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Last updated on September 3, 2008

The mission of The Birchtree Center is to improve the quality of life, increase the independence and productivity, and nurture the full potential of children and youth with autism.

Description:
The Birchtree Center is dedicated to helping children and youth with autism develop the communication, social, academic, behavioral, and life skills necessary for full and productive lives in their families, local schools, and communities.

Our nonprofit organization operates the first and only educational day program approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education that enrolls exclusively children and youth with autism. We serve families living with autism in many cities and towns where specialized autism services would otherwise be unavailable.

At our center in Portsmouth, we operate a year-round educational/ therapeutic day-school program providing intensive, one-to-one instruction and therapy for students with autism from New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. In our Outreach Program, behavior analysts and other staff travel throughout New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont to provide consultation, training, and direct services to a growing number of children and youth with autism in homes, local schools, and other community settings.

History:
Since 2002, The Birchtree Center has helped children and youth with autism develop the skills they need for full and productive lives in their families, homes, and communities.

Our genesis story is the compelling tale of a tenacious mother and her son. When Barbara Frankel, MSW, PhD, Professor of Family Studies, learned that her 16-month-old son, Elliott, had autism, she struggled to find appropriate treatment/education for him near their home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “There weren’t any specialized programs for very young or school-aged children with autism in our area,” she recalls.

Dr. Frankel's research led her to Applied Behavior Analysis. "I knew that an effective treatment for Elliott would have to be scientifically based, with a proven track record," she says. She established a comprehensive home-based program for her son.

Dr. Frankel learned quickly that many New Hampshire families living with autism were facing the same struggles she had. To help these families obtain the specialized services their children needed, Dr. Frankel collaborated with local school districts to establish a nonprofit school for students with autism in Portsmouth. The Birchtree Center for Children incorporated in 2000, registered as a not-for-profit organization in 2001, and opened its doors in December 2002.

Our center-based program quickly grew to accommodate the rising demand for our services. By 2006, enrollment at our center had increased from six to nineteen students, and we had begun to establish a high-school program serving older students. The New Hampshire Department of Education approved our ninth- and tenth-grade programs in 2006.

Christine Guarino, PhD, an experienced clinician with over thirty-eight years in the field of autism, administration, and research, joined The Birchtree Center’s staff as Executive Director in July 2006. Under Dr. Guarino’s leadership, we expanded our center-based program, refined our clinical programs, and brought additional experts in the field of autism to our management team.

In 2007, we changed our name to “The Birchtree Center” to reflect the expansion of our programs to serve children, youth, and families with autism. That same year, we debuted an Outreach Program serving students, families, schools, and community agencies throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

Contact person: Deborah Lewis, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email)

Address:

33 Jewell Court - Suite 2 Portsmouth, NH 03801 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.birchtreecenter.org

Directions:

From Rte. I-95 North: Take the Woodbury Ave. exit (Exit 6) toward Portsmouth, go .1 mile Turn RIGHT onto WOODBURY Ave., go .1 mile Turn LEFT onto DENNETT St., go < .1 mile Turn RIGHT onto BARTLETT St. go .4 mile. † At the LIGHT at the intersection of BARTLETT St. and ISLINGTON St. go STRAIGHT, to the left of the CVS Store, through the CVS parking lot. 33 Jewell Court is the 2nd building on the left. From Rte. 1 North / Lafayette Road: Bear right at plaza with bowling alley. Lafayette turns into Middle Street Turn LEFT onto CASS St. Turn Left onto BREWERY Lane After passing Albany Street, take first right onto BARTLETT St. 33 Jewell Court is the 2nd building on the right. From Islington St, going eastward: After ALDRICH, do NOT turn right onto Jewell Court, just before CVS store Turn RIGHT at other side of CVS Store, at the traffic light at Bartlett St. Go through CVS parking lot. 33 Jewell Court is the 2nd building on the left. From Maine, the easy route: Take I-95 South to Exit 5 (Portsmouth Traffic Circle) Take the Woodbury Ave. exit Follow Woodbury Ave. to Bartlett St. Turn right onto Bartlett St. Cross Islington St. and continue through the CVS parking lot. 33 Jewell Court is the 2nd building on the left.   Nearest Bus Stop: COAST Trolley: Plaza 800 (800 Islington St.) on Pease Tradeport Line, 3-5 minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Name of Executive Director (or equivalent) if not listed above:
	Dr. Christine Guarino
Type of organization
	Nonprofit 501(c)3
Is your organization a Health and Human Service agency?
	Yes

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