OUR SERVICES

AUTISM SERVICES

We are the leading nonprofit service provider for adults and children with disabilities, including autism. Through family navigation and support, parent training and education, therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis, respite and individual support, social skills training, pre-employment training, community inclusion, and community education, we offer a full scope of services so that people with disabilities can live with 100% equity, inclusion,
and access.

Our team creates individualized plans to develop and improve communication and social skills while troubleshooting challenging behaviors. We’re with the families and individuals we serve at every stage of life, whether they’re just receiving a diagnosis, or trying to better understand autism.

FAMILY-FOCUSED

While many autism programs only focus on the person with autism, our Parent Training Program aims to work with the whole family on how to best understand and support their family member with autism.

Ryan is a cheerful four-year-old and the youngest of three children. Before starting Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with Easterseals, Ryan was having a tough time managing social and emotional behaviors. Walking the kids to school – a task that should have taken less than five minutes – was taking more than 20.

“When ABA services started, I was amazed to see how the BCBAs and ABA implementers handled his difficult behaviors professionally. Watching his sessions was a huge learning experience for me. They taught me the ABA principles and techniques, which I started to apply at home. They also provided us with a variety of visual tools. We started using visuals to go over the rules before leaving the house for our walks,” his parents said.

Ryan’s ABA plan was personalized for his family’s needs, that included his BCBA walking to and from school with the family.

“By the end of the year, Ryan was able to hold my hand and walk on the sidewalk and wait for his siblings at the school. During his ABA sessions, Ryan was motivated to use words, and his speaking skills improved so much. I couldn’t have imagined that I would be able to talk to him like this when we started the services.”

Ryan’s ABA sessions involved the whole family – including his siblings. They were invited to talk with the ABA implementers about the best way to support and interact with Ryan. They learned a lot about their brother, his diagnosis, and autism in general.

“I really appreciate Easterseals’ services and the staff who are helping us get through this tough year. Our family is still learning how to respond and support Ryan, but we have definitely become much stronger and see hope for the future!”

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

We provide an individualized approach to developing the skills, confidence, and experience necessary to find and keep a job. With our Pre-Employment and Employment Programs, Project SEARCH, Summer Teen Employment Program, and Employment Support services, we prepare each individual and their family for a successful career path. With the changing work climate created by COVID-19, we made sure those we support in their workplaces had job security, were safe in their workplaces, and had a safety net of support if their employment status changed during the pandemic.

FINDING A CAREER YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT

BeLov’ed began Pre-Employment services with us with a unique set of interests, which included music, acting, and doll photography. She wanted those interests to translate into a job she loved. So, she began her journey by volunteering, but she did not feel overly engaged or excited about the work she was doing.

After a few weeks of career exploration and exploring more of her personal life, it was clear that dolls were one of BeLov’ed key interests and working around toys would be a dream for her. BeLov’ed and her job coach started to discuss places that she visited regularly. Disney Store and Build-A-Bear were two of her go-to stores, but after several attempts, they were unsuccessful opportunities for internships.

Her job coach decided to look up privately-owned toy stores in the area in hopes of bypassing some of the challenges they ran into with the larger corporate stores. While searching, Be’Loved and her job coach never stopped working on her interviewing and on-the-job social skills. It wasn't long before her job coach connected with a local toy store. Happy Up responded with excitement to meet the following week. BeLov’ed led the conversation asking questions that she had practiced and sharing some of her background with the site owner. The owner and BeLov’ed had a lot of things in common, including a deep enjoyment of dolls and toys.

After a follow-up and thank you to the owner, BeLov’ed was offered an internship. She began by asking BeLov’ed to volunteer for an hour a week and increased to three hours per week as she established a relationship at the site. Be’Loved volunteered weekly for about a year while honing her skills and becoming more confident in the work environment. And it didn’t go unnoticed. She was offered a paid position and now works part-time at Happy Up. She continues to learn, grow, and flourish in her position!

EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES

At Easterseals Midwest, we know that a child’s environment and social experience in their first three years of life is critical to their brain development. This year, it was more important than ever that children had safe, nurturing environments that educate and include children of all abilities. Through adapted early intervention services, such as home visiting, telehealth, and one-on-one therapies, we create an educational foundation that promotes bright futures for families.

SUPPORT FOR ALL

When Jessica and Jimmy started noticing some delays in their 9 month old son, Sebastian, they began working with an Easterseals Parent Educator on things like sitting on his own, gross motor skills, and more. By 15-months-old, Sebastian’s parents were also worried about his speech and listening skills.

Working with their Easterseals Parent Educator, Sebastian was put on a waiting list for a behavioral evaluation, but both Jessica and Jimmy were hesitant for Sebastian to be evaluated. Their concerns stemmed from their own experiences with evaluations, with both having disabilities of their own. They feared that if Sebastian was diagnosed, he may be taken from their care.

With reassurance from their Parent Educator, they agreed to have Sebastian evaluated, and in January of 2021, Sebastian qualified for speech, occupational and physical therapy. Immediately, Sebastian and his family began working with First Steps. Six months later, Sebastian was diagnosed with autism and recommended to take part in Easterseals’ Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Services. On June 11th, Jessica and Jimmy met with our Autism Services director, who walked them through ABA, the Parent Training Program, and additional information and resources that would help them as they navigated their new diagnosis.

Since working with Easterseals, Sebastian’s parents have learned more positive parenting techniques, and have been proactive in Sebstian’s health and early intervention needs. They are excited to take the next necessary steps to better understand their son’s diagnosis and provide him the best support they can.

COMMUNITY
LIVING SERVICES

Our team works with families and individuals to determine the best option of services for their specific needs and situation, whether that means going into the family home or helping an individual move into a home of their own. We’re there beyond the moving process and offer a large scope of services - from visiting a few hours a week to assist with money management and budgeting abilities, safety skills, nutrition and meal preparations, and medical assistance to 24/7 oversight.

MAKING A CONNECTION

Things in Community Living definitely looked different this past year, but that didn’t stop Willie and his peers from volunteering for our community.

Individuals in Community Living regularly go to the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank to volunteer to bundle diapers and put “Born to Read” packets together for families. When the pandemic hit, they weren’t able to access the diaper bank, but that didn’t change the needs of the community, or their desire to help. Instead, our community services managers answered the call to bring all the diapers to Easterseals Midwest where Willie and his peers worked diligently to bundle and create packets for families in need.

“This has been an excellent partnership, and we are so proud to assist in serving the needs of our community, alongside the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank” - Easterseals staff

In July alone, individuals supported by Easterseals bundled over 10,000 diapers! This has been an excellent partnership, and we are so proud to assist in serving the needs of our community, alongside the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank.