"Optimism is the foundation of courage."
-Nicholas Murray Butler

boy holding a fish

What parents have said about their involvement in the Family H.O.P.E. Project

"[This helped me] By constantly giving me encouragement and positive comments. I rarely hear praise as a mother. It was like receiving a drink in the desert."

"This project helped us stop dwelling on past behavior and helped us gain courage to retry experiences/outings."

"I learned to overcome my own fears of failure."

"We identified that behaviors have actually improved over this year."

"The graduate student gave us great ideas and most of all a sounding board, encouragement, and motivation."

What graduate students have said about their involvement in the Family H.O.P.E. Project

"I think parents love finding out how simple and effective positive behavior support can be! And I love that-I love empowering them."

"The best thing about working with my family, was to see their optimism and ability to have full, functional lives even with two children with special needs."

"I was glad to be able to see the parents learn this new system. I could see the cautious hope in the parents eyes and was glad that I could be there to help bring that home to fruition."

"This has been a positive experience in that it has taught me flexibility and collaborative strategies. My group has done a great job of organizing and planning and sharing information."