** Winter 2024 Newsletter Celebrating Accomplishments ! Happy 10+ Anniversary to Integrated Autism Consulting!!   In the Spring of 2014, Integrated Autism Consulting selected 45 Maple Avenue as the venue for its first ever coaching and training centre location – a development that also marked the Ontario-wide expansion of the Transition to Life program and individualized coaching. Envisioned as a place for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders to attend educational program ..read more

Resilience is a uniquely important character trait. A resilient person is adaptable, someone who meets life’s adversity head on, stays positive and strives to learn and grow from their experiences. Adept at seeing the bigger picture, those with a developed capacity for resilience understand all that they have to offer and view setbacks as hurdles to be overcome in the complex journey of life.  It is a trait that Transition to Life graduate David Francis has come to embody.  David’s work experiences prior to Transition to Life were part-time, with inconsistent hours and often long st ..read more

  45 Maple Avenue is an address likely etched in the minds of young adults across the ASD spectrum. Nestled along a meandering side street in Barrie, Ontario’s downtown core, this red-brick, colonial style edifice struck a charming, if not innocuous sight. With large windows that seemed to invite the day’s light and a jet-black door juxtaposed with wooden eggshell white columns, 45 Maple Avenue fit nicely in the city’s downtown aesthetic. A passerby would be forgiven for thinking the building to be commonplace.  And yet, for those in the know, 45 Maple Avenue is much more than a mer ..read more

The Fall Newsletter is out with the latest on programs and services! Click here to view the newsletter ..read more

We spoke with Jamie about his role at Speaking of Wildlife, his various interests and passion for animals! Jamie Proctor left, Image: Speaking of Wildlife Hi Jamie, thank you for taking the time to speak with me today! I understand that you have found some work that you love – with animals! Can you tell us about your position at Speaking of Wildlife? It is a wonderful combination of consistent and varied work: many tasks, all different, all needing to be done and redone.  It keeps me from getting bored or feeling like I’m rolling the same boulder up the same hill all day long.  I p ..read more

The IAC Summer Newsletter 2022 has been released! Highlights include: Fall Registration for The Tech Club Virtual Cooking Program Updates on Participants (new jobs, volunteer opportunities and more!) Click here to view the full newsletter ..read more

Jordan is a graduate of the Transition to Life Course who is pursuing the big goals he set out for himself! We had a chance to catch up with Jordan and he told us about his favourite hobby of Bone Stock Car Racing. Hi Jordan, It’s great to speak with you today! Thank you for taking the time to discuss your racing hobby.   How did your interest in racing and cars begin? It’s been my dream, ever since I was three years old. Way back when I was in a high-chair when I was very young my Mother showed me a hot wheels car and she spun the wheels on the car. This made me laugh for th ..read more

Recently we got together for a Picnic at Sunnidale Park in Barrie to meet again face to face and to celebrate the beginning of Summer! Thank you to everyone who attended. It was wonderful to see new and old friends there ..read more

We were delighted to have a follow up interview with Brandon B. to discuss his career path in farming, his strengths, interests, skillset development, and why he decided to get into this line of work. 1. What was your entry into the workforce? I started out as a temp worker. When I started in the workforce it was through Simcoe Parts Service, which was industrial factory work. You are picking parts for cars, you put it on the cart and you put the cart in a line that will go on a trailer. Sometimes I would be the guy picking, other times I would be the guy on the trailer. It is physically inte ..read more

Brandon is an illustrator who loves animation! We spoke to Brandon about his creative process for his artwork. Greg the Goat Where do you gain your inspiration from? – “I get my inspiration from cartoons and movies. I love anything that is animation and live action remakes, for example the Lion King, Dumbo and Beauty and the Beast. For these characters, I was inspired by the movie Zodiac: The Race begins which is a 2006 animation movie.” Diana the Dog How do you create your character designs? – “I design them with shapes of what the animal should look like and their anatomy. I observe animatio ..read more