YouthCare

Special Announcement from  D. Scott McLeod, PhD, Executive Director

I am very pleased  and excited to share YouthCare's new name:  Aspire.    We officially launched  'Aspire' at our annual  Gala fundraiser on April 26, releasing it publicly for the first time.   Since we have embarked on  expanding our work with teens and young adults, "Youth" Care no longer fully reflects our larger mission to provide a continuum of services from childhood through young adulthood.    After many hours of reflection with our staff  and leadership, gathering input from participants and parents in our programs and from our supporters, and in close collaboration  with  the wonderful team  at  the  Hill Holliday agency, we worked diligently to find a name that reflects our expanded mission  and our values.    We look forward to this new stage in our growth and commitment to serve  more individuals from childhood through young adulthood with autism spectrum disorders.

 

Mission

Aspire is dedicated to provide children, teens, and young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and related Autism Spectrum Disorders with the knowledge and skills necessary to make social connections and develop independence leading to successful and fulfilling lives.

Aspire's approach is to teach social skills, life skills and other behavioral strategies within a small-group setting. Our programs offer a variety of recreational, social and educational activities within a group environment to help our participants learn from real-life group experiences. We focus on our participants' strengths and interests and emphasize using empirically validated interventions. Aspire also believes that the skills taught need to be consistently applied across all settings in the participant's life. For this reason, we take a collaborative approach and strive to work closely with parents, teachers, providers and others involved in the person's team. Aspire aims to meet the needs of underserved communities in the metro Boston area.

Population Served

Aspire serves children, teens and young adults aged entering the 1st grade to age 22 with Asperger's Syndrome and related challenges.

Therapeutic Components

Aspire uses a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates the fields of psychology, special education, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.  At times we offer adjunct strategies such as music therapy and drama therapy.  Our therapeutic components include:

• Social skills coaching & instruction
• Group therapy with a focus on relationship development
• Structured & supported recreation
• Collaborative/team focus
• Social pragmatics support
• Evidence-based practice
• Developmental approach
• Cognitive and behavioral approach
• Development of self-awareness
• Sensory integration strategies
• Development of coping skills

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