A group of professionals and parents in 2004 with backgrounds in diverse fields such as behavioural therapy, medical, media and business strategy identified the need for having inexpensive, Applied Behavioural Analysis (referred to as ABA) therapy early intervention in Australia for kids having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These experts, having witnessed high effectiveness of ABA in treating kids having ASD, and it’s extremely high prices were determined to get a way of making ABA to be more affordable for children in Australia on the spectrum. Their solution was the creation of the non-profit Learning for Life Autism Centre, identified in short as L4Life.
The Mission
The mission of L4Life is to provide children having ASD with ABA-based services to assist them attain their full growth potential irrespective of their individual financial circumstances.
L4Life aims to accomplish this through:
- Providing various ABA-based services.
- Making ABA services accessible to families that are financially disadvantaged.
- Actively advocating for increased private and public sector support for ABA.
- Training aspiring and new therapists.
The Work of Learning for Life Autism Centre
In its 10 year history, they have made considerable gains in terms of changing the lives of kids having Autism Spectrum Disorder. Significantly, they are also enhancing the life quality for their families of the children and their communities.
Some of these contributions include among many others:
- Growing from just a small staff of only 5 therapists delivering Applied Behavioural Analysis programs to only3 children to a sizeable of 36 therapists delivering the Applied Behavioural Analysis programs to roughly 30 children yearly.
- Raising in excess of $1.4 million in terms of funding which is delivering above 36,000 hours of Applied Behavioural Analysis therapy to kids having Autism Spectrum Disorder who otherwise would not have afforded to receive it.
- Graduating some 46 children, considerably assisting them towards reaching their full and maximum potential.
- Enhancing the life quality for families through assisting their child, and offering them with Applied Behavioural Analysis emotional support and.
- Developing a School based Program of Behavioural Support providing in-school support for kids having Autism Spectrum Disorder across some 17 schools in Melbourne.
- Training in excess of 160 emerging new therapists in the Applied Behavioural Analysis therapy delivery.
Since beginning their activities in 2004, all the kids, families and the therapists have gotten consulting support coming from the Lovaas Institute, a US-based and worldwide recognized pioneering ABA therapy delivery and research organization.
The Service Models
Learning for Life Autism Centre offers a variety of services towards supporting the particular requirements of school children having Autism Spectrum Disorder as well as their families.
Full Service Model
Families that already are dealing with the challenging circumstances of a child’s special could find organizing an Applied Behavioural Analysis program to be quite overwhelming. The full Service Model offered by L4Life’s relieves such families of this huge burden through taking care of all that is involved in the establishment and in the running of their kid’s ABA program.
The Workshop Model
For those families preferring to engage and organize a therapist team of their own, but wish to get the expertise of L4Life in designing and supervising the ABA program for their child, L4Life provides the Workshop Model.
School behavioural Support Program
The SBSP program offers support to children having ASD, their own families and to the schools towards the integration of the children into their school academic settings as successfully as is feasible.
Fundraising
Each year, Learning for Life Autism Centre has a diversity of events for fundraising to help in delivering the ABA therapy to kids having ASD whose families otherwise would not afford in meeting the costs. Over the passage of years, L4Life has fashioned a powerful strong community through these numerous fundraising events.
Within the countless fundraising efforts, L4Life is grateful to lots of individuals who are participating in activities such as City to Sea and Run Melbourne and others undertaking their individual events including sausage sizzles and garage sales on their behalf.
Donating towards L4Life
Donations to Learning for Life Autism Centre are vital to allowing them convey Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) therapy that is highly effective to the children coming from families that are financially disadvantaged.
Your generous contribution allows a kid who is on the Autism Spectrum Disorder to receive Applied Behavioural Analysis therapy that otherwise they would have been unable to afford.
Your kind one-off or even monthly giving is certainly most welcome!
The L4Life Supporters
Learning for Life Autism Centre would not be where it is today without the kind assistance of their wonderful and generous supporters. Irrespective of whether your kind of support is service-based, financial, a kind helping hand or a just kind word, it will all go into making a huge difference. L4Life cannot express their appreciation enough for their bighearted generosity and they are encouraging everyone in the L4Life community and eve beyond into supporting the worthy work of our community partners and corporate sponsors.
