Daily Inspiration: Meet Michelle Hass and Mary Beth Patry

Today are going to introduce you to Michelle Hass and Mary Beth Patry. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Michelle and Mary Beth first met when they worked as autism/behavior specialists in a local school district. After spending four years in this role, Mary Beth left to pursue her doctorate in Special Education at the University of Kansas and Michelle began working privately supporting clinics, schools, and families in the successful development of early intervention programs focused on social, communication, and school-readiness skills. ​​​

After working in many different settings for more than 20 years, Creating Connections Therapy (CCT) was conceptualized through Mary Beth and Michelle’s commitment to delivering evidence-based practices and interventions based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) in inclusive contexts with typically developing peers whenever possible. While ABA-based interventions have been found to be effective for addressing the social, communicative, and behavioral skills of children with autism, research also suggests that inclusive settings with access to typically developing peers allow for increased development of social, play, and language skills, all of which are essential for school success. CCT is focused on providing quality early intervention in a focused yet fun learning environment for young children with autism and other developmental differences.

The first CCT location opened in Prairie Village in 2019, serving approximately ten children with 12 employees. After quickly realizing the great need for other children and families seeking services, Michelle & Mary Beth began searching for another location. After what ended up being a much more challenging year than anyone could have expected (thank you, Covid!), the second Overland Park location opened in March of 2021. CCT now provides ABA, speech and occupational therapy services to more than 25 children and employs 30 therapists.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It would have been impossible to predict the challenges and stressors that came with operating an essential business during a global pandemic. We are happy to have been able to continue to grow through it and continue to provide support to the families who desperately needed it during these times. In addition, expanding the business, renovating a commercial building and doubling the number of employees in a short two years has resulted in lots of lessons learned and professional growth. Thankfully our personal families have been supportive of our seven-day-a-week work schedules as we have grown.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At CCT, we provide intensive early intervention for young children (primarily between the ages of 2-7) with autism and related developmental delays. Using a therapeutic approach called applied behavior analysis (ABA), along with speech and occupational therapies and an extensive knowledge of childhood development, we are able to provide evidence-based, quality services to help a child succeed with developing communication, social/emotional, play, adaptive, behavior, motor and pre-academic skills.

While there many clinics that provide similar therapies, our focus is providing these services in a setting that is fun, play-based and the provides children with an opportunity to be around their peers as much as possible. We want every child to have the opportunity to go to “school,” play with friends and build the connections with others that will help them learn and be successful. We are proud of the success and progress that the children we work with have made and the therapists and families that have partnered with us to get them there!

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
In addition to holding her BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) and a Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Autism, Mary Beth earned her PhD in Special Education in 2019. Michelle is one of only five other people in the entire state of Kansas to hold be both a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and BCBA.

Contact Info:

• Email: michelle@creatingconnectionskc.com
• Website: www.creatingconnectionskc.com
• Instagram: @creatingconnectionskc
• Facebook: @creatingconnectionskc.