The project

Project description

The idea of starting an organization for Level 1 ASDs has sprouted over the years. Louise Hurteau, founder, notes that there was a breakdown in community services from various organizations, public and private, to meet the needs of Level 1 ASDs.

Several resources were used over the years for her son, but none met the specific needs of this group. Isolated and misunderstood, this group of ASDs without intellectual disabilities but often having developed mental health problems in adulthood find themselves caught between two chairs: intellectual disability on one hand and mental health on the other.

Screaming, crying, intolerance to noise, isolation, anxiety, eventually make this group a hub between the community, family and hospital. The lodging and service resources for this group being almost nil, the street seems the only place that would accept them.

Hence the idea of starting a resource that would offer group, online or individual therapies on site such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, but also innovative methods such as Digital Story Telling, commented courses, Photovoice, that may help expressing lived experiences in a different way, which may offer innovative strategies for managing social anxiety.

Ted et ToiT, in addition to its services, must therefore develop fully supervised housing, with stimulating and fun activities and environment, provide common areas for socialisation where everyone can meet.  With free access to all for activities such as ping-pong, billiards, television, games. video, music therapy, karaoke, card games, physical activities, etc…. This haven should include a room to let off steam when the stimuli are too strong. The apartment, for their part, must be soundproofed to prevent sound from coming in and going out.  The center would be combined with a day center and a respite and socialization center for members not living on the premises.

This is the challenge that Ted and ToiT will take up over the next year: Create a standardized and normalizing living environment adapted to the particularities of ASD Level 1.