Society for Autism Support and Services

In the fall of 2022, Society for Treatment of Autism rebranded to become Society for Autism Support and Services.  The STA name, though it has served us well during decades of evolution and growth, did not reflect the changes that had occurred in the autism community.  Nor did it accurately reflect our mission to serve the diverse needs of people across the spectrum. The word “treatment” no longer reflects our need, and the need of society, to adapt to neurodiversity, and to provide services that are unique to each individual.

Our facilities were built to be places of acceptance and support offering uniquely tailored services to help every child and young person who comes through our doors to reach their fullest potential.  A name is a brand and our name needs to reflect who we are.

The rebranding process involved several steps.  First, we created a committee, which included an autistic self-advocate, staff, a board member, and parents of those we serve.  We had a long, frank and fruitful discussion about who we are, what we do, who we support and what messages we want to send to the community. Next, our Board of Directors was presented with a short list of possible names and they asked for further due diligence.  We struck another diverse committee to reflect on options, and then we went out to about 20 stakeholders in the autism committee to solicit further feedback.

There is no question autism is central to what we do. So, autism is in the name

The government has a list of words that can be used to describe our organization, under the provincial Societies Act.  One of those is “Society”.  It best describes who we are, and it allows us to keep much of the legacy and brand recognition we have developed over the last four decades.

Support?  Well, that is what we always strive to do.  To support the personal growth and development of those we serve.  We also support the broader public as they learn to adjust to the unique needs and gifts of the 1 in 50 among us with autism.

Finally, it was important to include the word services in our name as we have a long history of meeting community need.  Today we are proud to provide services for newly diagnosed toddlers and their families, a specialized ECS program and in-home programming for preschoolers, out-of-home placements and a supported classroom for those with complex needs, an innovative suite of counselling services and job coaching and career counselling for autistic job seekers.

Calgary Herald

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-organization-enhance-lives-spectrum-autism