Meet Matthew

Matthew is one of the participants at Aspect's Adult Community Services centres in Melbourne. Matthew’s goal is to learn how to cook and make coffee so he can one day open his own café or restaurant.

At Aspect, we are all about working in partnership with Autistic people and their support network to assist with capacity-building skills to achieve goals, whether it be social and community participation, physical exercise or learning a new skill.

Our dedicated team created two programs to support Matthew, a cooking program, and “How to Hospo” to learn about the hospitality industry. As part of the How to Hospo program, a local café, Sonny Ray has been assisting to provide real-world experience in customer service, barista skills and cooking. And this is not just benefiting Matthew - other participants enjoying the opportunity to learn barista skills and enjoy having a cuppa out in the community.

The money you raise from hosting your Brilliant Morning Tea will help Autistic people and their families access earlier diagnosis, provide specialist education for children on the autism spectrum and help create inclusive, autism-friendly environments. These services are critical in helping Autistic people to achieve their full potential.

Logan's family shares how an early diagnosis has transformed their lives

To Logan's mum, it became clear that there was something making life difficult for him from a very early age.

"At first we thought he was deaf," said Logan's mum, Ashlee. "He wouldn't respond to anything. He wouldn't wave, he wasn't affectionate. We found that everyday tasks were making him agitated or distressed."

When Logan was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum at 21 months old, it was the first step towards having the tools Ashlee and Jess needed to create a less stressful environment for their little boy and Logan started attending fortnightly sessions with an Aspect Occupational Therapist and a Speech Therapist. 

Through therapy and school, Logan developed the strategies he needed to regulate his emotions. Aspect also assisted Ashlee and Jess to create an environment that best supported their son's needs, using tools such as visual boards and therapy equipment.

“We incorporate these things into his daily routine,” Ashlee says. “Logan gets up in the morning and looks at his visual board. He knows what he’s going to do today. We have a lot of pictures in the house, so Logan knows where to find things. We also use a timer clock so that he can be prepared for when something is about to finish. All these things massively reduce Logan’s anxiety and help keep him regulated.”

For Ashlee and Jess, the transformation they have seen in their little boy is incredible and it's all because Logan's early diagnosis gave them access to early childhood therapies which helped him progress to an Aspect School. 

Please join us and host a Brilliant Morning Tea!

Every cup you serve contributes to positive change, together we can create a brighter future for children and adults on the autism spectrum.

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