Our Impact

Larz Osman has been a special part of the Hillcrest community since enrolling in our Prep Program, two years ago. With the help of both the support and regular classroom teachers, Larz has achieved astounding results for a student doing a journey with his individual challenges. There is so much more to discover about Larz’s true capabilities which are hidden beneath the surface. It has been absolutely astounding to witness the impact on Larz’s progression the inclusion in a normal schooling context has had. This approach has also not only enriched Larz’s world, but that of his compassionate and helpful peers. The children of his classroom have embraced Larz’s journey, alongside their own, and have demonstrated compassion, patience, encouragement, and collegiality to an inspiring degree for ones so young. They may not have learned these valuable life skills so early in the piece, had it not been for Larz’s presence in their daily life.

The benefits of this inclusive approach has been evidenced by the universal learning gained by all stakeholders involved. To witness the gains Larz has made in his education has been nothing short of miraculous. We have discovered a mathematical propensity that may otherwise remained dormant, and are daily surprised at how he tackles the same tasks as his peers with many celebrations of success.
His support teachers do a phenomenal job of scaffolding to assist his comprehension and outworking of the tasks; however, there are many times when a task begins by seeing just what he can do independently, with surprising results.

My personal perception, after seeing this inclusive and supported approach in action, is that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. If this experience is anything to go by, then consideration must be given to all students with specific needs for supported inclusion at this level; it has really worked for Larz in the early years of his formal education

My daughter Summer was diagnosed with Autism Level 2 in Sept 2019, at the age of 5.  After 5 years of being told it was not Autism, I felt like I was running late with the effective early intervention I know is most important.  

Coming across Journey 2 Learn, I was given the confidence that it was not too late and enrolling Summer in the Journey 2 Learn program has been the best decision I have ever made! The team has made learning fun and effective for her for the first time ever. 

The progress I have seen in a short period of time is astounding.  In only a month Summer went from not being able to hold a pencil to using the proper pencil grip and making identifiable letters. Summer is now in a mainstream classroom, and with the individual support that she requires, is successfully learning and gaining new skills every day. 

Her skills with counting, cutting, shapes, social skills, gross motor skills, day to day living skills and overall literacy have improved significantly in the past 6 months with the Journey 2 Learn program.  Summer is now speaking in longer sentences and is communicating her ideas and speaking with greater context, which has been a real achievement. She is positively influenced by the other children in her classroom and the positive impact of peer modelling is highly effective and unmissable. 

The Journey 2 Learn team are extremely supportive with continued guidance, strategies and feedback which is useful to manage Summer’s challenges in and out of the classroom. The support that the team offer with Summer with the day-to-day school activities, not limited to drop off, pick-ups, school activities, etc has been extremely helpful in Summer’s success in school. I can’t speak highly enough about the Journey 2 Learn program and the team of Autism specialists. The Journey 2 Learn centre encourages learning, meaningful play and has made for a wonderful and successful transition into the mainstream classroom