Why Your Donation is Important

Donate to Support Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Help us deliver life-changing Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI) ABA-based therapy to preschool children with ASD from financially disadvantaged families.

Why are donations needed?

Nearly 30 years of clinical research supports ABA’s effectiveness in helping children with ASD become as functional as possible within their families, schools and society overall. The Australian Government’s ‘Guidelines for Good Practice’ for children with ASD (2012) acknowledges ABA as the only effective early intervention therapy based on established research evidence. The intensity of this therapy delivery is also important. Rigorous scientific sources, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the US National Research Council, recommend that children with ASD receive a minimum 25 hours a week of early intervention therapy.

However, 25 hours a week of ABA costs approximately $75,000/year. This makes ABA burdensomely expensive for many families, and inaccessible to financially disadvantaged families.

The savings—for the children themselves, their families and the broader community—far outweigh the cost. Based on data in the 2012 Synergies Economic Consulting study, intensive early intervention can potentially save up to $2 million over an ASD person’s lifetime. These savings far outweigh the estimated $300,000 cost of an ABA program at maximum clinically recommended hours (40 hours/week for three years).

Where will your donation go?

Your donation, along with funds raised from our events and the generosity of philanthropic organisations, helps cover the costs of our EIBI ABA-based therapy to preschool children with ASD from financially disadvantaged families. We are a not-for-profit organisation.

A $62 donation allows us to provide an hour of therapy that a child would not receive otherwise. We deliver this therapy through our Full-Service Model and our Consultancy Model.

Key areas of expenditure:

• ABA program design based on the child’s individual skill needs.
• Therapist training and wages to deliver the programs.
• Ongoing program supervision and program reviews with families.
• Parent training in ABA strategies.
• Cognitive, adaptive behaviour and language skills assessment testing.

Are donations tax deductible?

Yes! Your donation will be tax deductible and we will send you an a receipt immediately by email when approved.

How do I donate?

It’s easy. Here are three ways:

1. Donate online securely as a single or monthly gift.

2. Donate through your workplace.

If you are employed by any of the following organisations, your employer will match your donation via the platform Good2Give. Sign up here!

AAMI, Apia, Aurizon, Australia Post, Baker & McKenzie, Bank of Melbourne, Bank SA, Bingle, BOQ, BT Financial Group, Bupa, Citi, Country Road, Deutsche Bank, Dimension Data, GIO, Herbert Smith Freehills, JB Were, Medibank, Mirvac, MLC, Nab, NRMA, Pandora, PWC, Qantas, REA Group, Shell, St. George Bank, South 22, Stockland, Suncorp Bank, Sydney Water, Telstra, The Reject Shop, Toyota, Vita, Vodafone, Westpac, Witchery and Unilever.

3. Donate through our partnership with Bendigo Bank.

The Balwyn Community Bank® branch will contribute the following amounts to Learning for Life for the following products. Learn more about this offer.

• • $1,000 for every new or refinanced home loan over $250,000
  • $250 for every new or refinanced home loan up to $250,000
  • $50 for every approved and funded Bendigo Bank personal loan
  • $25 for every approved Bendigo Bank Credit Card application
  • $10 for every new business or team deposit account
  • $5 for every new Piggy or Ultimate account opened

What does your support mean to the families we help?

‘I cannot tell you what it means to us to have some support now from specialists trained to help our boys make sense of the world around them and to teach them tools of communication, to build bigger vocabulary and other skills. Having two children on the Autism Spectrum is heartbreaking and at times the task of teaching them skills that should come naturally seems insurmountable. We are just an average family. We have a mortgage. We both work. However, the cost of providing therapy for two autistic children would be totally out of reach if it weren’t for the contribution from our extended family and the generosity of Learning for Life’s subsidy program.’

—Maggie

L4Life Director Mary Muirhead with CEO of Melbourne Pathology David Pinkus.