Achievements Unlimited

Achievements Unlimited (AUSTL) is a Missouri Non for Profit established in 2012. We provide day habilitation and behavior services to adults and teens with autism, mental health diagnoses, and other needs. We operate a day program Monday through Friday from 9 to 3 pm year-round. The program is designed to help our clients improve their ability to communicate, advocate for themselves, and to function more independently and safely in our community. In doing so, it also benefits families and other organizations that provide residential care for our clients by giving them a respite from having to provide such care while the clients attend our day program.

Some of our clients come to us as they age out of services offered by the Special School District of St. Louis County. SSD provides valuable services to individuals with various disabilities, but only up until age 21. At that point there are often few options for families to choose from to care for their children. At AUSTL, we are one of those options for families who often struggle to place their loved one elsewhere due to high support needs.

Many people have heard the word autism before. Unless you have a family member or close friend who is impacted by it, you probably have a limited understanding of what it means. Even family members are sometimes baffled by what autism means and how it affects their loved ones. Often, autism has profound effects on communication, social behaviors, and the ability to function independently. Some of our clients are either non-verbal or have limited verbal abilities. These limitations often result in challenging and severe behaviors as the individuals deal with the frustration that comes from the inability to express themselves. These behaviors may result in harm to others or to the clients themselves. Our clients may also have other behaviors that are inappropriate and make it difficult for them to interact with members of the community.

We have a highly trained staff dedicated to our mission of helping these clients modify their behaviors through various therapies. These behavioral supports allow our clients to function more fully, more safely, and more independently in our community. Our staff is therefore the key to our success. As such, it is critical that we have the resources to attract and retain highly motivated individuals with the training, skill and compassion needed to serve our clients. As most of our revenues come from government funds, it is a challenge to pay our staff a competitive rate, along with health care and retirement benefits. We must therefore seek charitable donations to supplement the government funding.

We currently serve 25 clients and have a staff of about 26 full time and part time employees. We began our program in St. Louis County at 9510 Page Avenue in Overland in 2012, and in 2019, we purchased our current location in Bridgeton at 3575 Pennridge, a location with more space for our clients and staff.

What Makes AUSTL Programs Stand Out?
Achievements Unlimited's purpose is to enable and increase independent functioning, physical health and development, language and communication skills, socialization, community integration, domestic and economic management, and functional skills development. We support clients' self-advocacy, encouraging autonomy and choice. We use the science of behavior analysis to support meaningful change while focusing on being a part of our community and engaging in purposeful activities. A cornerstone of the AUSTL approach is "micro-enterprise," a small business started by AUSTL clients or a volunteer activity that takes place on the AUSTL campus but directly benefits the outside community.

On-site Microenterprises and Service Projects:

Legos- Procuring, sorting, and selling Legos online to area collectors.

Blankets - Making fleece blankets. Some are donated to local organizations, some sold online or at local sales. 

Plants - Cloning and nurturing plants that are sold online or at local sales. 

Art - Participants create sellable works of modern art in a variety of mediums. 

We have shown art in galleries, juried shows, universities, cafes, and have competed and won regional competitions. We also maintain a home gallery at our Bridgeton location.

Volunteering -  making bunny toys for MO House Rabbit Society's "Bunny House," stocking the grocery store at Hope Church,  supporting STL Area Food bank, being Birthday Buddies with the Cornerstone Early Learning Center, making craft kits for St. Louis Crisis Nursery, helping keep Forest Park beautiful, and working with Seeds of Hope Farm.  

Historically, prior to COVID, we have worked with ReFresh-Resale shop benefiting foster and adoptive coalition; ReLeaf-nursery and Arboretum; Habitat for Humanity Restore; Kingdom House resale shop benefiting low income Saint Louisans; Bridgeton Meals on Wheels; St. Louis Animal Control; and Gateway 180 homeless services.