Success Story

What follows is a testimonial from a parent with an autistic child: 

"Last December, I was juggling a great deal and the holidays were one more thing I had to balance. Ryan was in third grade and having a very tough year and had begun having severe meltdowns…Every week, the school was calling, because Ryan’s meltdowns interfered with school. It was rare for him to make it week without having to leave school for behavior. I worried about going places, because Ryan may have a meltdown. I even worried about decorating the house for Christmas. I put up a tree, knowing that he would knock it down and destroy it when he was upset. I did not decorate the house, because he would destroy anything out of place. I bought toys, thinking about the fact that they may destroyed or even flushed down the toilet when he became upset. His frustrations largely centered around his inability to communicate verbally, and the fact that he hated being told “no” or not getting his way…Hand In Hand…showed me games and worked with Ryan on developing strategies to control himself. We went to parenting classes on Sundays...This December, my family is different place. Ryan is a big talker and most of what he says can be understood…He has only had to leave school twice this year and he was sick one of those times…Hand In Hand saved our family and have been a true blessing…They have never charged us a dime, and have helped our family in so many ways. I would love for them to have more funds, to hire more staff, and help more families."