Finding Joey

My 13 year old son, Joey, was diagnosed with autism when he was only 18 months old.
After we were told by therapists earlier that day that he was developmentally more like a 6-9 month old, I fell to my knees and was reduced to tears. Overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss, I began mourning all the expectations I had for Joey. For the first time in my life, I felt powerless
This would be the most important battle I would face and for the greatest love of my life. So, I summoned the strength to flip the script.

All any parent wants for their child is for them to love, feel loved and learn to live a joyful and purposeful life. Joey is blessed and knows what it is to love and be loved but his disability should not limit his potential to live a joyful and purposeful life.

Children with special needs like my son and others are much more than their disability and deserve the opportunity to cultivate their “abilities” and find their place as a productive, contributing member of society. However, as in many stories you hear over and over again, many school systems are failing to provide children like Joey with the appropriate education to which they are lawfully entitled.

Joey’s father, Mark,  
stepfather, Michael and I , mama bear,have done all we can to advocate for our son, who not only cannot advocate for himself but whose naiveté doesn’t allow him to even recognize that the school system he trusts is metaphorically failing him.

We thought our love for Joey and persistence would be enough to negotiate with the school to get him what he needed but, after 3 exhausting years, we continue to hit a formidable brick wall. 

Joey is falling through the cracks because he is too high functioning for a self contained autistic class and, alternatively, resource classes must focus on common core* , allowing little time to teach him the basic skills he needs at his true grade levels.  Read the article about how common core negatively impacts high functioning autistic children here: 
* http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/why-common-core-is-all-wrong-for-high-functioning-autistic-kids/

The school continues to try to make Joey, a square peg, fit into the round hole.   Special Education and Individual Education plans (IEPs)** are designed to individualize an education plan to fit the child’s needs but instead they insist on maging Joey adapt to their programs, which is a flawed approach with poor results as evident by their very own re-evaluations.

Our Joey loves to be known as Joey “Diamond Doggs” and is quite the charmer with the girls, LOL .
He is high functioning, funny, polite, loves animals and is obsessed with his pets, Harley and Ginger.He LOVES animals, NASCAR, swimming, Minecraft, basketball and his two brothers and sister.

Joey is smart but easily frustrated if he isn’t getting the instruction in the manner and with the pace and patience that he requires which is what the school is supposed to address. He is eager to please, wanting to succeed despite his frustrations and lack focus.  He wanted to be student of the  month so badly and acted like it was the nobel peace prize when it finally happened.
Joey is aware that he has autism and what he struggles with but still is optimistic about his future,  expecting  to fall in love one day and get married and have LOTs of pets.   He has already been in love before, numerous times, lol....

I’ll never forget going to see “Finding Dory” in the theaters with Joey.   I had to excuse myself early into the film because I cried when the mother was overwhelmed with fear for her disabled child’s future. We feel the same pain and worry about Joey and what will happen to him when we are gone.   He has been through a lot....at times...but always comes up smiling and victorious...
This leg of the journey and campaign is about “Finding Joey”, so that he may receive the services and support he needs to find himself and his place in this world.

We have hired private tutors, therapists, and spent 10s of $1000s on therapies through the years to supplement his education, help him address his attention issues and auditory processing deficits to achieve the basic skills in order to live a happy, purposeful life but the school system MUST be held accountable to do their part and comply with special education law, especially since they receive additional government funding specifically for Joey, like all children with special needs. While our resolve remains strong, our financial reserves are not from all the unreimbursed expenses, tutors and therapies.

We are working our fingers to the bone to get the money we need to support our own and come up with a minimum $5000 retainer, just to start.

Many friends, family and acquaintances suggested this site because even a $1 donations could help Joey. So with reluctance, forfeiting our pride, but with tremendous faith in humanity, we are asking for $1 to $5 donations from friends, family’s and kind strangers. Every little bit helps and is appreciated.

If you are unable to donate, in this economy, we completely understand and ask, instead, that you stop now and say a prayer for our Joey and all children like him...which is actually more powerful than all the money and gold in the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, your thoughts, donations and prayers.

Take the time, now, to see Joey sing his heart out...and thank you, for helping us to help him along the way on his journey of “Finding Joey”.

Joey singing his heart out...