April is all about autism awareness and acceptance, and nobody is more dedicated to that mission than all of us at Journey Therapy Center. It began as a personal quest that took flight and now allows us to have a positive impact on many families.
Here’s how it all started:
Claudia Leandres was an attorney when she moved to the United States from Brazil for her husband’s job in the automobile industry, but after her son Antonio was born and then diagnosed with autism at the age of six, she found few resources and a new determination to learn as much as she could about autism.
At first, Claudia’s focus was to arm herself with the knowledge needed to help her own son be successful, but as she progressed toward her master’s degree, she started meeting other families who were navigating the wilderness of an autism diagnosis, and she felt a pull to help them as well.
Claudia found herself driving her son to his Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy five days a week, and she decided to ease the burden on families in the same situation and open a center for ABA therapy right here in Lapeer. Journey Therapy Center’s first location opened in 2018.
As Journey became established and earned the trust of local families, the demand for services grew, and two more locations were opened in Lapeer. Claudia purchased the former North Oakland Autism Center in Lake Orion, extending JTC’s reach into Oakland County. We offer ABA, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and feeding therapy, all provided with a focus on excellence.
Claudia has completed her PhD as a Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst in addition to her PhD in Applied Behavioral Analysis in autism, and she leads a dedicated team of more than 80 employees, from board-certified behavior analysts to behavior technicians to speech pathologists.
The success of Journey Therapy Center is directly linked to the achievements of the children served, and changing lives through effective treatment is the goal every day. For Claudia, the mom with a mission, witnessing those daily wins gives her deep personal satisfaction and a sense of purpose.
We invite you to join us as our journey continues along the path of acceptance and celebration of the great potential that exists in everyone!