Before Christine DeHart came to Eden, she was a manager in a group home, working with men with autism. On one occasion, one of the residents displayed challenging behavior during his exercise routine. Afterward, he grabbed Christine’s hand, as if to say he’s sorry. “I realized that he engaged in behavior because he had no way to tell me he wanted a break. From that moment on, I taught him how to ask for things he needed,” said Christine. “This is when I knew I wanted to become a speech therapist.”
Since that moment, Christine has been helping individuals with autism find their voices. She joined Eden in 2000, working at Wawa House before working her way up to become Director of Speech & Language Services. Christine now oversees the delivery of speech and language services at the Eden School, Adult Services, and Outreach.
“I see individuals graduate, and I’m able to continue these services,” she said. “Michael was 3 when he came here, and watching him now in his late ‘20s, it’s amazing to see that growth and what he can do to communicate functionally. It’s so good to see those success stories.”
Christine wants everyone to have access to communication. Whether it be through sign language, pictures, or an iPad, the opportunity to learn how to communicate is key.
“We work with the individuals that school districts have no program for, and a lot of these students have challenging behavior,” said Christine. “You might start with someone who is displaying so much challenging behavior, but when you introduce them to a communication device, that’s when you see so much progress.”
Helping an individual learn how to communicate is only the start. Christine and Eden’s speech therapists work with students and adults until they can spontaneously communicate across all situations. A moment as simple as asking a waiter what they would like to eat at a restaurant is a monumental accomplishment for many individuals at Eden.
“That’s the biggest piece. It’s not just communicating with their speech therapist, but communicating across settings,” said Christine.
The most rewarding part of Christine’s job is hearing what individuals want or need once they are given the tools to express themselves.
“You’d be surprised,” said Christine. “Given that medium — the Picture Exchange Communication System [PECS] book, an iPad, or sign language — they’ll surprise you. They have a lot to say.”