Help DeAndre Find His Voice ❤️

Hello! My name is Ashley and I am fundraising for my six year old son, DeAndre. He suffers from mild to severe autism, Global developmental delay, and he is non-verbal. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed at four years old (during the COVID-19 pandemic) and he has not received the therapies he requires. It was recommended that he attend ABA , speech therapy, and work with an occupational therapist. However, he has not been able to receive any of the therapies he needs due to lack of funding. I am a single mother, I’m in school part time; I have to be there to support him all of the time.

I have to do everything for him and guide him through even the smallest of tasks. When he began going to school, the administration understood he had autism, yet they failed to properly accommodate his needs. An incident has occurred, and DeAndre was limited to only two hour days. They said his days would get longer depending on his behavior, but the duration didn’t increase until six months into the school year. They sent a referral to a special needs program in a sister school, (St. Francis) and for the most part, he has been doing much better and he’s going to school for full days now.

However, he still has extremely high support needs, and still needs the therapies initially recommended by his psychologist and health care professionals. Recently, one of my worst fears came true... DeAndre takes a special needs bus to school, and a special needs taxi van home. He was unbuckled, attacked and choked by another child. I was told he took it like a champ. The scary thing is, he does not understand when somebody is attempting to harm him. He will just take it without trying to defend himself.

The only thing the driver could do was go back to the school, and have the teachers remove the child who attacked him and he will no longer be with him on the ride home. This is not the first time other children have tried to take advantage of his vulnerability, but it was the first time I was unable to be there to stop it which is terrifying. This is why I have turned to gofundme to raise money for his therapies.

Some information:

Early intervention for autism is a series of specialized therapies, services, and support that helps children with autism develop skills and reach their full potential. It's most effective when started as early as possible, ideally before the age of three. Early intervention can help children with autism develop skills in:Social engagement, Independence, Communication, Play, Cognitive skills, and Problem solving. Some benefits of early intervention include:Children who receive early intervention are more likely to have improved skills and a better quality of life. Early intervention can help reduce behaviors that interfere with learning and development. Some children who receive early intervention may need less or no support as they get older. Early intervention is possible because a child's brain is still forming and more changeable during the

early years. This makes treatments more effective in the long term. Unfortunately we have missed that window for early intervention. It will be another four to five years until I get a call regarding his core funding because OAP is so back-logged right now; people who registered in 2019 are more recently getting calls for core funding.

Speech therapy costs in Ontario can vary depending on the provider and the services offered, but the recommended rate from the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists is $190 per hour. The cost of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy in Ontario can range from $5,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on the child's needs. The cost is often high because ABA therapy is typically one-on-one with a trained therapist for more than 10 hours per week.

The cost of occupational therapy (OT) in Ontario can vary depending on the service provider and type of service:

A 50-minute OT session costs between $140–$160

An OT session costs $160 per hour, which includes time for set-up, cleaning, and communication with the caregiver

An OT assessment costs between $350–$695

An OT visit costs $76.04, and an OT home visit costs $152.07

OT services are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) when provided through hospitals, rehabilitation centers, family health teams, and other organizations

Some therapists may also charge for travel beyond a certain distance from the clinic.

DeAndre is the light of my life, and as a parent, I would do anything to further his development. I don’t ask people for anything; the only thing I want is for my son to have the ability to speak and be somewhat independent. He deserves to have a quality life just like everybody else. Any funds donated will go strictly toward the therapies and services he needs. Autism is difficult, but loving my son is not. All the donations, big or small, are valuable and very much appreciated. If you are unable to donate, please share the link to this GoFundMe post. If you’ve made it this far, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this.