Two special education teachers and a parent who saw a need in the community for a wide variety of services for children with ASD formed the Learning Spectrum in 2004. Combined, they have over thirty-five years experience working with children with Autism. The vision of TLS is to provide families with individualized services designed to meet the needs of children in and out of the school setting.
As Autism Scholarship providers, the Learning Spectrum is able to create individualized education programs as well as work within a student’s IEP to help meet specific educational goals. In addition, The Learning Spectrum offers support in inclusive settings including daycares, pre-schools and public/private schools. The overall goal of all intervention is to help children grow and prosper in their natural environments.
In 2009, the addition of the therapy department allowed for a more transdisciplinary approach to servicing children and their families. The inclusion of speech, occupational, and music therapies allows families to access further interventions for their students both in the centers and in their inclusive settings. This team approach further serves to increase the acquisition of new skills, and support the families with the knowledge that all members of the team are working toward the same goals.
In 2011, TLS began expanding its offering to behavioral consultation services through the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and some insurance carriers. This further expands funding options for families to utilize and gains much needed services for their children to support successful generalization from skills learned in the center or school, to the home and community settings.
This year, TLS was invited to begin a new center-based program housed in the Canal Winchester school district. This new unit welcomes students from 7 surrounding school districts and includes students who had difficulty finding appropriate placements within their home districts. This pilot program has been so successful that TLS is currently planning for further expansion this fall.