kevin's journey

Kevin wasn’t talking.

When my son was about 2 years old, I noticed something was different. He wasn’t reaching certain milestones that were expected the way his older brother did at that age.

At a time where kids are starting to say different words and phrases, Kevin was not doing that. He wasn’t talking. If he wanted something like a snack or a drink, he couldn’t verbalize it. He would take you to the thing he wanted and point. I tried to help him sound out words, but it wasn’t working.  

I spoke with his doctor and started the task of figuring out the problem. After seeing specialists and doing assessments and testing, Kevin was initially diagnosed with developmental delays.

He was enrolled at The Gateway School at age 3 and was able to get speech therapy. The classrooms had a small number of students so Kevin was able to get the extra attention he wouldn’t have received in a regular public school setting. By the time he left Gateway at age 9 he was able to verbalize his thoughts and work on his social interaction skills.

He went on to The Harbour School where he stayed until he graduated with a high school diploma.  Over time, more assessments and evaluations were done and at 15 his diagnosis was changed to high functioning autism spectrum disorder.

I am very grateful for the support we received from every doctor, therapist, teacher and counselor who provided the help we needed to get my little boy communicating and set him on a path to doing more than any of us thought he could.   

From not talking, to working full time, you'll be amazed by what Kevin has overcome. They said he probably couldn't do college; they said he couldn't become a teacher. I will share more of his story in future blogs. Stay tuned.