Shout Out

Tomorrow is Elliot's half-birthday - he'll be 4 1/2 years old. This milestone marks three years since he was first screened and diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. It's been a wild, challenging, and wonderful ride so far. Today I'd like to pay tribute to all the amazing specialists who have helped Elliot and our family over the past three years.

First up is Keith Moree, Elliot's incredible speech therapist at Kaiser. Keith was on the original team that evaluated Elliot, and he connected with Elliot and seemed to "get" him from the moment they met. When it came time to choose an SLP for Elliot, I refused to see anyone but Keith. He has helped bring Elliot from where he was at two years old - when he only said a handful of words and didn't point or gesture - to where we are now, as he talks non-stop (we're not sure if this is a good or a bad thing some days!). Much of Elliot's speech is still ecolalic, which means he repeats words or phrases from books, TV shows, or that others have taught him, but he does use those phrases appropriately. More and more, he gains his own original language, and his communication skills have grown exponentially. We can't thank Keith enough for the role he has played in Elliot's life.


I'd also like to thank Kim Rathbun, who worked with Elliot as an occupational therapist in the area of feeding therapy and oral sensory issues. We saw her for six months at NeuroTherapeutics. She made incredible progress with Elliot in a very short time in the areas of trying new foods, accepting new food textures, and brushing his teeth. Here is a picture of Elliot and Kim working together. He absolutely loved Kim and always looked forward to seeing her.


Next I'd like to thank Dave Andrews, with the early intervention program at the Portland Public Schools. Dave was Elliot's case manager and speech therapist from the time he was diagnosed until he turned three. Elliot dubbed him "Friend Dave", and he and Elliot got along famously. Dave helped Elliot with all sorts of speech and other issues and was also invaluable to me in learning about autism and navigating the services offered by the public schools. I remember the last time Dave visited Elliot at home (kids start in a preschool class at age three instead of receiving home services), both Dave and I cried when he left. We love you, Dave!


Even though Elliot's experience in her preschool classroom didn't work out, I'd like to thank Jackie Broderick for being a devoted advocate for Elliot. When we took him out of her classroom because he was unhappy there, Jackie came to work with Elliot at our home instead. She gained his trust and helped our family continue to receive services at home even though Elliot was of the age when the schools prefer to provide their services in the classroom. She also helped us make the transition to a new team of service providers when we moved. Thank you, Jackie!


And last but most definitely not least, I'd like to thank Sara Vanzee and Donna Bloom, Elliot's teachers at School of Autism. They are like family to Elliot, and one of the places he is happiest is at school. Elliot has made huge progress in all areas - sensory, speech, social, and academic - since starting at the school almost a year ago. I cannot say thank you long or loud enough to these amazing women who are dedicating their lives to helping children on the spectrum. We are immensely grateful to have found them. Here are a couple of pictures of Elliot enjoying himself at what he calls "fun school".



A huge thank you to all of these amazing people who have made an impact on Elliot's life and the lives of our family. I want to commend you for what you do every day and to tell you how much your love and support of Elliot means to our family. Thank you!!