as far to share their treatment plan with schools in an effort to help their clients, Forrey said.

Part of what made AJ's treatment so effective was his determination.

"He's self-driven," his father said. "He wants to succeed whether in academics or socially — he wants to be successful. I asked him, 'What is your worst fear?' and he said, 'Having to live with you guys as an adult.'"

"With Logansport having the clinic here — there wasn't anything here," his mother said. "As a parent with a child with a disability, you are constantly going to Riley or Peyton Manning. I know even for us just having in-home or the school services, something local, that is a blessing."

"There's a lot more availability to these services," said Antonio. "The key with AJ is he never gave up. He never gave up on himself. He never gave up on the program. He never gave up on (us). Everything we instilled in him he did, whether he liked it or not. But he knew we were out to benefit him."

Word of mouth has spread about Hope Behavioral Services. Forrey said the biggest growth came in 2020, surprising her, as it was during the pandemic. The challenge now is finding enough staff to help the clients.

"There is such a great need for the service," Forrey said. "We have over 20 people on our waiting list. Our struggle right now is getting people to work in this field and to know that this field exists. We train people to work with these kids. You only have to be 18 and have a diploma to submit an application to become a registered behavioral technician."

AJ is an active part of Hope Behavioral Services' support system now as a peer mentor. His parents see his dedication to the job as he talks about the work with them and also spends his own money on buying games to play with the children he works with. He doesn't buy just any games, they said. He carefully thinks about which child would enjoy the purchases he makes.

"He keeps (the games) in his car and he knows which clients like which games," Shealey said. "That's some independence. It's been a big blessing for him."

"I just think that Beverly has such a love in her heart for individuals with disabilities," she said. "You can see that in her. You can see that in her staff. They really care. I think that above all stands out. To have that here in our little town... I'm really happy for all the families that are going through there and the benefits they are going to get from it."

Beverly Forrey and Hope Behavioral Services can be reached at 765-210-1284.