Welcome to Partners
Welcome to Partners In Excellence (Partners), an early childhood intervention center that has served the Twin Cities Autism community since 2001.
Our mission is to positively impact the life of each child through our unparalleled commitment and desire to see our clients reach their greatest potential.
We offer a growing set of effective treatment programs for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Autism, or Aspergers Syndrome) that help to restore each family’s hope for their child’s future.
Our center-based therapy services focus on children ages 1 to 10. Therapy for each child in our program is guided and directed by an individual treatment plan that is tailored around his or her unique needs. Progress of each child is continually monitored to ensure optimal results.
The staff of Partners takes great pride in helping the children enrolled in our programs discover- often for the first time- the joys of childhood as they reduce the frequency and intensity of challenging behaviors so that they can more readily be accepted by family and friends. Our goal is to get our clients into their schools and communities and live a more independent, functional life. Frequently Asked Questions
Partners In Excellence began…
Partners In Excellence (Partners) was founded in 2001 by Deb Thomas, who is extremely family-oriented. Deb co-operates the business with her husband, Bruce, and together their mission is to restore hope for the future for hundreds of children in their community diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Pervasive Development Disorder.
Partners is an Outpatient Mental Health Clinic where children ages 1-10 years old receive Applied Behavior Analysis and Applied Verbal Behavior Therapies. With outpatient clinics in Burnsville, Edina, North St. Paul, and LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Partner’s individually goal-centered program has earned the respect of parents, healthcare providers and educators
Deb and Bruce Thomas didn’t set out to go into the therapy business, but parenthood had other plans for them. As parents of three children, Matthew, Brianna, and Erica, they found themselves emerged in the special education community when Matthew was diagnosed with a physical disability at a very young age. Before launching Partners, Deb founded the Minnesota Center for Conductive Education in 1997 to help her son, Matthew and others with similar diagnoses get the help and therapy they needed to increase their quality of life. While helping others, Deb and Bruce stumbled upon an entire community of parents desperately searching for services for their children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Deb, a natural-born problem solver and experienced business owner, could not look away.
“In the beginning we weren’t expecting to design the multi-faceted program that we have today,” says Deb. Partners has evolved by hearing and seeing the needs of our families, then finding solutions. Parents praise Partners because the program is recognized for its measurable progress and results. Parents want to know that they are maximizing their child’s potential and Partners offers that accountability. Partners has clearly defined goals for each child and is continually monitoring progress to allow each child to become as independent and functional as they possibly can.
Parents also appreciate the fact that their child is getting all of their therapy needs met in a single, well-coordinated environment. They don’t have to chauffeur their child to appointments all over the metro. From behavioral therapy to speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and life skills, they have the peace of mind knowing that all of our therapists are working together on the same goals for their child.
As the company continues to grow and move forward, Partners will continue to offer solutions to families, educate and train staff on the latest discoveries in the field and ensure that services and operations are held to the best practices standards within the healthcare community. It is Partners’ goal toopen additional centers within various communities to provide broader access to service.
Deb Thomas was awarded the 2010 Exceptional Business Women Award by the Dakota County Tribune Weekly.
Giving back to the Community…
Partners In Excellence is involved in the community and has a long list of volunteer and civic projects that we continue to support. Some of these projects consist of:
- Autism Speaks
- Autism Society of Minnesota
- TACA (Talk About Curing Autism)
- PACER
- ARC
- Toys for Tots
- PawPADs (Pawsitive Perspective Assistant Dogs)
- Local Food Shelves
- Personal giving and Family Sponsor to families affected by Autism or Special Needs
Autism Program
Partners In Excellence (Partners) provides intensive early intervention services to children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Autism, or Aspergers Syndrome). Partners uses a combination of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and a subspecialty of ABA called Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB). ABA and AVB are empirically validated treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
We believe in providing quality services for all clients in a safe and comfortable center-based environment; supporting all clients and their families by providing opportunities to allow for their greatest success; providing staff with the training required to be successful in providing excellent services to our clients; and an open door policy allowing parents and staff to meet when desired.
Partner’s Autism program has quickly become one of Minnesota’s largest and best treatment programs for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This has been accomplished by our commitment to the success of our clients and working closely with their families to gain optimal outcomes.
