My Senior year of high school was spent working at a graphic design company designing police vehicle lettering and signs.  I spent hours upon hours in the art room perfecting paintings and clay sculptures. This was what I truly thought my passion would be career wise for the rest of my working life.  I went on to pursue a degree in Fine Arts and Graphic design, and obtained that degree all while working in the graphic design field.  Over all those years my father always told me, “I really thought you would be a teacher, it’s what you’re meant for.” But, as children do, I never truly listened.

Eight years later I was still working as a graphic designer at a sign company, my work graced the inside of Met Life Stadium, Newark airport and even a small town in Louisiana. But, I was miserable. I couldn’t stand sitting in front of a computer all day, I was bored of it and was slowly realizing that my heart was not in it anymore.  I received the opportunity to teach at Warren Community College for a Basic Design class and realized I loved teaching and maybe, just maybe, my father was on to something.

I began taking the classes needed to begin my career as an educator, and two years later took a paraprofessional job at a private school just to get my feet wet.  The plan in my head was to be an art teacher, but as I found before that plan in your head isn’t always the one you are meant to take. The school I started at was Celebrate the Children, and ever so quickly my heart opened up to amazing children with incredible abilities and I started to realize this was where I was meant to teach.

This is now my second year as a teacher at Celebrate the Children, and each and every day my students amaze me and make me see things in wonderful ways.  I might walk into my classroom and watch a student pull a chair over for a friend, or see a student’s eyes beam as they start to truly understand how to tie their shoes. And, when I watch my one student who rarely speaks touch the hand of another and say hi without any prompting it makes me realize I could have never expected this.

These children have made me see how wonderful it is to be a teacher, and that all the time and effort I put in to my job is worth every smile, tear and gleam in the eye.  I should have always known that my father had always known best.  Tiffany Martino, Teacher, Celebrate the Children 

Supported typing has caused a breakthrough in silence.  Supported typing, also commonly referred to as Facilitated Communication (FC), is a strategy for improving motor skills to enable someone to type, point to or touch objects, pictures, or letters for communication purposes.  According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, FC is done by a facilitator, who provides communication, emotional, physical supports to a person with significant communication disability in order to communicate.

The method has allowed nonverbal individuals the opportunity to share their worlds.  This communication strategy has allowed circles of relationships to emerge.  Unquestionably, supported typing has changed the communication landscape for those without a traditional voice.

Despite positive claims, there are still looming questions, such how students who are nonverbal type if they are not looking at the keyboard.  Further, how can this same subgroup use such eloquent speech higher than grade level?  Moreover, how is it possible to have the ability to read and write without prior formal training?  Additionally, how can they have so much knowledge, be in college, but not answer questions in a controlled setting?  Last, it is extremely difficult for many to conceptualize how an individual might need a tremendous amount of physical support to communicate through typing.

In current years, however, studies have confirmed supported typing as a legitimate strategy through eye tracking (Grayson et al., 2011), linguistic analysis (Zanobini & Scopese, 2001; Niemi & Karna-Lin, 2002; Tuzzi, 2009), evidence of unexpected speech (Broderick & Kasa-Hendrickson, 2001; Kasa-Hendrickson, Broderick, & Hanson, 2009), typing with little or zero support, talking aloud before and during typing (Biklen, 2005; Biklen & Burke, 2006).  

Imagine having the communication window to your world shut permanently.  Supported typing opens that window in a way that allows fresh ideas, thoughts, opinions, feelings, academic achievements, social and emotional development to finally blow in like a breeze cooling off years of frustration for many of our students, like Patrick.

Patrick, for example, typed for the first time in 2009, and everyone was excited about his unexpected communication and cognitive ability.  People’s views of him were completely changed.  He shared thoughts, ideas, and feelings about his world with others.  Finally, Patrick was able to demonstrate valid communication.

From all accounts, the introduction to supported typing was the best part of Patrick’s academic and social life.  People treated Patrick with respect and more like a teenager.  However, despite being hopeful, his mother continued to worry about Patrick’s future.  Finally though, Patrick had a voice!

Through supported typing, educators, friends, and family members can finally hear Patrick’s communication.  Within the construct of this communication approach, Patrick was able to experience academic achievement, enhance motor-planning skills, improve multi-sensory integration, increase self-esteem, and build on social growth.  This communication strategy helped Patrick to progress in the functional, emotional, and developmental levels.

Even in the face of unpleasant previous school experiences, Patrick managed to walk on the communication road of life with a positive attitude.  Now, Patrick is not only a gentle giant but also considered a student leader within the school setting.  For the first time, the world could see Patrick’s infectious charm and hear his heart-wrenching story.  Supported typing allowed Patrick to demonstrate intelligence, communicate, and express his joy.  To the pleasure of many, Patrick is no longer trapped in complete silence!  Dr. Michael Knox, Principal, Celebrate the Children

Keir and Jeff are happy to give you their final issue for this year.  Last week only Keir contributed but this week, Keir, Jeff and our newest member Vickie contributed.   Enjoy!!


Question: What insights into people and human nature have you gained through interacting with the world through typing/FC that you would not have gained if you interacted verbally?

Keir:  I think previous to typing is when I gained most insight because many people doubted my retention of anything so I could hear peoples true thoughts and see their true colors.  I think people can learn most about others when you see how they treat those they think as their lessees.  I also think I have gained more insight since typing because I can ask more questions allowing me to seek insight.

Question:  In your opinion, what is the most important thing to teach a child?

Keir:  I think compassion for all gods creatures because compassion is the foundation for humanity and the basic understanding for other emotions.  As society is growing compassion is lessening at an alarming rate.  The more compassion for everyone the greater chance the earth has of surviving from the people who live on it to the earth itself which gives us life.

Jeff: I think the most important thing to teach a child is acceptance. just understanding that anyone can be dealing with isolation front he speaking world but we have little ability to initiate these interactions. I need to besse as Jeff a seventeen year old with aspirations and feelings.  Go deep in your heart and see me.

Vickie:  To shpw love To brlive in yourself family should find ti,e to help with good homework that is what helps the most To respectful to yourself and others 

FINAL COMMENTS FOR THE YEAR:

Keir:  This is not the last time you will be hearing from us.  Stay tuned and keep the questions rolling.  Be nice to people.

Jeff:  Just have a great summer and be safe.

Vickie:   Just want to do this more next year.

Vickie had a final questions for Keir and Jeff,

"What is it like in high school?"

Jeff:  Lots of stuff to learn but also homework good to learn so much.

Keir:  Its awesome because people really start to treat you your age and work on independence.  They also take your thoughts extra seriously and you can advocate for yourself better.

Vickie:  Feel excited to feed my brain

Happy Summer Everyone!!!!

The (Hold up Spongebob “The” for all to see. Act confused.)

Oh. Wait. Wrong speech.

Where is that stupid thin- A HA! It’s on the back of this paper. Silly me! Wonder how that got in there. *ahem*

Today, I will be graduating from high school and entering the adult program. This also means I’m going to be leaving Karen’s class for the first time since Byram. Sure, I spent those two years at Hunterdon, but I’m not going to count those. I’ve been in and out of CTC for many years.

When I went to Byram, I was in sixth grade, lost and confused. I was scarred by certain experiences in public school and only had a cartoon character for support. The class I was originally placed in wasn’t challenging enough for me. In addition, many of my friends were in Karen’s class. To solve this dilemma, I took my chair one day and climbed up three flights of stairs. That’s what you had to do back in the day, barefoot, uphill both ways in the snow.

Anyway.

Karen’s class was originally a bit too challenging for me, but I got used to it. Some days, it’s still too challenging, but that’s okay. I’m been getting much better at managing the tough stuff, especially this year.

I also learned that I could have human friends without sacrificing my fictional ones. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see them as much now that I’m moving to the adult program. I will miss them all. Luckily, I will still attend some of Karen’s classes, so this isn’t goodbye forever. That’s going to come when I’m twenty-one, so save your tissues.

What else? I loved working on the Spring Concert with you guys, especially this year. I was more involved in this Spring Concert than any other. Everyone came together and made a great skit involving singing bananas and huge Mickey Mouse puppets. Next year is probably going to be even busier because I’ll be helping with not only my new class, but Karen’s class if possible. Working with you guys is just that awesome.

So yea, that’s about it. I guess I might as well wrap this up. Thank you Monica for starting this wonderful school. Thank you Mom and Dad for not giving up on me. Thank you Sophia for being an awesome sister. Happy Sweet Sixteen! You got the power! Thank you Karen, Crystal  and all of the staff and students in your class for an incredible school experience. Thank you to any CTC staff I forgot to mention but who are cool anyway. And thank you Tai and Sora for always being there for me. You two are very dear to me (despite being fictional) and deserve a mention in this speech just as much as the real people do.

Okay, I’m done now. Congratulations to all the graduates and I’ll see you next year!

Question: Has anyone ever doubted the "authenticity" of your typing and how did you (or others) convince them it was you?


KEIR
I stay very focused on my own journey  and dont care about whether people believe its me or not. People who believe its me get to know me well. People that dont believe its me will never get to know the real me and i am not interested in wasting my time convincing them of something they refuse to see. I am keir a person worth your time but if you doubt its me you are not worth my time. I have lots to accomplish but no time to waste.

JEFF
There will always be doubters and skeptics but we just need to keep doing what we are doing teaching people about presumed competence and spreading the word and knowledge of FC. We can only continue doing what we are doing and forget the ignorance of others. It's fear of the unknown and they are cowards.


Question: How do you define a successful life?

KEIR
I consider my life successful. I have a family a school and friends. I communicate i am a person with thoughts and feelings that are very important to me. My thoughts about success are very different than many peoples thoughts. I define success as happiness and safety to feel content. I have both so my life is successful. You might define it differently but that is how i see it.just dont put to much emphasis on money it does not define success and might make you miss true success.

JEFF 
A successful life is different for every person and manifests in different ways but I think the commonality is happiness,. Happiness comes in many forms like material possessions, relationships etc but successful happiness must come from within your soul and only you can be the judge of that.

“…they can’t express it but it doesn’t mean it’s not there. They often live very rich lives inside there, if you can get in there with them, you can discover that.”  Ron Suskind

Ron Suskind, Pulitzer Prize winning author, does an amazing job explaining the big picture concept of developmental approach (affinity) therapy as he shares his very personal story of his family and his son with autism.  


Watch the exclusive interview with Jon Stewart!

We received so much feedback from Jeff and Keir's first post, they were THRILLED to see that their first message reached as far as Illinois, Washington and even WALES!!!  

Question: From your perspective in observing and interacting with the verbal world at large, what do you view as the greatest disadvantage, if any, of having and using language?

JEFF
I think that we in general feel that speech is really for people who speak.  Usually it really does not matter to us but it matters to speakers.  please understand that we would like to have communication with you but we do not need spoken word with each other.  i think that one of downfalls of spoken word is that people don't spend enough time listening.  Mostly I notice people just answering without really thinking about the answer.  only people who really care about the answer listen.

KEIR 
I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both verbal and nonverbal communications but the main disadvantage is taking it for granted.  Having a voice and not using it is the most wasteful and neglectful thing ever.  It is so easy to for verbal people to voice opinions yet most stay so silent.  Have and opinion.  Fight fro something you believe in.  Use the gift god gave you and make a difference.  I do my best with what I have.  You do a little with the lot god gave you.

Question: "You both got me thinking, Can animals abuse the earth?  I am sure there are times when animals feel fear too.  What exactly is abuse of the planet?"

JEFF
I am sure there are times when animals feel fear too.  Animals have instinctive approaches to the earth.  There only is greed by mankind.  The bad intentions of man are what create abuse of Mother Earth.  Animals do not have greed.  Animals fear the predator but again it is instinctual.

KEIR
Animals do not abuse the earth because they live off the earth so it is pertinent for their survival.  They may so called abuse each other but it is their animal instincts of survival kicking in.  Abuse of the planet is a disregard for what gives us sustenance and a home.  Without it we are nothing.

Celebrate the Children students Keir and Jeff participate in an after school program that gives them an opportunity to chat via Facilitated Communication.  After brain storming ideas of how they would like the group to be formatted, they decided they would like to answer questions from the CTC community (and beyond!).  Some of their thoughts include:


Jeff:  thoughts from our point of view will be food for thought of something profound

Keir:  questions from unknowing staff will be the greatest way to teach

Jeff:  what to write is what the readers want

Keir:  please get this message to the people of ctc


KEIR's INPUT ABOUT THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS HE LIKES:

I like questions that are expansive in thinking not questions that are easily answered. Maybe questions that could have many possible answers.questions that force people to look beyond surface beliefs that they talk about without thinking.

Question:  What is your advice for students and staff who struggle with FC?

KEIR

I would say that if you are struggling with fc be patient and understanding it takes a long time to learn. Many people think typing with a new facilitator should be easy but it is one of the hardest things i have ever had to do. It is like learning something as difficult as asking a girl out i dont think i will evr figure that out but i imagine it would be hard to learn for most people not just me.  So you understand it takes time and ptience but is worth every minute you give for practice to us who depend on your perserverence to help us communicate. If you give up we have no hope. Please keep trying it is important for us.critical too or we have no place to be heard. Thank you for being our greatest support even when it is hard. Quit complaining because it is not woking it will work but we need to practice together. Being a nonverbal student leaves us at your mercy please remember that and be strong for us. Thank you.

JEFF 

FC is such a popular topic. Here are some tips I have

First, FC is the most challenging and rewarding gift to  child with no voice. It is exhausting so allow breaks for those starting off. Use the ladder of communication moving up and down as needed. Practice whenever you can and use the students passions as motivating topics. As for staff, patience is key. Our brains think fast but bodies slow. Also staff overthink everything so r e l a x.

There will always be skeptics for everything but as long as you know the truth we prevail. Typing allows us to show intelligence where others thought there was none.



Question:  I once heard a person on the radio say that they felt that humans abuse the earth, other humans and animals, because they "fear pain"... Any comments?

KEIR

 humans are fearful by nature. We are fearful of things we dont understand i think people act out in fear to protect themselves not from just pain but from ridicule.  Being mean and degrading is easier than being open to ideas that oppose your beliefs. They find it easier to dismiss the blatant truth than to accept that they may be wrong. It is easier to harm things that have no defense so that they may feel superior and revered by their peers. What it shows is their weakness and unaccepting attitudes towrds things and people they feel are inferior. I feel sorrow for them they need our compassion to help them learn to approach life with love not fear or hate i want this message to be spread through the world but i will start with ctc. And  want people to honestly look at their approach to life. Decide if you choose fear or love. You might be surprised if you are truthful to yourself. Think more about helping yourself with this because it will help your approach to all living things including us. I am thakfful for your questions and hope you send more. My mind is full of things to share if you just ask.

JEFF

People fear the unknown so the fact that we do not fully understand animals or other humans thoughts or actions is a huge concern for the people of the world we live in. People want control so no control of any situation is an uncomfortable place to be but we need to remember we can all coexist harmoniously or we wouldn't have been put In the same place at the same time. Learning about things you don't understand will eliminate fear. Knowledge is power.

On Saturday, May 3, 2014, 47 students from Celebrate the Children participated in the Special Olympics at Hackettstown High School in Hackettstown, New Jersey. 

“The transformative power of sports to instill confidence, improve health and inspire a sense of competition is at the core of what Special Olympics does.  In Special Olympics, the power and joy of sport, shifts focus to what our athletes CAN do, not what they can't. Attention to disabilities fades away. Instead, we see our athletes' talents and abilities -- and applaud them for all that they can do. And they are doing a lot -- from gymnastics to soccer to open-water swimming. With more than 32 Olympic-style sports, they offer adults and children with intellectual disabilities many ways to be involved in their communities, many ways to show who they really are.”  (http://www.specialolympics.org/mission.aspx)

Confidence, self-esteem and pride is exactly what one of our students expressed after the event this year.  Please see the special note from his Mom below…

I want to thank Celebrate the Children staff for their unbelievable effort for our kids preparing for and executing the day at the Special Olympics.  It was a wonderful day.  Everyone did so well.  I want to share Robert's story:

He was really so grown-up on Saturday. From registration on, Robert held it together through all the waiting (which is a huge change from last year).  When his event finally arrived, he was ready.  The CTC team of coaches on the field got him to the starting line. He won his heat.  He was so overjoyed to win the first medal in running.  At the lunch break he told me the following:

1. “I am good at track and field.”

2. “Practice is worth it because it pays off and makes you better.”

3. “You can win gold if you believe in yourself.  I believe in myself.”

While waiting for the afternoon event, Robert was in hyper drive.  Jumping up and down.  Making noise that was almost screaming. I kept asking him if he was okay and he kept saying, “I am excited.”  I was afraid he was going to tire out before the event.  Mike hung with him and worked his “Robert Magic”.  When it came time for the event, he threw the best shot I have ever seen him throw. This from a week ago, when I called Lisa about his frustration last Sunday when he did his first practice throws. 

At the end of the day he told me, “I thought only positive thoughts and that worked."  I told him to remember that today as he is in testing.  He seemed very relaxed about testing.

I can't thank everyone enough.  Lisa, Danielle, Hollis, Mike and everyone else that believed in Robert and got him to believe in himself.  (Rosemary Kellner, Proud Parent, Celebrate the Children)

Twenty some odd years ago, I was full of idealism and dreams as most young people are. I sailed through college, began a career in fashion, had friends, relationships, vacations and lots of fun. I met the man of my dreams, Chris DeNicola. We got married and soon had a beautiful baby boy. We named him Michael. Life was good.

I was blessed with a wonderful partner in life who I loved and love so much, but until I had that baby boy, I didn’t really understand the meaning of life or that a mother’s love is so deep and pure, it can’t really be put into words. As many of you in this room know, when you have children…they become your heart. You want the best for them, you want everything for them, and you would lay down your life for them.

Michael was and always will be our pride and joy. He is 21 years old now. He is here in this room tonight…our intelligent, funny, outgoing, handsome son. He has led us on a journey that could rival an epic adventure in many ways….the reality version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride….and Lord knows, there are still some days that we are still on that wild ride with him! Some things never change.

Michael was the cutest, most mischievous, charming baby and toddler, but between the ages of 2 and 3, we became very concerned about certain aspects of his development.  The anxiety and despair that comes with a parent’s worry can be all consuming. At age 3, we found out that Michael was on the autism spectrum. My own shock, panic, lack of knowledge and primal fear threw me into immediate action. I became the whirling dervish of networking and research. I joined groups, called famous doctors, scoured libraries and any resource I could find for information.

About a month after learning that Michael needed additional help and attention, we had assembled what my husband referred to as “The Dream Team”. We had hired extremely reputable and well know professionals – each at the top of their fields in Behavioral Intervention, Speech and Occupational Therapy. I also had Michael enrolled in a special pre-school, a play group, Gymboree, a music group….I was afraid to not do enough…to miss something….  As much as I worked to find all the right treatments and pieces, I also went through the stages of grief. I loved my little boy with every ounce of my being, but I had not been expecting this detour that took us to a place I didn’t understand. It was a place that scared me because I felt lost.

As eager as we were to have these reputable people working with our son, I can also attest to the emotional, draining exhaustion that I imagine many parents in this room have also felt at some point. I’m not talking about sleep deprivation….I’m talking about that soul sucking, spirit crushing fear, that sense of helplessness and confusion…that desperate hope that you are on the right path, that you are doing the right things, and that you are doing enough.

While Michael was learning and progressing in areas, I found that I could not always understand the direction the professionals were taking.  It was like one half of the puzzle was being put together, but the other half was untouched territory.  As time wore on, I was in desperate search of what I thought of as social skills. Social skills intervention proved to be very difficult to find in 1995. Michael needed more than the academic side of things and certainly more than just compliance. On a November morning, with a terrible case of pink eye that I caught from Michael as well as a terrible case of the blues – I forced myself to attend a conference I had signed up for in Fairfield, New Jersey. Dr. Barry Prizant was discussing how to promote socio-communicative speech in children with autism.

As I sat there, diligently taking notes, a group of young women sitting in front of me caught my attention. They seemed to be sharing thoughts about this presentation as well as a quiet chuckle or two amongst friends. One woman raised her hand to ask a question, she introduced herself as the Social Skills Coordinator at a special education school in New Jersey. SOCIAL SKILLS!! I had to restrain myself from throwing my arms around her then and there and tackling her to the ground, lest she should get away. I strategized how I would meet her at the next break and as soon as that break came, I cornered her before she could even get to the lady’s room. That young woman was Monica Osgood and that was the day the curtain of despair and confusion began to lift and the blurry path we were following began to come into focus. It was the beginning of understanding and feeling joy and celebration again. It was the beginning of things starting to make sense. It was the beginning of new breath being breathed into our paralyzed lives.

Monica was immediately helpful and invited me to come observe one of her social groups. I did visit and was so impressed with her and what she was doing.  She was working on really great things like social reciprocity amongst peers, creative thinking and problem solving skills all in a fun and motivating way. In the short time we had been thrust into this world, I had not seen work like this being done anywhere else. She told me about Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Serena Weider and the work they were doing, how their work had changed her life and the way she wanted to work with children. I invited her to our home to meet Michael. Despite being very busy attending school full time and working full time, she agreed to start working with Michael a couple of times a week. And then….Suddenly, I wasn’t being asked to keep my son on a mat with a timer – increasing the time each day to encourage his ability to sit still…. or to color code all his toys and then create a corresponding color coded picture inventory filing system that Michael would have to use in order to ask for a toy to play with. Suddenly, I wasn’t just giving my baby an M&M for answering a question correctly 8 times. Instead, we were suddenly laughing….Michael was laughing….we were playing again, being silly, having fun, getting giggles and bright eyes asking for more. We were making games out of things and out of nothing….making social stories….desensitizing difficult “behaviors” by working through them and learning to truly understand where they were coming from….and that was just the beginning. Meeting Monica put our family on a road that made sense to all of us. It was a direction we could all believe in. That was 18 years ago and we have followed Monica all these years. We met Lauren a few years after meeting Monica. When forces brought Monica and Lauren together, I imagine lightening cracking and angels singing … A team so in sync, with incredible vision, passion and purpose, was born when they came together.

We were fortunate enough to be there for Celebrate the Children’s beginnings and watched as Monica and Lauren worked tirelessly to achieve their dream of opening a school. They and their outstanding colleagues and staff have never stopped working to keep developing that dream…helping so many children and families over the years.

That day in 1995 when I first saw Monica’s Social Skills Group at the school she was working at, I recognized her gift. As I was leaving, Monica handed me a newly minted business card (her first business card) with a charming silhouetted picture of children dancing around a tree on it. Above the tree were the words “Celebrate the Children”. “I have a dream” she said. “I hope to one day start a center or a school that really does celebrate all children…and I hope to be able to use this approach that I believe in so much, to foster and nurture a child’s potential for growth.” Little did I know that my children would be fortunate enough to metaphorically dance around that tree for years to come with many of your own children.

Shortly after Monica joined our home program, she became involved in Michael’s school program and soon after, she began a Celebrate the Children school program for pre-school children right in our school district of Mt. Arlington, NJ.  She met Lauren during that time and the two of them went on to take Celebrate the Children to a whole new level. They opened a small center in Netcong, New Jersey and then they decided to start a school. I remember how hard they worked.. the red tape they had to deal with – the rules, regulations, laws…the incredible stress they were under. I was really only on the outside looking in on a small amount of what they endured, but one thing was always certain, their determination never wavered. They persevered and after so much hard work, they started their school in Netcong. They started with 3 children and began to grow. They moved to Byram township to a bigger school. The school grew, the number of students grew, the number of staff grew. More and more people heard about the rare DIR based school in Northern New Jersey. Families started moving here from around the country and the world. Celebrate the Children continued to grow, to develop, to blossom and so did their students. Needing more space…they moved to a larger school in Wharton and then needed to add the Dover campus. The future home of Celebrate the Children in Denville was on the horizon. The hard work, determination, blood, sweat and tears of many incredibly dedicated people brought all of us to our new home in Denville…and what a beautiful home it is... but as we all know – it is far more than brick and mortar. CTC has never really been about a physical location, it has always been about a philosophy of reaching, teaching, love, conviction and passion. That being said, the nice digs don’t hurt – and this beautiful new campus has been hard earned and well deserved. In these 10 years, and 6 locations, it is ultimately the effort and tireless work of two women with a dream and a vision, Monica and Lauren, an incredibly dedicated board and administration, and a tireless, exceptional group of teachers, related service personnel and aides that truly makes Celebrate the Children what it is.

Today, our son, Michael, is a graduate of Celebrate the Children. He attends college, works part time, drives a car, drives us crazy, is a wicked, cool drummer and is an overall great person. His younger sister Mia has travelled this road with us as well.  She is a precious, beautiful, smart girl who is everything to us. She has been attending Celebrate the Children for the last two years, but we have been working with CTC and DCCF since she was about a year old. The difference was that although we worried about Mia, we already knew the path to follow when she was diagnosed with autism. We knew which way to go. The relief in that has been immeasurable. Certainly, life has not always been perfect – it is life after all and in our case, life highlighted by exception and beauty. We are a strong family and we have had strong allies working with us and walking with us through the difficult times. I have learned so much about love and life from my two children. They taught me a patience I didn’t know I had. They taught me to look at things in new ways. They taught me about compassion and empathy far beyond what I thought I knew. Above all, they have given us so much joy and love – even when things are hard – that joy and love trumps everything else.

 Monica and Lauren, our family has been very blessed and fortunate to have both of you in our lives. If not for you, the talented staff at CTC and this wonderful school as a whole, I often wonder where our life path would have taken us, but I also believe that we were somehow divinely guided to have been passengers on this incredible journey. 

Finding words to give thanks to people who changed your life in unparalleled ways is a daunting task and one that I’m not sure can be effectively achieved. Today, Celebrate the Children celebrates 10 years. Our family is so grateful for everything you have done for our children and family over the years. It has been a privilege and an honor to have been part of this amazing journey with you. Congratulations Monica and Lauren and to all of CTC, employees and parents alike. Here is to the next 10 years and beyond!