Hopebridge's founder recognized as Health Care Hero

Jul. 7—When Kim Strunk sat down with the Kokomo Tribune in 2018, she marveled at how quickly Hopebridge had grown.

The autism therapy clinic company she founded in 2005 had just moved into its current location on Boulevard Street and boasted 29 centers in four states.

Hopebridge's new center was 15,000 square feet, more than double the size of its previous location.

"We'll never fill that," Strunk thought at the time.

Four years later and Hopebridge has found a use for every square foot. With an indoor playground area, a physical therapy room, mock classroom and individual rooms for each child, Hopebridge in Kokomo is constantly full of children and therapists.

It's the case nationwide, too. Today, Hopebridge has grown to 121 centers in 12 states, serving 3,000 kids daily. Six more locations are expected to open this year. Indiana alone has 19 centers.

"I knew there was a need, but I didn't anticipate (how much)," Strunk said in a recent interview with the Tribune. "We haven't seen a slow down at all."

Hopebridge expanded its footprint when it acquired Autism in Motion, a similar company, with 24 locations, last year.

"It's just amazing when you look at the growth," Strunk said.

Strunk was honored as a 2022 Health Care Hero award from the Indiana Business Journal for her service with Hopebridge. The annual awards recognize companies, individuals and organizations for healthcare contributions to the Indianapolis area.

Strunk credits the growth to an ever-increasing need in services as awareness grows about what autism looks like.

About 1 in 44 8-year-olds have autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Conditions vary but are often characterized by difficulties in social interactions and communication, intense interests, repetitive behavior and a heightened or lack of sensitivity to stimuli.

Strunk said the complexity of cases has increased. A child might be on the spectrum but also have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or a physical diagnosis.

Hopebridge in Kokomo services children between the ages of 2 and 10. Children are referred by their pediatrician but need a diagnosis.

Indiana Medicaid covers behavioral analysis therapy, which opened the door for Hopebridge to serve more children. A diagnosis is needed, however wait times can be up to a year or more.

To alleviate that wait, Hopebridge brought in psychologists and diagnostic services to help children access services.

Strunk said the earlier children can be identified the easier it is to correct behavioral issues and prepare them for a school environment.

"It sets them up to be more successful," she said.

Therapy is personalized to each child. To determine a child's need, parents talk with therapists and are asked hundreds of questions. Questions cover a child's social, motor and verbal abilities; their wants and needs; ability to concentrate and other areas.

"It's very intensive, and that's the key to what we do," said Leslie Hillis, clinic manager at Hopebridge Kokomo.

The questions determine a child's individualized therapy plan. Hopebridge uses an approach called applied behavior analysis, a range of strategies to change behavior.

"The program is designed to look at what the child needs individually," Strunk said. "That hasn't changed. That's why it's so important to be in touch with who we're serving."

Parents are at the forefront of the therapy plan.

They give input about what they observe at home and what struggles their child might have that aren't apparent when they are at Hopebridge.

Every child at Hopebridge is paired with a therapist who works with them one on one. Hopebridge in Kokomo has 92 therapists.

Each child also has their own room where they work with their therapist. There might be three or four kids in a room at a time, depending on what's best for each child, but they each have a consistent space each time they go to Hopebridge.

Therapy takes a lot of different forms and can often look like play.

Take, for instance, one of the therapy rooms that has a swing and an area to jump onto a big cushion. This is a space for kids who might need a little more stimulation or those who need to burn off some energy so they can focus on their tasks.

The same philosophy is used by Northwestern and Tipton schools, both of which have spaces for students who need a few minutes to regroup so they can continue to learn in the classroom.

"It's therapy, it's work, but of course we want to do it in a fun way," Hillis said.

Hopebridge stresses positive reinforcement. Children are rewarded for doing the right thing and demonstrating proper behaviors.

Other times, therapy works with kids on things most people take for granted, such as learning to sit in a seat for an extended period of time, how to sit cross-legged on the floor, how to ask for something in a socially acceptable way and get along with others.

They're all things people might assume come naturally, but that's not always the case, Hillis explained.

The expectation that a child can just walk into their kindergarten class on day one and be able to sit and listen to the teacher can be a challenge for a child who is hyperactive.

A therapist might have a child sit for five minutes while they complete a task, then work the child up to 10, 15 minutes and so on.

While a lot of time is spent with children one on one, there is also group time to acclimate them to a classroom setting.

Preparing a child to function at school and in society is the ultimate goal.

When a child is ready to enter school, Hopebridge works with their school system to ensure best practices and make the transition as seamless as possible.

"Our job is to make sure ... their successes in our building are taken beyond our four walls," Strunk said.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.

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