Welcome to Giant Steps!
Welcome to Giant Steps! Giant Steps as an organization is comprised of the following programs:
- Giant Steps Day School, serving students ages K-22
- The Canopy Adult Autism Program serves adults after they have left the school system
- Christine’s Dream Therapeutic Equine Program
- Riley Center, an after-school therapy & recreational-based program.
Since its inception, Giant Steps has focused on providing highly individualized academic and therapeutic instruction to students and participants with autism spectrum disorders. Programmatically, Giant Steps is unique in its use of an integrated multi-disciplinary team that crafts programming designed to meet the holistic needs of each student and participant as an individual, as a member of the school/program, and as a member of the larger community. Academic, therapeutic, and community-based instruction incorporates evidence-based teaching methodologies to maximize student and participant learning. Our mission is to ensure that we are equipping and empowering students and participants to be academically successful and to independently participate in their community to the fullest extent possible, both now and into adulthood.
Giant Steps was started in 1996 by a group of families looking for alternative education for their children with autism. Since then, we have become a leader in the field of autism education by creating multiple divisions of support and partnering with members of our community to provide autism-specific training for staff working in public venues, School districts, care providers, families, legislators, and first responders. We are committed to having a growth mindset and meeting the changing needs of our students, participants, and families. We have come a long way since our humble beginnings. Through the generosity of kind donors and our highly trained staff’s unyielding dedication and compassion, we continue to pursue unlimited possibilities for autistic people.
Thank you for taking an interest in Giant Steps. I hope you will be impressed by our program’s uniqueness, our staff’s commitment, and, most importantly, our exceptional students, adult participants, and parents. At Giant Steps, we are passionate about our work and mission to provide each student and participant with an opportunity to maximize his or her potential.
Sylvia Smith, Executive Director
Giant Steps Mission Statement
Giant Steps is committed to providing individuals with autism spectrum disorders, and their families, superior educational and therapeutic services focused on improving the quality of daily life from early childhood through adulthood.