HEARTism Community Center Maintains Commitment, Renews Certified Autism Center Designation

HEARTism Community Center recently renewed its Certified Autism Center (CAC) designation by completing autism-specific training and certification through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). The staff and volunteers at the HEARTism community center can now build upon their skills to help them teach and assist autistic children and those with other special abilities through arts, music, and sensory movement.

“The training through IBCCES has prepared HEARTism to tap into the needs of both our participants and their families and enables us to offer ideas, solutions, and resources beneficial in understanding the unique gifts and needs of our neurodiverse population. We believe in strength-based solutions and strive to offer services that help unwrap the gifts and talents of our participants,” said Jessica, Executive Director of HEARTism.

Gina Wiezel, HEARTism’s AmeriCorps Vista representative shared, “After certification, our volunteers are more informed about autism and have shared that they feel more empathetic and confident assisting the children and families.”

HEARTism also created a new social club program for autistic individuals and others with special needs, offering many activities, including art projects, woodworking, games, and movie nights. This platform provides young adults with diverse abilities a chance to interact and form friendships with similar peers in a safe and sensory-friendly environment. In addition, HEARTism is also building 500 sensory kits consisting of noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, chewy tubes, and fidgets to go in local EMS, police, and fire vehicles.

HEARTism believes in strength-based solutions and strives to offer services that help unwrap the gifts and talents of its participants, staff, and volunteers. “I signed up to be a volunteer at HEARTism without knowing about autism,” said Paul Nelson, a HEARTism volunteer. “The sensory training was of great value in helping me be aware of the challenges autistic individuals face each day.”

“IBCCES is excited to continue to work with HEARTism Community Center as they maintain their dedication to providing autistic individuals a place where they can have fun,” said Myron Pincomb, IBCCES Board Chairman. “It’s fantastic to see an organization like HEARTism making a positive impact on the lives of the community they serve.”

For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been a leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for healthcare, education, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES programs include evidence-based content as well as the perspectives of autistic individuals, alongside other resources, ongoing support, and renewal requirements to ensure there is continued learning and a lasting impact.

IBCCES also created CertifiedAutismCenter.com, as a free online resource for parents that lists certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center (CAC) requirements.

About IBCCES

Delivering The Global Standard For Training and Certification in The Field of Cognitive Disorders – IBCCES provides a series of certifications that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. These programs are recognized around the world as the leading benchmark for training and certification in the areas of autism and other cognitive disorders.