Learning Together was born out its founder's frustration with traditional 'behaviour support' models for autistic people, especially those who may have intellectual disabilities or are non-speaking. Brendan's  personal and professional experience drove him to establish Learning Together's Supported Living service. The initial goal was simply to demonstrate the effectiveness of an alternative, relational approach called Gentle Teaching. Gentle Teaching is part philosophy/part intervention and was first formulated and described in Nebraska, USA, back in 1988.
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In 2012 Learning Together started a pilot project providing 24/7 direct support to two autistic adults who had challenged traditional services to the extent they had been incarcerated and excluded from mainstream community services. The people we support are all from the local area and continue to have close ties and relationships with their families.