Autism intervention center Beyond The Spectrum set to expand after success in Twin Cities
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A 911 call often signals a crisis. And for some families, crises come often.
Ayub Elmi founded Beyond the Spectrum, an autism intervention center in St. Paul.
"For families with kids on the spectrum, sometimes it's difficult for them. They have behaviors, they have triggers. Sometimes they don't know how to communicate their emotions and feelings, which is very tough for them," Elmi said.
It can be tough for officers, too, but protocol has changed. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Crisis Team sends mental health workers to the scene, then refers families to places like Beyond the Spectrum.
"A lot of these families are not aware of these tools, the services provided by us," he said.
Elmi grew up in Bloomington. He studied international business and human rights, but after seeing a family member with autism make major progress, he opened his own autism counseling center.
Zach was his first patient.
"Communication, social cues, understanding different things," Zach and.
His classmates get one-on-one counseling in a diverse environment.
"For the kids to identify with the staff, to feel the program is made specifically for them," Zach said.
Resources that he says are yielding results.
"We are data-driven, we have goals, I can see them excelling, I can see them growing, I can see them getting better and dealing with their autism at higher levels," Elmi said.
And they are having fun doing it.
"Our thing is getting them ready for the world and giving them the confidence they can succeed in this world regardless of what they've been diagnosed with," Elmi said.
Soon, Beyond the Spectrum is expanding to Rochester.