Porter was just the most adorable baby. When we found out that he had autism, we um were expecting another child. So, we were pretty anxious about what that meant for us.
Autism is so different for every different child that when you go and you have uh you know a conversation you and they give you the information that your child’s autistic, it almost feels as if they say good luck.
We knew that the public school system couldn’t handle his behaviors. He was very fast and darty and he would run away a lot and he’s just so full of energy. We sent him to Carmen Pingry, a school for children with autism specifically because um we just heard that they were very well equipped to handle kids with autism and it came at a significant cost to us. I was a stay-at-home mom and he was the bread winner and we had planned financially for that. And when the significant costs that come along with autism, just between the schooling and doctor’s visits, him breaking things, it was a huge burden on us.
You don’t have a child with a disability, you don’t come across that you actually even recognize some of the costs involved in having a child with a disability.
When we found that there was a fund, a scholarship available to us that would alleviate that, of course, we were incredibly relieved and happy and grateful. We heard about it through his school. They encouraged us to apply for it and of course we did. The fund has enabled us to keep him at this school that he loves, he enjoys, and he makes great progress at. And the funding for his school has come through the Children’s First Fund. So, we’re super grateful for that.
Finding the appropriate school for him was life-changing for us. And then also finding funding to supply the means to help us keep him at that school has been amazing. He’s done so well and we’re so grateful for the fund to give us the opportunity to keep him in a place that helps him be the best he can be.
Nobody’s going to know your child better than you. And people may give you recommendations. You can take in all that outside information and make the best decision to the best of your ability. And this fund gives you that opportunity to make a choice.
Hey Porter, would you like to say you’re grateful that you get to go to school? Thank you.
