Our son Ryan was diagnosed with Autism in February, one month before he turned 2. Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills.

Ryan is currently non-verbal and has difficulty communicating what his day to day needs and wants are which can make things very frustrating for him. He also has a severe need for extra sensory stimulation. With his diagnosis came the recommendation that we start multiple therapies that can aid in making daily living easier for him. We have moved forward with getting Ryan these various specialized treatments. He is currently receiving about 18 hours a week of ABA therapy which is an intensive one-on-one teaching approach that reinforces the practice of various skills which he is proving to respond very well from. Ryan is making excellent progress and we are now adding on weekly speech, and occupational therapy, as well as looking to purchase an iPad with an augmentative communication program which has shown to help non-verbal children like Ryan communicate.We are also looking for supplies to create a play space for him in our house that will meet his sensory needs. We are hoping that with the ABA and these additional therapies and supplies he can work to possibly overcome some of these challenges that Autism brings.

The substantial costs of therapy, physician’s care, and supplies that are not covered by state services or insurance has been overwhelming and frustrating for us. Since the need for the iPad and sensory equipment is immediate we are seeking help. We are asking for any monetary gift you could contribute. Your gifts will help us purchase an iPad and apps for autism and speech therapy that have been recommended. While some of these apps are fairly inexpensive, others, such as Proloquo2Go communication app, can be nearly $200. While these expensive apps are much cheaper than the dedicated devices that perform the same function ($7-12,000) the fact they are on an iPad disqualifies them from any insurance coverage.

Gifts can be contributed by following this link.

Thank you for your time and consideration, we appreciate whatever support you can provide. Hopefully with the intensive therapies combined with the use of the augmentative communication program one day Ryan will be able to say “Thank you” to you himself!

Much love and thanks,
Adam, Maureen, Meghan and Ryan