We always knew there was something unique about our beautiful little boy, Austin. From a very young age, he struggled in daycares, group activities, crowds and in many other everyday places. He was super sensitive to noises, smells and certain lights. Austin's temper would go from calm to aggressive in a heartbeat, often for no apparent reason. He had trouble sitting still and focusing on anything but trains and the iPad. He loved to play by himself and only seemed to enjoy certain textures of food (meat!). Austin was falling behind with social, behavioral and academic development. He struggled to stay successful in daycares. We never knew what his reaction would be to any situation, and, as a family, we adapted around his needs the best we could. We kept hearing "he's fine" or "he just needs some time to catch up", but his daily struggles kept getting worse...

In September 2015, Austin was diagnosed with Autism (high functioning), as well as ADHD. Getting the Autism diagnosis was actually a huge relief because we thought we were going to finally be able to access the help we needed. But we realized we were both empowered by this knowledge and bewildered because we had to determine his path on our own since there is no set treatment. We quickly found out that our insurance did not cover much related to Autism - and the bills for pediatric developmental doctors, OT, psychologists were astronomical. Within a few weeks after the diagnosis, Austin was asked to leave his daycare and was placed on waitlists at the only two daycares in our county that could 'handle' him. These daycares had no openings and said they probably wouldn't for years - there were just too many kids with special needs that also needed care. We ended up having to hire a nanny until we figured out our next steps. We scoured the internet for weeks, reached out to other special needs parents, made tons of calls to various organizations and Dr. offices, etc. trying to find help... We kept finding information about ABA therapy and how it's the only therapy proven to help kids like Austin, but it costs anywhere from $45,000-$50,000 a year and is not covered by insurance... we were spinning our wheels, and not getting anywhere…

... and then we found St. Gerard House in Hendersonville, NC. We had no idea what it was at the time but Andy called to see if we could get a tour of the Grotto Center. The school has 1:1 constant ABA therapy for 3-7 year olds with a goal of full integration into a typical classroom. The minute we walked in, Austin had a total meltdown and we immediately felt the love and support of everyone that works there. For the first time ever, we, as a family, felt like we belonged and fit in. Austin started school there in December 2015 and made tremendous progress. They worked with him daily on focusing, academics, social goals, etc. We are thankful for St. Gerard House.

After a couple years at the Grotto, Austin was able to integrate into mainstream Kindergarten at Immaculata Catholic School. He's been there ever since and is entering the 7th grade this year. Overall he's doing fantastic, and plays both soccer and basketball for his school, loves all the friends he has made, plans to join the robotics team, is doing well academically, sings in our church's youth choir and actively participates in his youth group with activities/missions in the area. We are so proud of him and everything he continues to accomplish and figure out as he gets older.

We decided to start Team Austin again, after many years, to be able to give back to the Autism community. We are so thankful for the resources we were able to find through the years, every bit helps. Thank you and hope to see you on Sept. 14th!