History
Yesterday’s Journey Makes Tomorrow...Impactful
Established in the 60s as a facility where children with neurodevelopmental disorders could be housed and cared for at a time when disability and mental disorders were taboo and those living with such conditions were often excluded from society, the Miriam Foundation has now become an essential leader in the field.
Providing Fundraising, Training and Social Integration Since 1973
1962
The Miriam Home for the Exceptional is officially incorporated, funded by the Quebec Government Ministry of Health and Social Services.
1985
The Lou Greenberg-Miriam Association is incorporated to purchase homes for integration into the community and accommodate the Miriam House’s patients.
1996
The Miriam Foundation surpasses the $1 million mark in its fundraising efforts.
2004
The Gold Centre is established to provide training, professional development, and support for caregivers, professionals, and educators.
2009
The Miriam Foundation begins to run intensive intervention programs.
2011
The Gold Centre opens Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs to help clients on a language and behavioural level.
2014
An agreement with the Quebec Government’s Ministry of Health and Social Services is signed in order to provide diagnosis and post-diagnosis services. It was a great victory for the Foundation as it helped democratize the diagnosis process.
In 2014, with the assistance of McKinsey & Company, the Miriam Foundation undertook a study to understand current available services for neurodevelopmental disorders. The study highlighted significant service gaps according to age groups, and the Miriam Foundation developed a plan to address this issue in order to improve services offered throughout the lifespan for individuals living with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families.
Aligned with Québec’s Health Ministry priorities, the Miriam Foundation’s Continuum of Service is a way to make therapeutic decisions based on science and adapted to each client, keeping individual priorities in mind to build on progress achieved and continue to develop long-term skills and behaviours.
2015
The See Things My Way Assessment Centre and Medical & Dental Centre opens to improve and fill the gap in providing complete local health, education and assessment services.
2017
The See Things My Way Parent - Coaching program begins; the Autism Navigator Project is launched across five public sector health establishments; and Miriam Foundation acquires ASD Montreal to expand its continuum of services offered to children.
The initiative Heroes Among Us was put together to celebrate and highlight the work of everyday educators, teachers, therapists, advocates, fundraisers and parents who make a difference on a daily basis in the lives of people living with neurodevelopmental disorders.
2018
Creation of the Autism-Intellectual Disability National Resource and Exchange Network (AIDE) in collaboration with Pacific Autism with funding from the Canadian Government’s Ministry of Health.
2020
March 1, 2020, Miriam Foundation simplifies its overall intervention program structure and merges all services under one roof to streamline their approach and make all entities more efficient and interconnected. Miriam Foundation also moves into its newly renovated premises at 5703 Ferrier in the Town of Mount Royal.
COVID-19 strikes and has a significant impact. Miriam Foundation and its entities keep moving forward, to connect, support and engage. They keep crucial issues front and center, like funding for intervention therapies and assistance for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID). ASD and ID are not something you can press pause on and resume when challenging times are over.
On March 13, 2020, Miriam Intervention shut its doors to in-person service, and the team pivoted quickly to establish a new videoconference consultation service so the clinicians could observe and direct parents and/or caregivers in addressing the interventions for behaviour and skill acquisition for their family member, our client(s).
By June 2020, Miriam Intervention resumes in-person services with stringent protocols in place.
2021
January - Confirmation from the MSSS that we provide essentialservices to our community and could remain open during any closure.
March - Marcelle & Jean Coutu Foundation commits $3.5 million dollars over three years to support Miriam Foundation in providing much-needed assessment services and early intervention programs for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disorders (IDs).
June - Parent Coaching - Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) service begins thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation. P-ESDM is offered to families waiting for services from Miriam Intervention (Gold Centre) as well as to the families on the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) waiting list. P-ESDM is based on the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) which is a developmental intervention program based on natural teaching and focuses on young children up to 36 months of age. It is an evidence-based therapy that integrates relationship development with the teaching practices of applied behavioural analysis (ABA). P-ESDM coaches parents to support the child’s learning by using the ESDM strategies during everyday activities at home. Presently, Miriam Intervention has the only P-ESDM program for young children in Quebec.
October - New MateriaTech database launched