Fredericksburg, Virginia

For information on available services, please call: Ashea Green (202) 760-6411

The Gillis family lives in the heart of Spotsylvania County, just five minutes from shopping, restaurants, gyms, pet stores, craft stores, theaters, and so much more! Although they are close to many activities, the home itself is nestled in a wooded, suburban area with a country living feel. The neighborhood is maintained by an HOA and offers a pool, tennis courts, fishing ponds, a pavilion, and a grill area for residents to enjoy.

The home itself has a spacious, 4,700 square foot, open-floor plan. The Gillis family, comprised of April and her two teenage sons, is a pet loving household and currently have a guinea pig, two ferrets, and a fish tank. They love amusement parks, zoos, the beach, family game nights, movies, gardening, and just having fun together in a loving and supportive atmosphere.

April’s love for supporting individuals with disabilities originally came from her father, who worked for over 15 years with special needs adults. April has also had over six years of professional experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, along with the personal experience of raising her oldest son, who has autism. She specializes in management of high difficulty behaviors, including but not limited to aggressive/ violent language and behavior, self-harm, OCD behaviors and needed routines, over-stimulation, and sensory difficulties.

April is proficient in behavior strategies and techniques with high understanding of Autism, such as coping and calming strategies, practice of transitions difficulties, the need for multi-choice options with undesired activities, social and behaviorally adaptivity strategies, and empowering individuals to tap into their full potential. April believes that the most important aspect of support is being person-centered in everyday life and advocating for the individual to the highest ability as you would for your own family member or yourself.  April believes in positive reinforcement techniques as preventative measures to minimize behavioral concerns.

The Gillis family has shared their home for nearly five years with a female individual, whose bedroom is on the main level of the home. They are seeking a compatible female housemate, who will have her own bedroom along with a shared bathroom on the upper level.