Our Adult Program is located on the campuses of East Whittier Presbyterian Church and Christian Life Church of Long Beach.

Our Adult Programs are open Monday-Friday from 9:30am-2pm.

Any interested Attendees must complete our 2-part virtual Orientation. We want to make sure we are the best fit for your needs and offer an opportunity to answer your questions.

After completing the Orientation, we find a time to schedule a tour of our campus and determine how we can best meet your needs.

The presumption of competence is a strengths-based philosophy we endorse at The ImPerfect Place. We presume all individuals have the ability to learn, think and understand. Through individualized accommodations, we support our Attendees to attain their goals.

At the foundation of this belief is viewing many neurodevelopmental differences as sensorimotor & movement disorders, not behavioral disorders.

There is growing scientific evidence showing that neurodevelopmental differences demonstrate disruptions in both sensory input and motor output. Built into the presumption of competence is an understanding that many of our Attendees have a difficult time controlling their body movements. We therefore view their movement differences as key to understanding their experiences and allows us to best support them in their goals.

We work with our Attendees to determine which of our services would best fit their needs. Included in those services are adaptive skills, social skills, community participation and vocational skills.

Because we view movement and differences in movement as critical issues for our Attendees, we offer a variety of postural options. For many, the traditional desk or table-and-chair arrangement is hard to tolerate for long periods of time. We therefore offer bean bags, blankets and different styles of chairs for our Attendees to utilize.

We also have various adaptive equipment to support movement or postural differences.

First of all, we view upsets as communication. The individual is communicating either a discomfort or frustration. We also acknowledge the difference between frustration and sensory overload. Most often, the Attendee is overwhelmed and having a hard time re-regulating. We therefore take a least-to-most strategy with upsets. We offer a separate, quiet space with minimal sensory input to allow the Attendee to re-regulate. When appropriate, we will offer support for communication once we feel the Attendee is safe to both themselves and others.

We will not shame or punish our Attendees for upsets knowing these events are deeply stressful for them. If a conflict has occurred between individuals, we offer a reparative opportunity to build relationships within our Community.

Because our staff is trained in least-to-most crisis management, we use minimal touch whenever possible. We are trained in safe & effective techniques to maintain safety for the Attendee and their peers. In order to maintain compliance to these philosophies, our classroom is equipped with both audio and video recording. These are used for training purposes and as a way to document our work.

No, unfortunately we do not provide training for alternative communication. Our staff is trained in supporting those who are already trained and utilize these communication techniques daily. We are, however, able to refer anyone interested to professionals who do provide this training.

Please visit ourRESOURCESpage to learn more!

It is important for applicants to understand that in order for us to adequately support our differently-speaking Attendees, those interested MUST have access to and experience with a reliable, competence-based communication strategy. This may include letterboards, yes/no options, choice-boards or symbolic choice programs such as Proloquo2Go.

We offer our Adult Programs on a private-pay or self-determination basis. Costs are available upon request.

We provide one staff member to every three Attendees while on our campuses. We offer one-to-one support for community interactions or skills which require more support. If we feel an Attendee needs more consistent individualized support, we discuss with the family how to best achieve success.

Yes, at least one staff is CPR trained and will be present in order to help with any unforeseen medical emergencies. Families will be notified immediately of such events.