Testimonials about SNAP’s founder and operations manager, Josh Carpenter:
From a mother in Washington, DC:
“Wow. That’s about all I can say. We are blown away by how succinctly and eloquently you are able to capture what is going on with our daughter. It is what we have always known or at least suspected, and what others have tried to describe to us, but your assessment of what seems to be happening has, in short order, put a lot into context for us. We were chuckling at some of your anecdotes even as they reveal valuable information.”
From a professional in Bethesda:
| “I met Josh in 2007 when he was assisting a client of mine with a diagnosis of PDD-NOS and have been aware of his work with numerous other children on the autism spectrum. Josh is a very kind and considerate person who has been able to engage a wide variety of children while participating in many different kinds of activities. He’s bright and creative and extremely “tech-savvy” which has made him a very highly sought after resource within the special needs community. I know that I would wholeheartedly recommend him to any family with a child with special needs and I highly endorse the launching of the Special Needs Access Project.” Diane Lewis, MA, CCC/SLPDirector, Children’s Innovative Therapy Group Creator of the Affect Based Language Curriculum |
From a mother in Great Falls, VA:
“Josh is extremely well qualified, and my daughter bonded with him immediately.”
From a father in Washington, DC:
“I wanted to say we are thrilled to have you for the fall. Some time ago when I was looking at you in the photos with the kids and the amazing movie the class put together – I could tell you were truly enjoying it and I could see you already were so welcomed and seen as adding value and community. I knew then that it was a great success all around.”
From a mother and father in Washington, DC:
“[As a one-to-one facilitator] Josh developed a close bond with our daughter who relied on him, calling him her “wingman,” and trusting his moment-to-moment guidance and advice during their days together. While she has diagnoses, our daughter does not fit into any particular “box” of children. She is unique, as all children are, and Josh was able to see that immediately and hone in on where she needed support. We still refer back to his emails detailing his insights into her abilities, her character, and what makes her tick. We adore Josh. He stepped in to help our daughter at a time when she needed help, and he brilliantly provided exactly what she needed.”
From a professional in Germantown:
| Josh has a rare combination of skilled teaching, continuous creativity, and the critical levels of relationship and engagement that are foundations for any growth and learning tooccur. He is able to relate to children with special needs so that the child knows he/she is not just cared for, but truly enjoyed. I have watched him establish and maintain this relationship with children of all ages whose challenges range from non-verbal to verbose, and autistic to intellectually disabled or gifted. His hands-on and experiential based learning have given him an expertise in this field that surpasses many of the teachers and professionals I have trained and worked with over my career. Josh supplements his natural talent with a quest for learning methodologies to amplify and refine his skills. This includes knowledge of Greenspan’s DIR theories, Verbal Behavior Analysis, RDI, sensory integration, language scaffolding, Garcia-Winner’s social thinking, augmentative communication, universal designs for learning and a host of other current best practices in the field. Furthermore, he is able to integrate this knowledge base with school and home treatment teams flexibly, keeping in mind the continuously evolvingintellectual and emotional levels of a child’s development. Josh continuously seeks out current information and research regarding disability challenges of children as well as multiple intervention programs – not just in the fields of education, but also medicine, psychology, and neurology. As a professional researcher, I have been impressed with his quest for trans-disciplinary knowledge in the field of disabilities, not just from a current, but also historic and philosophical perspective. In summary, Josh is uniquely attuned to the needs of any child, at any given moment, and in any context in their lives, as well as the teams and families that serve them. Indeed, he is a gift for every family and child with whom he comes in contact. Having Josh as a part of a child’s treatment team is an opportunity that should not be missed. This recommendation is both professional and personal. It is based on my 40 years as a special educator and psychologist specializing in the field, and my 14 years as the parent of a special needs child. Ph.D. Faculty Member Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL) Parent of a Special Needs Child |
From a mother in Washington, DC:
Our daughter was recently rating her facilitators. You were a 100 on a scale of 1-10. She eventually brought it down to a 10. Needless to say, she — and we — will always appreciate the role you played when she really needed someone!”
Recreation, Relationship, and Engagement as a Pathway to Self:
Self-Discovery, Self-Expression, Self-Reliance, and Self-Realization
Special Needs Access Project 
