About Lifeworks
Founded in 2013, Lifeworks provides residential, vocational, and educational opportunities for adults throughout Northeast Ohio with a diagnosis of autism. Among its array of services, the agency offers behavioral health and Applied Behavior Analytic services for individuals of all ages who are on the spectrum.
Lifeworks is a sister agency of Bellefaire JCB, one of the nation’s leading providers and innovators of behavioral healthcare and autism services for children, youth, and their families. Building upon the successful Monarch Model developed at Bellefaire JCB’s Monarch Center for Autism, Lifeworks enables individuals on the autism spectrum to lead fulfilled lives and achieve diagnostic-appropriate independence through social and communicative educational development as well as vocational readiness programming.
Morgan's Garden at Lifeworks
Our Mission
Lifeworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that individuals with autism lead healthy and enriched lives by providing essential clinical services across the lifespan.
“Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that is typically diagnosed early in life. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserts that the median age of diagnosis with any specified ASD is 52 months. Because individuals are typically diagnosed at a young age, and research demonstrates the benefits of early intervention, ASD is generally associated with childhood and adolescence. Autism is neither neurodegenerative nor fatal. It spans the entirety of one’s life. This means that children with ASD will grow to be adults with ASD. In 2018 the CDC estimated that 1 in 59 children were diagnosed with ASD, which was nearly double the expectancy from just ten years ago, and a 15% increase since 2016. As these children advance in age, this translates to an ever-growing number of adults with autism. Healthcare, housing and Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) services for adults with ASD presently fall well short of meeting the needs of this exploding population.” -Excerpt from, “Where Have All the Children Gone?” by Brass & Mandell, The Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, August 2019
Tailored Services
Since its inception, each component of Lifeworks’ specialized service array has been developed as a means to address a specific need for individuals with autism and their families:
“My child needs a therapeutic environment within which to live, where consistent supports and interventions will breed happiness, greater independence, and continued development.”
“My child has completed her schooling but is not yet ready to join the workforce. She needs specialized prevocational training that will allow her to move down a path toward employment.”
“I have autism, but I also suffer from an acute mental health condition. I cannot get what I need from behavioral health providers on account of my autism, and yet I cannot get what I need from intellectual and developmental disability providers on account of my mental health needs.”
“My child was just diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I need help now, but intensive Applied Behavior Analysis services are difficult to secure.”
Additional Information
Supported Living Services at Lifeworks are provided by Bachelor’s and Master’s level professionals. All clinical oversight and coordination is performed by licensed and certified staff members in accordance with best-practice standards and state regulations.