At Abilities, our definition of service and quality begins in the therapy room with a professional and dedicated speech pathologist, occupational therapist, or special educator, but extends beyond the therapy room. We provide many services and programs in the process of diagnosing and treating communication, sensory, motor, reading, writing and hearing disorders.

The Advocacy Center has a multi-disciplinary staff of lawyers, paralegals, client advocates and support staff who provide the following services:

1. Legal Representation - The Advocacy Center represents clients in areas of the law designated as priorities by its Board of Directors. Legal representation includes counseling, advice, research, negotiation, administrative review, administrative hearing, state office review, litigation and class action. If a person needs legal representation in a non-priority area, the staff can make referrals to other sources of legal representation.

2. Advocacy Assistance (non-legal) - Many persons with disabilities seek Advocacy Center's help by making a phone call to our office and speaking with Intake Staff. However, we know that it is not always easy to make that call. People in residential facilities, such as group homes, nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals, may not feel safe in calling us, or may not be able to verbalize their needs. So we have Ombudsmen who visit group homes and nursing homes, and Client Advocates who visit psychiatric hospitals. Ombudsmen and Client Advocates help solve problems, make complaints and achieve goals.

3. Information and Referral - The Advocacy Center knows that it is difficult to identify the right resource for each person's needs. Staff help people to access services by providing information about resources, and making referrals to legal, social, health, education, employment, and other related services.

4. Systems Advocacy - The Advocacy Center works to improve systems that are used by people who are elderly and/or have disabilities, including education, health, legal, social services, transportation, and vocational systems. Most of our systems advocacy work is carried out by teams of several staff who meet as needed to achieve a system enhancing objective. Occasionally a team will include persons from outside the agency. Other systems advocacy work may consist of individual Advocacy Center staff participating in task forces outside the Advocacy Center.

5. Education and Training - The Advocacy Center educates others about the legal rights of persons who are elderly and persons who have disabilities, through presentations to groups, participation on committees and task forces, media campaigns, technical assistance flyers, and educational booklets. Training offered by the Advocacy Center may be in response to requests from specific groups; or may be set up by the Advocacy Center in response to needs identified by the staff.

6. Self-Advocacy - The Advocacy Center helps to give clients the skills and knowledge to act on their own behalf.

7. Publications - The Advocacy Center provides a variety of booklets, reports, flyers, and other resources pertaining to persons 60 years or older and persons with disabilities. Special reports are published from time to time and usually focus on a specific issue or problem. An example is the 2003 report, Mental Health Rehabilitation Services: "Rehabilitation" or a "Get Rich Quick Scheme?" that looks at problems with Louisiana's mental health rehabilitation program.

8. Outreach and Training - The Advocacy Center often responds to community groups who ask for someone to talk to them about its work. Outreach includes the visits to residential facilities by ombudsmen and client advocates and various issues affecting people with disabilities.

All services are free of charge for persons with disabilities.

The Advocacy Center has a multi-disciplinary staff of lawyers, paralegals, client advocates and support staff who provide the following services:

1. Legal Representation - The Advocacy Center represents clients in areas of the law designated as priorities by its Board of Directors. Legal representation includes counseling, advice, research, negotiation, administrative review, administrative hearing, state office review, litigation and class action. If a person needs legal representation in a non-priority area, the staff can make referrals to other sources of legal representation.

2. Advocacy Assistance (non-legal) - Many persons with disabilities seek Advocacy Center's help by making a phone call to our office and speaking with Intake Staff. However, we know that it is not always easy to make that call. People in residential facilities, such as group homes, nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals, may not feel safe in calling us, or may not be able to verbalize their needs. So we have Ombudsmen who visit group homes and nursing homes, and Client Advocates who visit psychiatric hospitals. Ombudsmen and Client Advocates help solve problems, make complaints and achieve goals.

3. Information and Referral - The Advocacy Center knows that it is difficult to identify the right resource for each person's needs. Staff help people to access services by providing information about resources, and making referrals to legal, social, health, education, employment, and other related services.

4. Systems Advocacy - The Advocacy Center works to improve systems that are used by people who are elderly and/or have disabilities, including education, health, legal, social services, transportation, and vocational systems. Most of our systems advocacy work is carried out by teams of several staff who meet as needed to achieve a system enhancing objective. Occasionally a team will include persons from outside the agency. Other systems advocacy work may consist of individual Advocacy Center staff participating in task forces outside the Advocacy Center.

5. Education and Training - The Advocacy Center educates others about the legal rights of persons who are elderly and persons who have disabilities, through presentations to groups, participation on committees and task forces, media campaigns, technical assistance flyers, and educational booklets. Training offered by the Advocacy Center may be in response to requests from specific groups; or may be set up by the Advocacy Center in response to needs identified by the staff.

6. Self-Advocacy - The Advocacy Center helps to give clients the skills and knowledge to act on their own behalf.

7. Publications - The Advocacy Center provides a variety of booklets, reports, flyers, and other resources pertaining to persons 60 years or older and persons with disabilities. Special reports are published from time to time and usually focus on a specific issue or problem. An example is the 2003 report, Mental Health Rehabilitation Services: "Rehabilitation" or a "Get Rich Quick Scheme?" that looks at problems with Louisiana's mental health rehabilitation program.

8. Outreach and Training - The Advocacy Center often responds to community groups who ask for someone to talk to them about its work. Outreach includes the visits to residential facilities by ombudsmen and client advocates and various issues affecting people with disabilities.

Autism Learning Center offers ABA and VB Therapy along with consultations, assessments, IEP advocacy, academic programs, summer programs, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Skills Training, Workshops and Parent Training.

Division of Educational Improvement and Assistance.

Private Practice Family Therapist/LPC located at The Center for Therapy in Shreveport, Louisiana.(Founded by David and Suzanne McMillian, who is an Occupational Therapist (Shreveport is located in Northwest Louisiana close to both East Texas and Southern Arkansas. The Center also provides Occupational, Physical, Speech & Language therapy services as well as Mental Health Counseling, Family Therapy, Educational Tutoring and even Massage Therapy . Also, many Alternative Therapies available EX: Clinical Hypnosis, Thought Field Therapy, EMDR, and more.

We are the parents and family members of individuals with disabilities. These disabilities include physical, mental, emotional, behavioral and/or other health impairments.

Families Helping Families of Northeast Louisiana, Inc. is a network of families in the Northeast Louisiana area who, because of their own experiences, have become committed to reaching out to individuals with disabilities and their families.

The mission of Families Helping Families of Northeast Louisiana, Inc. is to provide information and referral, education and training, and peer to peer support to individuals with disabilities and their families.

The vision is to strengthen, support and empower individuals with disabilities and their families.

Greater Baton Rouge Hope Academy is a non-profit private school serving the Baton Rouge Metropolitan area.
Hope Academy admits students on a non-sectarian basis without regard to race, color, creed, ethnic or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.

No discrimination is made on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnic or national origin in administration of its educational policies, administration policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. The school provides kindergarten through eighth grade classes, including special needs classes, all designed to meet the different learning styles and needs of the individual student.

Grade level students who benefit from low pupil-teacher ratios as well as students with learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism, Dyslexia, Down Syndrome, Asperger's Syndrome, mental disabilities and other conditions requiring individualized education assistance are the focus of Hope Academy. Hope Academy provides kindergarten through eighth grade classes, including instruction for learners with special needs, all designed to meet the various learning styles of our students. A diagnostic-prescriptive instructional approach is utilized. A Life Skills Lab, including job training, is offered for our older special needs students who are not pursuing a high school diploma. These students may participate through their 21st year. Admission to Hope Academy and placement of students is determined by an individual evaluation conducted by school staff.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Leslie C. Higgins, Psy.D. provides individualized assessment and treatment for youth with Asperger's Disorder. Emphasis is on the use of Collaborative Problem Solving. Dr. Higgins has advanced training and ongoing supervision in the Collaborative Problem Solving approach outlined in the book, The Explosive Child, by Ross Greene,Ph.D. and Stuart Ablon, Ph.D. Extensive experience and training in ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders benefits the particularly challenging patient.

We are known for our ABA and VB Therapy services, but also offer:
Consultations, Assessments, Academic Program, Summer Program, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Skills Training, Workshops, and IEP Advocacy

The McNeese Autism Program is a university-based clinic providing behavioral intervention services for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental delays. The clinic also serves as a training site for students pursuing a Master's Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Pediatric occupational therapy, specializing in treating autism spectrum disorders. Center based therapy. Also provide physical, speech & language therapy services as well as mental health counseling and family therapy and educational tutoring. See website for details.

The Center for Therapy provides pediatric Occupational, Physical, and Speech/Language Therapy services as well as educational tutoring and counseling services. Our therapists specialize in treating children and adolescents with ASD, including sensory integration treatment, relationship intervention, fine and gross motor development, and communication. Our services include support groups, community education forums, and events to promote autism awareness such as our annual Discover the Piece 5K Run each April.

Our facility is truly one of a kind. We offer Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy for children from birth to age 18. We also house many scholastic tutors providing services for
children from Kindergarten through College. The Center offers Counseling Services to address all areas of need. We house many support groups and offer an adaptive dance class for special needs children. It is our desire to promote health and happiness for the entire family.