My name is Tiffany and I have a 9 year old son, Aiden. Aiden was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder on June 28, 2010. Hearing the words "Your son has Autism and it's a life long disability" is heart shattering and words that never leave my mind. Since Aiden's diagnosis, we have worked tirelessly to secure the appropriate services that provide critical life skills Aiden desparately needs to be as independent as possible. It is my hope that Aiden will one day be able to live on his own as a functioning adult and a contributing member of society. One huge component needed to do this is social skills. Imagine not being able to communicate your thoughts and feelings to others. Aiden has always struggled with communication with his family, peers and adults. While Aiden is verbal and has language, he struggles a great deal with appropriate conversational skills, repetitive topics, expressing his feelings, problem solving skills, frustration when someone is unable to articulate what he is saying, recalling events, waiting appropriately and much, much more.

Last summer we applied for an intense summer program called Hi-Step that targets these specific needs. Unlike most children who are able to take the summer off and have fun in the sun, Aiden requires services throughout the summer to maintain routine and most importantly to avoid regression. The program we applied for is located in Pennington, NJ and is run by experts in the field of Autism. The program is an intense, full day program. It is limited to those who need it most and acceptance is based off strict requirements. Not only does it provide Aiden with the skills needed to help him socialize appropriately, it also provides Parent Training to help our family ensure he is able to carry the skills over into our home, school and other settings. Aiden was lucky enough to be accepted into Hi-Step! He had a progress filled summer with some ups and downs of adjusting to a new program. He worked extremely hard every day and would fall asleep in the car on the way home! Many days he had to go directly to tutoring for academic needs right after. As you can imagine Aiden and me were exhausted BUT the hardwork paid off. His school noticed the gains made in socializing with his peers immediately in September when he returned to school to start 2nd grade. The staff was able to review the program that was used in order to be able to help understand the tools Aiden was given over the summer. This year Aiden recently joined a small soccer program on campus at his school for the first time ever. He's been able to spend more time in the general education setting with his peers as well. He has also been working hard on adjusting to changes within his classroom setting such as visitors and changes in his routine. At home Aiden continues to work on basic life skills such as waiting appropriately, tolerating Mom taking a phone call, adjusting to changes within our home such as company or schedule and playing appropriately with others or independently.

We reapplied for Hi-Step in the winter knowing very few appropriate programs were available for his specific needs for summer. With some of Aiden's behavioral needs changing this year, it was a waiting game to see if he would be given the opportunity again. Finally our acceptance notification came and we were able to take a sigh of relief knowing Aiden would be in an appropriate placement this summer where his unique needs would be able to be met. As always it was a celebration knowing we had overcome one more obstacle. With the happiness always comes the overwheling burden...the financial burden. The financial strain on families living with Autism is horrific. Unfortunately, the types of intense services Aiden requires are usually not funded through insurance and are mostly paid for out of pocket. The cost may seem high to some, but for Aiden this is an investment for his future. A future that we hope one day will be an independant and functioning one. No dollar amount is too small. If you are not able to donate, please share our cause! Aiden and our family thank you for reading our story and for supporting his quest to a more independent life!

http:www.behaviortherapyassociates.com/hi-step-summer-program/