Help Emmaline pay for a school Aide

Our sweet Emmaline  was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 4. We hope to raise $6,800 to help pay for Emmailne's ABA school Aide she has needed to learn in a mainstream classroom.

The past 6 years have been filled with speech therapy, occupational therapy, social skills, applied behavior analysis, tutors, and other specialists. Current treatment recommendations for children with ASD is 30-40 hours a week of therapy. Yes, A WEEK! She has worked so hard and has come so far. In addition to paying for weekly therapy, the last 3 years Emmaline has required a private Aide/Shadow to  keep her in a mainstream class with typical peers.  A school shadow who is trained in ABA, or applied behavioral analysis,  has provided a transformative experience for Emmaline with her specific learning profile.  But this type of one on one support is profoundly expensive.  We have pulled together all of our resources to get Emmaline the therapy she needs and into the schools that have provided the environment she needs to thrive.

Emmaline is a sensitive girl, who is generous and funny.   She loves school, loves to read, and loves to play with her friends.  We feel she deserves every opportunity her brothers will have.

Having children with autism educated in mainstream classrooms benefits ALL students, according to an academic who specializes in learning difficulties.  "If we are to be an accepting society of all children with all abilities, then the classroom the place to start"

Current research supports and advocates  mainstream education for children with high functioning Autism.  2017 International Meeting for Autism research concluded that ASD children show the most improvement in their cognitive skills when placed in classrooms with typical children rather than in autism only groups.  Research reports have concluded that the students that were fully included in mainstream settings consistently outperformed student that were not.   It is particularly useful to have appropriate peer role models and encourage opportunities for socializing .  ABA continues to teach Emmaline the social skills necessary to successfully interact with her peers, something she loves to do, but finds hard to initiate. The shadow is able to break down difficult tasks into steps and supports her being engaged in learning. . 

For more information on ABA treatment please visit
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba 


Our mantra for Emmaline; have high expectations met with high (and loving) support.

We started a go fund me page to meet our financial goal.  It is impossible to express the amount of gratitude for any donation, of any amount.  We would be so appreciative of anyone who could help.  With the proper support we know Emmaline can accomplish anything.

Some of you have asked whether the school would provide an aide for Emmaline. I am so glad you asked. Our Shadows are trained in ABA, applied behavior analysis. The girls are actually in a masters program in behavioral therapy to become BCBAs, or Board Certified Behavioral Analysis. They are specifically trained in managing the behaviors of autism and are educated in Sensory Processing Disorder. Their work is evidence based, they are constantly collecting data and graphing behaviors to assess what Emmaline needs. The Aides are also supervised by a BCBA who writes Behavior Support Plans. Our BCBA then collaborates with Emmaline's Psychologist, Speech Therapist and Occupational therapist to ensure a cohesive treatment plan is incorporated into her daily school schedule. This is why the past 3 years we have found schools that allow our team in. Was it convenient to drive 1 hour to school and back, has it been cheap to add this additional cost to her already expensive treatment plan, of course not.
But, like her neurotypical siblings, we’re here to give her the tools she needs to be successful in life. We have researched the best available options and are continually finding the way to provide it for her. Thank you to everyone who has helped. It is impossible to express the amount of gratitude for every donation made for Emmaline  

Gofundme.com/Help-Emmaline