Most people might not know that my parents, Denny and Ronnie Maggioli, have had a huge impact on the success of Lighthouse Autism Center, going all the way back to the very beginning, when our first center opened in 2012. When we opened our first center, my family and I lived in Carmel, Indiana and I commuted back and forth for nearly two years. During the week, I lived with my parents and traveled home to Carmel on the weekends. Not only did my parents welcome their grown son back into their home, but they have played a huge role in the design of each center. With an eye for interior design, my mom has picked paint colors to be used inside the centers, creating a bright and warm, and most importantly, non-clinical feel for the children who attend the centers. My Dad has worked as a dedicated handyman, carpenter, painter and fixer of all things for each of our centers since 2012. Simply said, Lighthouse Autism Center would not be what it is today without the time and love put into each center by my parents. As they officially announce their retirement, we could not be more thankful for their impact not only on the centers, but on each of the kiddos who have attended Lighthouse. Thank you for your tremendous work and dedication to Lighthouse Autism Center – we could not have done it without you!
Category: Center Happenings
Elkhart Mayor Tim Neese Visits Lighthouse Autism Center’s Newest ABA Center
Visit from Elkhart Mayor Tim Neese at Indiana ABA Center
On Wednesday, September 25th, Elkhart Mayor Tim Neese visited Lighthouse Autism Center’s newest ABA therapy center in Elkhart, Indiana. The newest center opened in August and is the seventh center opened by Lighthouse Autism Center, which provides ABA therapy services in Mishawaka, Granger, Plymouth, Warsaw and Portage, MI.
The new center will provide intensive, center-based therapy utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to nearly twenty-five families in the Elkhart area. The therapy programs are custom made for each child and work on things like social skills, communication skills, living skills and school readiness skills.
During his visit, Mayor Neese had the opportunity to meet with Founder and Executive Director, Gregg Maggioli, who has a son with autism. “My son attended one of the first ABA centers in the state of Indiana. When I saw the impact it had on his life, and the life of my family, I knew I had to find a way to bring this service to other families with autism.”
While touring the facility, Mayor Neese was able to observe children working, playing, participating in a simulated classroom setting, and even spoke with one child as she practiced asking and answering questions. When asked about his time at the center, Mayor Neese said, “I’ve only been at the center a short time, but I can see that the staff at Lighthouse are second to none, genuinely care about the kids and are truly making an impact on the lives of children with autism.”
Lighthouse Autism Center is now enrolling children at their newest center in Elkhart, Indiana. To schedule a tour, call 574-387-4313.
Find a Center Near You
Interested in finding an autism center near you? Click Find a Center below to view a full list of current autism therapy centers.
2019 Lighthouse Values Award Winners!
Meet the Winners of Lighthouse Autism Center’s 2019 Values Awards
Each of Lighthouse Autism Centers seven centers are guided and operate based on seven core values. These include:
1. Care about people more than anything.
2. Judge people by more than their metrics.
3. Don’t separate the vision from the operations.
4. Put a premium on innovation & creativity.
5. Be completely trustworthy.
6. Give away credit.
7. Be yourself.
Every year, each of our centers holds an award ceremony to honor employees who embody the Lighthouse values. These employees have been nominated and recognized by fellow colleagues for excellence in one of the Lighthouse values. This years list of winners include:
Care about people more than anything.
Chelsea Gibson
Megan Losos
Kasandra Richardson
Olivia Ganser
Macie Wrightsman
Melissa Williams
Judge people by more than their metrics.
Clair Snodgrass
Hannah Woods
Emily Adams
Hannah Ruhe
Emily Matson
Jodie Carlson
Don’t separate the vision from the operations.
Allyson Furnas
Danielle Wilson
Ashley Maust
Chaeney Brown
Tiffany Taubert
Amanda Walorski
Put a premium on innovation & creativity.
Christina Fields
Hannah Cernak
Chris Adams
Kara Kulp
Shawna Rupert
Hailee Neverman
Be completely trustworthy.
Leah Puckett
Jordan Musial
Alex Martin
Sarah Hall
Kaylee Bursart
Autumn Dilts
Give away credit.
Tayler Mylin
Tosha Chatman
Arika Amsden
Cassie Gaines
Morgan Hoogland
Samantha Green
Be yourself.
Lanae Asher
Caroline Gardner
Lydia Parks
Ariel Schneider
Madelyn Horvath
Dreanna Dallich
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
Lighthouse Sponsors Continuing Education Event for BCBA’s
Register for the BCBA Education Event
Lighthouse Autism Center will be sponsoring a continuing education event in partnership with the Career Academy of South Bend on Saturday, September 14, 2019. For more information, see the flyer below.
To register for this event, click here.
Together, we can unlock your child’s potential
Lighthouse Celebrates 7 Year Anniversary
7 Year Anniversary for Lighthouse Autism Center
This past May, Lighthouse Autism Center celebrated it’s seven year anniversary. It’s hard to believe we have been open seven years already. It seems like not all too long ago we were welcoming our first group of kiddos to our center in Mishawaka. Since then, we have grown so much, opening six centers and preparing to open a seventh. We have provided services to hundreds of kids and families and had the opportunity to work with some of the most wonderful and talented colleagues. While Lighthouse has grown and changed, our mission has remained the same – bringing quality, center-based ABA therapy to children and families in need. On this anniversary, we celebrate the joys and successes we have achieved together with our kiddos, families and staff, and look forward to the many more that lie ahead!
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
Lighthouse Autism Center Announces New Center in Elkhart!
ABA Autism Center
Lighthouse Autism Center, a therapy center for children with autism, is excited to announce it will be opening a new center in Elkhart, Indiana. This will be the seventh location for Lighthouse Autism Center, which opened its first center in Mishawaka, Indiana in 2012.
Lighthouse Autism Center provides intensive, center-based therapy utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The therapy programs are year-round and each child’s therapy plan is uniquely tailored to their specific needs. Currently, ABA therapy is the only behavioral intervention recommended by the United States Surgeon General for individuals with autism.
Lighthouse was founded by Gregg and Sandy Maggioli, who are parents to a son with autism and have nearly a decade of experience working in autism services.
“We are excited to bring our services to the Elkhart community. With over seven years of experience providing quality ABA therapy and as parents of a child with autism ourselves, we know how important these services are for families,” says Gregg Maggioli, Founder and Executive Director of Lighthouse Autism Center.
The new center will be located at 23426 US-33 in Elkhart. The center is projected to open in September. To schedule a tour or learn more about enrolling your child, contact our Family Outreach Coordinator at 574-387-4313.
Find a Center Near You
Interested in finding an autism center near you? Click Find a Center below to view a full list of current autism therapy centers.
A New LAC: Granger Community
Autism Center Opened in Granger, Indiana
Lighthouse Autism Center has opened it’s sixth center in Granger, IN and is excited to be serving this local community. Like other centers, the new center is a large building with the highest safety standards, a beautiful play area, and plenty of natural light. It is the perfect space and is a wonderful learning environment for the kiddos who attend this center.
When opening a new center, our goal is to not only create a beautiful learning environment for the children at the center, but to make it convenient for parents. Often times parents have a long commute to reach a center that can provide therapy for their child, especially if they live in rural areas. That’s why we have made it our mission to bring quality, center-based ABA therapy to communities in need.
Find a Center Near You
Interested in finding an autism center near you? Click Find a Center below to view a full list of current autism therapy centers.
The Lighthouse Autism Center Staff
An Overview of the Amazing Staff at Lighthouse Autism Center
At Lighthouse Autism Center, we take great pride in our staff. They are truly the backbone of our centers. All staff members are highly educated and trained. Each staff member has at least a Bachelor’s degree and all BCBA’s have a Master’s degree. All staff members are first aid, CPR and Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) certified. So who are the Lighthouse employees and what do they do?
Therapists
Therapists make up the largest number of employees at Lighthouse Autism Center. Therapists are those employees working directly with your child each week. While program managers create therapy programs for your child, the therapists are the one’s implementing these programs. Therapists are also responsible for recording data and providing feedback to program managers and clinical directors regarding the programs implemented for your child. All therapists have at least a bachelor’s degree and go through constant ongoing training to ensure the highest quality therapy for your child. At Lighthouse, we have a wonderful group of therapists who are all very passionate about working with those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, some who have been doing so as long as eight years!
Program Manager
The program managers oversee the therapists who work with your child. Program managers conduct skill assessments when your child initially enrolls with the center, creates goals for and therapy plans for your child as well as writes insurance reports for your child and trains therapists in how to implement programs with your child. Furthermore, they then analyze data on the children’s behaviors, revise goals and therapy programs accordingly, monitor therapists working with your child, and work directly with parents to provide updates regarding their child’s progress.
Clinical Director
A clinical director is the most senior clinical staff member. The clinical director oversees the entire clinical team and program manager’s report directly to the clinical director. The clinical director’s responsibilities include developing quality ongoing training for program managers and therapists, child intake, and community outreach. The director spends a majority of their time observing children, and monitoring their programs and behavior intervention programs (BIPs) to ensure they are appropriate and implemented properly.
With a passionate and highly qualified clinical team, you can’t go wrong with LAC!
Ready for a career where you can make a difference?
The Lighthouse Autism Center Story
Opening of First Lighthouse Autism Center
In 2012, Lighthouse Autism Center opened its first center in northern Indiana with a mission of bringing quality Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to communities in need.
As parents of a child with autism, Gregg and Sandy experienced first-hand the transformative impact of ABA therapy. Gregg and Sandy’s third child, Victor, was diagnosed with autism at the age of four while residing in Carmel, IN, an area that at that time did not offer ABA services.
One year later, when Victor was just five years old, the first ABA center in Indiana opened in Carmel, allowing Victor and the Maggioli family access to crucial ABA therapy services. Gregg and Sandy became heavily involved in the center – Gregg as the chairman of the board and Sandy with the accounting and insurance departments.
Through their ABA experience with Victor, Gregg and Sandy realized a passion for bringing this type of therapy to other families in need. When a family friend who also had a child with autism visited the center in Carmel, she told Gregg and Sandy, “this is exactly what I’ve been trying to find for my son.”
As parents of a child with autism, Gregg and Sandy knew they could combine their unique experience with their passion for bringing ABA therapy to families in need. “Being a parent of a child that has autism gave us a very unique view into the needs of parents,” Green Maggioli said. “Smaller cities like Mishawaka didn’t have the same level of service as larger cities and we made it our mission to bring ABA to these smaller communities.”
Looking for ABA services for your child? Experience the Lighthouse difference.
Together, we can unlock your child’s potential
The Heart of the Matter
A word from our Executive Director
The holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect on our many blessings and seek ways to give back to others who may be less fortunate. Each year, Lighthouse Autism Center participates in a community service project. Past projects have included: sponsoring a Christmas dinner and gifts for few local families, providing a day of free child care for families who attend Lighthouse Autism Center, and working with local nonprofit organizations to collect whatever donations they may need.
This year, our newest center, in Portage, MI, organized their own community project. Angel Tree Toy Drive helped provide “angel tags” to the employees at our Portage center. Each Portage center employee purchased gifts for a member of a local family. The gifts were dropped off to the Salvation Army in local Kalamazoo and Portage area to families in need.
Gregg Maggioli
Executive Director
Together, we can unlock your child’s potential
Lighthouse Opens Sixth Center in Granger, Indiana
New center to open in Granger, in January of 2019. We will immediately begin serving children with autism in the Granger area. As with all other centers, the idea for a Granger location has driven primarily by the needs for increased ABA services in that community.
Many current Lighthouse families live in Granger, and many families on the waiting list for other centers also reside in this community.
With a high demand for quality, center-based ABA services, Lighthouse sought to fill this gap in services. the community asked, and Lighthouse listened.
This new Granger center will also include speech therapy services, along with all other Indiana Lighthouse centers, in the spring of 2019.
Find a Center Near You
Interested in finding an autism center near you? Click Find a Center below to view a full list of current autism therapy centers.
Veronica Perea: Lighthouse Autism Center Award Winner
Recognising Outstanding ABA Therapy at Lighthouse Autism Center
Lighthouse Autism Center’s Company Values are at the core of everything we do. We live our values every day, and it is reflected in our standards and expectations for providing outstanding ABA therapy. This week, we want to recognize and award our own Veronica Perea for the value “Put a premium on innovation & creativity!” Veronica is from Lingonier, IN, and started at Lighthouse on June 20th of 2016!! Veronica chose Lighthouse among many ABA centers she researched online because she realized it was a place full of kind people. She loves working at Lighthouse because she gets to see all the amazing children improve and become more independent everyday! Congratulations on the award Veronica!!! 😄👏🏆
