FAQ

What are the criteria for becoming a member of Hippo Campus?

To become a member of Hippo Campus, one person in your family needs to meet the following three criteria: School-age student between the ages of Grade 2 - Grade 12 Carries a documented diagnosis of one or more of our supported neurodivergent conditions Can perform essential activities of daily living — either: 1) without caregiver assistance, or; 2) with self-provided caregiver assistance (if needed)
What are the "essential activities" that might require self-provided caregiver assistance for people with higher needs?

There are three key areas of higher-support needs to consider when becoming a member: Personal care / personal hygiene / toileting Elopement concerns Regular physical altercations/incidents While Hippo Campus strives to accommodate all people with various support needs, we are constrained by certain staffing limitations. If you or your family member requires monitoring or regular assistance in any of the three areas listed above, you will be expected to provide your own caregiver assistance while using our facility.
Which neurodivergent conditions are supported by Hippo Campus?

As of today, Hippo Campus is being designed for school-age students who carry one or more of the following diagnoses: Autism Discalcula Dysgraphia Dyslexia Echolalia Tourette syndrome
Why isn't ADHD one of the neurodivergent conditions listed?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is significantly more prevalent than autism and related forms of neurodivergence, and would require a 4x-larger facility to serve the local population. According to the CDC, an estimated 11.4% U.S. children aged 3–17 years have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. Comparatively, only 2.7% of U.S. children carry an autism diagnosis. The needs of children with autism are fairly different than those who solely carry an ADHD diagnosis. Therefore, by serving everyone, we might not serve anyone well at all. There are also some practical concerns to consider when creating our center — namely that most neurodivergent people thrive with routine, predictability, and structure. Hippo Campus is designed with that in mind. This is often not the case for individuals carrying an ADHD diagnosis by itself. But that's not the entire story. By supporting children with autism and other related neurological conditions, we do serve a significant portion the ADHD community — one in eight children currently diagnosed with ADHD is also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. So in that sense, Hippo Campus will support some children with ADHD.