'Jungle Jim' commander - Hurlburt Warrior

Page | Hurlburt Warrior | Friday, October 14, 2011v
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903-B N Beal Parkway
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547
850-863-2015 phone
850-863-2045 fax
208 Mary Esther Blvd.
Mary Esther, FL 32569
phone: 850-664-9000
fax: 850-664-9009
2039240
spectrum From page 4
the wall that my children
would need this service,”
she said.
In less than a year,
O’Brien started the three
local centers that offer
therapy to children and
young adults with developmental
disabilities. She
plans to open a center in
Pensacola within the next
six months.
She said she also hopes
to open a coffee house
near each center where
families can socialize, hear
guest speakers and learn
about local resources
while their loved one is being
treated.
O’Brien’s 9-acre homestead
had a second unoccupied
house on it that she
and her husband turned
into their first center. As
rewards for children who
were doing well in their
sessions, the O’Brien’s
started taking them swimming,
fishing and horseback
riding at the Milton
center. They also offered
horse therapy and quarterly
camps.
Some of the space is
used as a mock apartment
where adults learn
to prepare meals, clean
rooms and perfect job
skills. Therapists do onthe-job
training and have
been known to walk clients
through shopping tasks.
The process can take
years for some clients to
learn. Every milestone is
Spectrum House
•Spectrum House’s new Crestview center is at 1455
Ferndon Blvd. Unit C. The center can be reached at 398-6021
or by emailing crestview@spectrumhouse.org.
•The Navarre center is at 7552 Navarre Parkway Suite
36. The center can be reached at 939-4190 or by emailing
navarre@spectrumhouse.org
•The Milton Spectrum House is at 9026 Will Sexton Road,
Milton, FL 32507. The center can be reached at 957-4747 or
milton@spectrumhouse.org.
a celebration for O’Brien
and for parents.
“The first time the mom
goes a week without being
hit, bitten or scratched is a
big one,” she said.
The typical therapy session
is about $40 an hour
(one of the least expensive
rates in the area) and the
nature of the therapy is to
repeat tasks for months.
O’Brien hates turning
people without insurance
away but the overhead for
the new locations make
charity almost impossible.
She collects donations and
plans to do fundraisers
to offset costs. Spectrum
House has a program
where people can sponsor
a child’s therapy.
“With donations, I hope
someday to be able to tell
people, ‘OK, today’s session
is $5,’ ” she said.
A big part of therapy
with the children is playing
with toys. O’Brien said
when an autistic child is
given toy cars, he does not
make car noises and pretend
to drive them around
the room. He organizes
and lines them up.
The turnover rate of a
toy in Spectrum House is
fast. When a child finds a
toy and gets to the point of
playing with it in a traditional
way, that toy is his.
O’Brien buys used toys
whenever possible. And
accepts donated books and
toys at all of the locations.