Acceptance Changes Everything.
And It Starts with YOU.
For autistic children, the greatest barrier is a world that isn't ready for them.
This April, help us build a world that is.
Autistic individuals are capable of remarkable things. With the right support at the right time, they develop the skills, confidence, and independence to participate fully at school, in friendships, in workplaces, in life. Community acceptance and specialized pediatric care help autistic children find their voice, build connections, and move toward the life they deserve.
There are too many children waiting for care today; and when kids have to wait, they fall behind. Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation is working to change that.
Donor investment funds innovation, specialized programs, community education, and research that are increasing access to the specialized, world-class care at Children’s Specialized Hospital and preparing the world to accept, welcome, and value autistic individuals.
This April, help us change the world by making a donation and signing the Acceptance Pledge.
How Acceptance and the Right Care Changed Everything for Tommy
Tommy Marcketta was seven years old when he finally had a word for who he was. Autism.
His mother, Elizabeth, had spent years watching her son navigate a world that didn't quite fit him. The sounds that felt like pain, the social currents he couldn't read, the sense that he was always working harder than everyone else just to keep up. When the diagnosis came, she cried. But they were tears of relief. We finally had an answer. A starting point. A way to let Tommy be the best Tommy.
From there, the work started. Years of therapy at Children's Specialized Hospital (occupational, physical, and individual counseling), each round built around where Tommy was and what he needed. His care team didn't try to make him less autistic. They helped him understand his own mind and build from there.
In the pool, everything clicked. Water had always calmed him and there's a neurological reason for that, they learned. Tommy joined Special Olympics swimming, trained hard, and set his sights on something bigger: a spot on his high school swim team. He made it. That season, he swam every meet, helped his team win its section, and showed up for every pasta dinner and team tradition along the way.
He has since won nine gold medals at Special Olympics competitions, earned his lifeguard and swim instructor certifications, and been honored with a formal township proclamation for his advocacy. Now 18, he's been accepted to Rutgers School of Engineering and is working with his local YMCA to build a swim program for kids with special needs.
None of this happened because Tommy's autism was “cured.” It happened because the people around him chose to accept him and to build around who he is, not around who they wished he were.
"Autism is part of what makes me, me."
This April, Children's Specialized Hospital Foundation is raising funds to make specialized care possible for every child in New Jersey who needs it. Because acceptance doesn't just change one life. It changes everything.
ACCEPTANCE STARTS HERE. TAKE THE PLEDGE.
Acceptance isn’t awareness, it’s action. When we choose acceptance, we commit to seeing autistic individuals as whole people, listening to their voices, and building communities where they can thrive.
I pledge acceptance.
I will respect autism as a neurotype.
I will see and build on the strengths of autisic people in my life and my community.
I will listen to their voices and help create spaces in which autistic people can belong.
I will accept autistic people as they are.
Acceptance changes everything.
Acceptance starts with me.
Donors Support Life-Changing Programs & Services at Children’s Specialized Hospital
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Early Intervention Programs
Every child develops in their own unique way and early understanding can make a powerful difference.
Quick Peek Program: Virtual early developmental screenings for ages 1 to 5 years old to help identify where your child may need some extra help and if needed, make recommendations regarding diagnostic evaluations.
Early Intervention Program: Provided primarily in the home for children from birth to three-years old who have developmental delays involving two or more of the following areas: cognition, language, fine motor, gross motor, social/emotional and self-care. No formal diagnosis is needed to receive these services
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Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship Program
Access to developmental care is critical for autistic children, but there’s a growing shortage of providers. That’s why together with Rutgers Health Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, we created the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship. The three-year fellowship program helps to fill the gap by training fellows to serve as expert consultants to pediatricians in the clinical diagnosis and management of all developmental behavioral conditions. Every child deserves to be supported and understood.
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CSH Autism Center of Excellence
At Children’s Specialized Hospital, our Autism Center of Excellence is built to meet children where they are and help them thrive!
From early developmental screenings to evidence-based therapies, our interdisciplinary team provides comprehensive, individualized care for autistic individuals and their families.
In addition to our wide variety of medical and therapeutic diagnostic and treatment services, early intervention, and early developmental screenings, the Autism Center of Excellence also encompasses CSH RUCARES and Children’s Specialized ABA.
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Medical & Therapy Services
Our pediatric medical specialists help to coordinate medical management and they include developmental behavioral pediatricians, pediatric neurologists, psychiatrists, physiatrists and pediatric primary care physicians. Learn more about Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Neurology, Psychiatry, Physiatry and Special Needs Primary Care.
Children’s Specialized Hospital’s comprehensive multidisciplinary approach includes consistent therapies that improve each child’s outcome.
Feeding and Nutrition Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy
Physical and Occupational Therapy -
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Children's Specialized ABA Services
Children’s Specialized ABA provides a holistic, collaborative Applied Behavior Analysis model that addresses physical, developmental, behavioral, social and emotional needs of children, teens, and young adults with ASD in family, school, and community contexts.
This partnership is rooted in increasing access, reaching more children and families across New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, and Arizona, reducing barriers to care and ensuring families can access support sooner. The goal of ABA Services is to support each child’s development, celebrate their individuality, and help create meaningful, fulfilling lives.
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Activity Connection Community Recreation Programs
Activity Connection at Children’s Specialized Hospital provides year-round inclusive programming for individuals ages 1-21. All activities are conducted by CSH Recreational Therapists who provide age-appropriate and safe activities that are catered to the individualized needs of participants.
In programs, we focus on safety awareness, socialization, gross & fine motor skills, cognitive & emotional skills, and more, all within a safe and fun environment! Our Recreational Therapists support participants in enhancing their skills, making new friends, and trying different recreational activities!
Programs include Adaptive Aquatics, Play Group, Social Club, Teen Nights, Friday Night Fever, RWJBH Toms River Field of Dreams Programming, Summer Camps, and more.
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RUCARES Severe Behavior Program
The Severe Behavior Program at CSH – Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (CSH-RUCARES) provides intensive and highly specialized services to children and adolescents with ASD who frequently engage in destructive behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, and property destruction that post a risk to self, others, or the environment and cannot be safely and effectively treated in a less intensive program and/or with medication.
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IncludED
Inclusion is a top priority at Children’s Specialized Hospital. Our Center for Discovery, Innovation and Development collaborates with IncludED, a team comprised of experts in disability education and inclusion to help businesses ensure they’re equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively support individuals with access and functional needs.
