special needs living – sponsor of theBy Maria month Smietana
S E R V E TOGETHER In six short years, Lindsay and Frank Knez have expanded K1ds Count Therapy from its first location in a small farmhouse in Brownsburg, IN, to the second one in Crawfordsville and are looking to open a third location within the next year. In addition, they serve approximately 35 public and charter schools around the area. K1ds Count Therapy provides speech, occupational, physical, and mental health therapies to all children as well as a comprehensive autism services program that is grounded in ABA therapy. The Knezes have called the Brownsburg community home for the last 11 years. They feel that faith drives their mission to SERVE Together with their KCT team to positively impact kids, families, and the community. “The little farmhouse has grown into a campus of six buildings,” Lindsay said, “and we have developed such supportive relationships with the Town, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the local schools.” The Crawfordsville location came about because as a Wabash College graduate, Frank had a soft spot in his heart for the community. Equally important, the Knezes wanted to bring comprehensive therapy services to a very underserved area of the state.
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Within the next year, they hope to open their third and final location on a 12-acre plot in Whitestown. They feel connected to Whitestown through Traders Point Christian Church and School, where the family worships and the children attend school. “We are excited to open a new center with large, simulated classrooms, acres of land for K1ds Count Therapy inclusive athletic programs, and much more!” Frank said. Lindsay, a Bloomington, IN, native, has been working to help children with autism and their families since she was 18 years old. As a high school senior, she worked for a buddy’s program and then at a group home, serving six children with autism every weekend, something she continued while attending college at IU. “Those kids were like family,” she recalled. “They gave me a sense of purpose since I was considering a career as a speechlanguage pathologist to give all children a voice.” After staying on at IU to earn a graduate degree in speech-language pathology, Lindsay worked for First Steps, outpatient clinics, and at Damar, a residential school on the far southwest side of Indy for children with autism and other developmental challenges.
