Outcomes - Colin

A letter from Colin’s parents, printed with their permission

Colin and Family Our son, Colin, is a beautiful, blond-haired, blue-eyed, eight-year-old boy. We first started noticing changes in Colin’s development at approximately 18 months. The signs are all too common to parents of autistic children. Speech regressed, eye contact was difficult, and Colin was literally uncomfortable in his own skin, breaking out in hives a number of times each day. The word “autism” was not even used initially, with our pediatrician describing Colin as a child with “audio processing” issues. The doctor recommended some occupational and speech therapy. It seemed easy enough. We remember leaving the doctor’s office thinking that we probably had about six months of intense therapy in front of us. That was more than six years ago.

Colin and his family Looking back, its been a life of therapies seven days a week, diet plans, medications, sleepless nights, exhausted days and trying to make sure our other children, Patrick, age 9, and Mary Jane, age 7, get the love and attention they deserve. Looking back it’s also been a time of great progress. Still not verbal, Colin is a savvy communicator. Eye contact is no longer a problem, as Colin craves affection and is known as our “cuddler.” The hives stopped years ago and sleepful nights become the norm as opposed to the exception. As a couple, our strong marriage became even more solid as we tackled autism head on, vowing to do everything possible for Colin. While often overwhelmed, we became empowered, knowing that no one could handle what we do – for even the smallest amount of time. An additional gift was having family, friends and co-workers step up time and time again to offer their love and support. Some times someone simply asking “how are you doing?” helped get us through the most difficult periods. This includes many of our therapists, who some after spending 5+ years working with Colin, became extensions of our family -- something we did not envision when we left the doctor’s office six years ago.

It was the fact that we knew we had done everything possible for Colin, that gave us some sense of peace when we made the gut-wrenching decision in September 2007 that Colin needed full-time support. The short list of reasons include the fact he was in five different classrooms in five years and he was expelled from his last special education program in January 2008. The numerous other reasons why Colin needed residential placements could fill this newsletter, but we have a detailed timeline of the past six years that is more than 40 pages long! The bottom-line is that after researching and visiting 18 residential programs it was clear that Heartspring was where Colin needed to be now – if he was going to have the long-term success he deserved.

Colin’s first day at Heartspring was February 4, 2008, so this is still a new experience for our family. As challenging as Colin is, there is a void without him at home, highlighted by the fact that he is in Wichita and we are at home in Chicago. But three months into his stay at Heartspring, we know that this is the right place for Colin. When we toured Heartspring in November, Cara Rapp, director of admissions, told us that “all the children here are loved.” We have no doubt that this is the case. Each time we visit Heartspring, we leave more impressed than before with the passion and commitment of the staff. Colin has a wonderful teacher in Jennifer, great support at home with Trish, Bernadette and the rest of the G2 staff; and the therapist such as Lindsay are tireless in their work with Colin. And just as important, Colin has friends like Izzy and Chance. All of this adds up to happiness for Colin.

As for us, Colin’s parents, Heartspring realizes the heartache that comes having Colin so far away from us. They are proactive in their communication and always make themselves available whenever we need them. We never get the sense they are too busy for us and even with all the challenges they face, there is no question they are up to the task. We were just at Heartspring for the CARE Walk and saw yet another example of the staff’s commitment to the children of Heartspring and the local community. Colin’s grandparents from Kansas City joined us as for the walk as well and were deeply moved to see the great care that is given to their grandson. As we left Wichita, we were already looking forward to Parents Weekend in May and becoming even more involved with the Heartspring family.

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