Trustee Thank You Breakfast
Our Story
More than two decades ago, in the late fall of the year 2000, a group of parents were faced with finding appropriate placements for their children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). After looking at the various alternatives, these parents soon discovered the harsh reality: there were very few choices available for these special children. The meager offerings that were available did not really address all of their children’s academic, social/emotional and therapeutic needs; and therefore, could not possibly enable their children to realize their great potential. Further, the few choices that were available did not seem to include the families of these children as an important partner in the education of their child.
Left to right seated: Maria Maffucci, Sandy Perlbinder, Linda Gelfond, Linda H. Levine, Maria Staller
Recognizing the poor prognosis for all the other options open to their children, parents concluded that there needed to be a new model for helping children with ASD. These parents determined that they needed to start a foundation (not just a school) that would rethink how all services were delivered to individuals with ASD. And thus began the LearningSpring Foundation with the goal of helping individuals with ASD to ultimately live independently, make friends, have a significant other, and become gainfully employed.
In the fall of 2001, the LearningSpring Foundation opened its first program, the LearningSpring Elementary School, now the LearningSpring School (LSS), a model school that was conceived, built, and staffed to educate children with ASD. LSS celebrates the fact that its children are bright, but understands that they have social-communication, sensory-motor, organizational, and processing deficits.