Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession that involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or occupations, of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of OT consists of health care practitioners trained and educated to improve mental and physical performance. Occupational therapists specialize in teaching, educating, and supporting participation in any activity that occupies an individual's time. It is an independent health profession sometimes categorized as an allied health profession and consists of occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs). While OTs and OTAs have different roles, they both work with people who want to improve their mental and or physical health, disabilities, injuries, or impairments.
Special education is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. This involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community, which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.
Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, especially in "language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living". Developmental disabilities can be detected early on and persist throughout an individual's lifespan. Developmental disability that affects all areas of a child's development is sometimes referred to as global developmental delay.
The University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program creates and disseminates community-based services, training programs, and research for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to enhance the quality of life for them and their families across the lifespan.
Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) or ARC(S) is a Singapore-based non-profit organisation established in 2000. It was established by professional and parent volunteers dedicated to serving children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to help them lead meaningful and independent lives.
Pathlight School is a special school for children with autism in Singapore. Founded in 2004, it is run by the non-profit Autism Resource Centre and comprises one half of the national educational provision for autistic children. The school educates students in social and life skills, teaches them mainstream curriculum subjects and prepares them for employment in an autism friendly environment. With more than 2000 pupils enrolled, the school has been noted for its achievements in special education in Singapore.
Inclusion in education refers to all students being able to access and gain equal opportunities to education and learning. It arose in the context of special education with an individualized education program or 504 plan, and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special needs to have the said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading to further success in life. The philosophy behind the implementation of the inclusion model does not prioritize, but still provides for the utilization of special classrooms and special schools for the education of students with disabilities. Inclusive education models are brought into force by educational administrators with the intention of moving away from seclusion models of special education to the fullest extent practical, the idea being that it is to the social benefit of general education students and special education students alike, with the more able students serving as peer models and those less able serving as motivation for general education students to learn empathy.
A group home, congregate living facility, care home, adult family home, etc., is a structured and supervised residence model that provides assisted living and medical care for those with complex health needs. Traditionally, the model has been used for children or young people who cannot live with their families or afford their own homes, people with chronic disabilities who may be adults or seniors, or people with dementia and related aged illnesses. Typically, there are no more than six residents, and there is at least one trained caregiver there 24 hours a day. In some early "model programs", a house manager, night manager, weekend activity coordinator, and four part-time skill teachers were reported. Originally, the term group home referred to homes of 8 to 16 individuals, which was a state-mandated size during deinstitutionalization. Residential nursing facilities, also included in this article, may be as large as 100 individuals in 2015, which is no longer the case in fields such as intellectual and developmental disabilities. Depending on the severity of the condition requiring one to need to live in a group home, some clients are able to attend day programs and most clients are able to live normal lifestyles.
North East Autism Society (NEAS), previously Tyne and Wear Autistic Society (1980–2009), is an English public service organisation established by parents in 1980 to provide educational and residential programmes to children with an Autism spectrum Condition. The Society bought Thornhill Tower as its base on Thornhill Park, Sunderland creating a residential school. After which, The White House was purchased at South Shields that was subsequently sold to buy Thornholme House, a former hospital, establishing a comprehensive base within the Sunderland region. Thornhill Park became the location for the Society's main bases when in 1994, the Adult Services was established with the opening of a small specialist college at number 14 Thornhill Park. Community Services was then formed in 2009. As of the present day the Society has developed rapidly and is now one of the primary providers of specialist care and support for individuals with an ASC in the North East of England. The Society has recently opened the North East Centre for Autism in County Durham which has increased the operational area and range of the services it provides.
The Barber National Institute is a nonprofit, multi-faceted organization that provides services to more than 6,300 children, adults, and families who are faced with autism, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral health challenges. The institute's central facility was founded in 1952 and is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Barber National Institute now employs more than 3,000 staff members throughout the state.
The Vanguard School is an approved private school in Malvern, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately twenty-two miles northwest of Philadelphia on the campus of Valley Forge Educational Services.
Judith S. Bloch was an LCSW and activist in the field of early childhood education. She was an advocate for national public policy and changes that addressed the needs of children with developmental disabilities and their families. She was among the first professionals in the United States to recognize and promote the value of early intervention for children with special needs. She is the founder of Variety Child Learning Center, in Syosset, New York, a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3)agency that provides education and therapeutic services and support to young children with special needs, and their families, along with training for professionals.
Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood house is a 103-year-old comprehensive social services organization based in East St. Louis, Illinois. It is a United Way organization and is a United Methodist settlement house operating 22 programs at five sites in the Metro East St. Louis Metro East.
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is a settlement house founded in 1974 by community activists Janet Athanasidy, Patricia Burns, and Mary McLoughlin, serving the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood and the Bronx. KHCC offers programs and services in multiple sites for more than 4,500 people annually. Guided by the settlement house model of community development and involvement, KHCC is a member of United Neighborhood Houses of New York City. KHCC’s mission is to “empower Bronx residents from cradle to career to advance education and well-being for a vibrant community. ”
California Autism Foundation (CAF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Richmond, California.
Springbrook is a not-for-profit organization located in Oneonta, New York. Initially, Springbrook was opened as an orphanage in 1925 by Harriet Parish Smith and was known as the Upstate Baptist Home for Children. The home was established on a working 95-acre farm and also provided its young residents with an education.
Anna Kennedy is a disability/ neurodiversity campaigner who has worked to provide improved education and other services and support for children and adults described as being on the autism spectrum as well as other neurodiverse conditions. In pursuing these activities she has helped establish two schools, a college, a respite home and a website with over 100,000 international followers.
Ro'im Rachok is a program designed to train young autistic adults in professions by the Israel Defense Forces. Qualified young adults, who want to volunteer for service in the IDF or integrate into the job market, are taught professions for which they have a comparative advantage.
YAI, previously known as the Young Adult Institute, is an organization serving people with Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States. YAI launched as a pilot program at a small school in Brooklyn, New York, in February 1957. The pilot program was run by co-founders Bert MacLeech and Pearl Maze and served seven people with I/DD. Today, YAI has expanded to a team of over 4,000 employees and supports over 20,000 people in the I/DD community. YAI supports people with Autism, Down syndrome, and Cerebral palsy, among others.
Howard Center is a Burlington, Vermont-based nonprofit organization that offers professional crisis and counseling services to children and adults; supportive services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities who need help with education, employment, and life maintenance skills; counseling and medical services for those struggling with substance use disorders; and interventions and supports for adults with serious and persistent mental health challenges in Chittenden County, Vermont's most populous county. Howard Center collaborates with many community partners and is a United Way of Northwest Vermont-funded agency.
