Mothers creating playhouse for kids with special needs (Gloucester County Times excerpt)

Sunday, May 29, 2005
By Martin C. Bricketto 

WASHINGTON TWP.-- Bridget Cella said she and Stacey Bittmann are two housewives with a vision.

By August, they hope to open a place named the "Sensory Playhouse" in Washington Township where children with special needs can enjoy recreational activities designed just for them.

And from what their research shows, it could be the first such business in the state, if not the country.

"We haven't found any models to go by," Cella said. "We've been going off what we'd like to see in a facility like this."

The two met in May 2004 through the school district's Special Education Parent Teacher Organization.

Each is the mother of two young boys with special needs. Cella has a child with Asperger's syndrome and another with Angelman's syndrome. Bittmann has a child with Asperger's and a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Asperger's syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by a chronic difficulty with social skills, while those with Angelman's syndrome can exhibit speech impairment, difficulty maintaining balance and an especially excitable nature.

Before partnering in the business, Cella and Bittmann co-founded a support group called Special Parents, Exceptional Children. That quickly grew from an initial four families to 25, Cella said.

"It's through our experience of trying to take our children to typical play centers or restaurants," Cella said. "We've seen a need for a place where our children's behavior might be more acceptable."