Little Friends will be celebrating our 53rd anniversary in May. Located primarily in Naperville, we support those with autism and other developmental disabilities in nine counties surrounding our city. Today, we serve over 800 clients per year, and it has been our privilege to empower countless families throughout our communities and make a difference in the lives of those we touch.
Looking forward, our goal is to continue to be the premier organization providing innovative programs for children, adults and their families living with special challenges, empowering them to reach their fullest potential.
The Little Friends Center for Autism (LFCA) is already recognized as a national leader of programs and services utilized by individuals, families, schools and other organizations throughout the country. On average, LFCA staff has over 20 years of experience and expertise in their field. Their broad base of knowledge has created cutting-edge programs using proven, evidence-based practices – knowledge that they share with up to 3,500 practitioners in trainings every year!
During April, Autism Awareness Month, we hosted an open house that included free consultations for anyone who had questions or needed to talk about challenges they saw in the development of their loved ones. As part of our normal consultation, families meet with a team of experts, including clinical psychologist Dr. Cynthia Brouillard, who has over 20 years of experience working with children on the autism spectrum and was a member of the clinical team that gathered data to establish norms for the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule during her time at the University of Chicago. Our team also fielded questions about toilet training, speech therapy, diagnostic evaluations, family counseling, social skills groups, on-site trainings and transition plans – just to name a few. Most importantly, though, families left our open house with hope and direction, and that is what we are all about.
We know that autism is unpredictable and perplexing. We also know that we can help those whose lives are touched by it. We’ve been doing it for 53 years, and we’re just getting started.
Did you know? Little Friends has been making a difference in our community since 1965. To learn more, visit www.littlefriendsinc.org.