Autism and Spirituality
Volume 4, Issue 5 ~ September/October, 2009


The Little Light House:
A Christian Developmental Center Serving Children with Special Needs

by Nicole Caldwell, M.Ed.

I recently had the privilege of attending an open house for a new early childhood school for children with disabilities in Denton, Texas. I met with Mary Borges, the Executive Director of The Little Light House Denton. She was kind enough to share some information about their program and how they serve children with Autism and other special needs. “The mission of The Little Light House–Denton is to bring glory to God by improving the quality of life for children with special needs, their families, and communities.” The Little Light House of Denton is an affiliate of the national Little Light House organization, which was founded in the early 1970s by two mothers of children with special needs seeking early intervention services. Throughout the first year, the program’s student population tripled, and after a year and a half, the school was referred to as a “model program within a six-state region.” In 2003, the school was named “Outstanding School of the Year” by the International Christian Accrediting Association. Three years later, in 2006, the Little Light House began replicating its program across the United States. One of the driving forces behind Mary Borges’ desire to bring a program like the Little Light House to Texas was her son, Nathan, who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two. She found it a challenge to locate an educational program for her son in a Christian setting. The Little Light House of Denton is currently raising the necessary funds to open in their new location. The program will serve children with special needs through the age of six years. The children served by the program come from a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds and have various diagnoses including developmental delays and physical disabilities. In addition to a Bible-based curriculum developed by the Little Light House Headquarters, the school program will address all areas of early childhood development, including the provision of services such as occupational, speech, and physical therapy as needed. Of the curriculum and program, Ms. Borges says, “each child has unique, individual goals based on their evaluation. We address all developmental domains and embrace a transdisciplinary approach. Individual programs are designed based on the unique needs of each child. The curriculum has adaptations for children working on a variety of different skill levels.” The organization plans to offer this program to their community tuition free. For more information, including how you can make a donation to support The Little Light House of Denton, please visit http://www.llhdenton.org/ References Little Light House of Denton: http://www.llhdenton.org/ Little Light House National Headquarters: http://www.littlelighthouse.org/ Personal E-mail from Mary Borges

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