Institute for Learning Centered Education Autism Initiative, Potsdam NY

Donald Mesibov

Institute for Learning Centered Education Autism Initiative

About Us

There are wonderful organizations conducting research about autism, and there are many organizations providing excellent services to people with autism and their families.

We may be the oinly orgnization in the field of autism that is focusing on people in schools, commmunity organizations, and first responders who inreract regularly with people with autism, yet have little or no information to guide them.

Help us help people with autism and their families. Every day people with autism experience severe trauma, and classrooms and businesses are unnecessarily disrupted due to misunderstandings about autism.

For instance, did you know that when a person with autism looks away from you while you are talking to them it may be that they need to look away to focus on what you are saying. We address 20 of these "Tips" in our two-hour discussion sessions which we offer at no cost to any organization requesing it.

People with autism are often capable of providing superior service to their community or business if we just take the time to learn a little bit about their behaviors. For instance, a well-intentioned pat on the shoulder may cause some people with autism to panic because of a fear of phsical contact that affects some, not all, people with autism. Isn't this worth knowing?

Join our mailing list (no charge) by sending me an email: Institutelce@gmail.com

We need your support which you can demonstrrate by joiningf our mailing list. There is no cost!

How We Got Started

Our Institute was founded in 1994, and was initially focused on Constructivist-based teaching strategies. My brother Gary, for 40 years, was the go-to person in the world for information and training about autism. When I discovered that Gary has Alzheimer's I decided to write a book about him.

During the pandemic, I interviewed 83 people from around the world who had worked with Gary in the field of autism, and who documented stories I had heard about from his family. My book was published in October of 2022.

Shortly thereafter, the Institute I had founded shifted its focus 100% toward autism. However our background in teaching strategies has enabled us to create a two-hour presentation, which we conduct for any group of 10 people or more.

We do not charge for our services and we have evidence from over 2,000 evaluations of our sessions, submitted anonymously, that we are effective in changing people's .perceptions of autism and changing the way they interact with people w/autism

Products & Services
This is a dififcult question to answer. Technically, "yes" we are available to you at all hours.  However, most of our work is conducting workshop...
Two Hour Awareness Sessions by Institute for Learning Centered Education Autism Initiative
We offer a two-hour discussion session for groups of ten or more from schools, community organizations, and first responders. We have had 100% posi...
AUTISM: Resources and Services by Institute for Learning Centered Education Autism Initiative
The Institute, through its Autism Initiative, offers a variety of resources and services for people who interact regularly with people with autism,...
Recommendations Given (44)
"I worked with Joe Rich when he found it the disabled person‘s action organization foundation. My..." Read more "I worked with Joe Rich when he found it the disabled person‘s action organization foundation. My friend in collaborator sat on their board of directors for many years after it was first formed. We help Joe organize the first benefit concerts to support the establishment of his organization. So, I know about the wonderful work they do and continue to do."
"I know the hell a person goes through to be a good parent and advocate for a child with autism...." Read more "I know the hell a person goes through to be a good parent and advocate for a child with autism. The fact that Stephanie has two children on the spectrum and also has an organization focused on autism tells me that she’s an exceptional person."
Recent Activity

Donald from Institute for Learning Centered Education Autism Initiative Answered this on December 30, 2023
We’re new and expanding (more) We’re new and expanding
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