Everett has been in occupational therapy for over two years and special education preschool for almost two years. She has made a ton of developmental progress and does so well 1:1 with her therapist and in school, but we're struggling with generalizing a lot of her new skills to the home and community environments, for various reasons.

Discussions with her OTs and teachers have led to a number of suggestions for recreational activities that would be incredibly beneficial to Everett's well-being and development. Unfortunately, many of these cost a significant amount of extra money that we just don't have.

We know times are hard for a lot of us, but we hope that any family and friends who are in a position to help might consider throwing a few dollars our way so that we can get Evie access to the opportunities recommended by her professional supports.

These are a few of the things we would prioritize, if we had the means. We'd like to do some programs in the summer, some in the fall, so we're not overloading Evie with activities.

1. Private swim lessons - $40 per lesson

Evie's OT agrees with us that Evie is better suited to 1:1 swim lessons, rather than group lessons, particularly due to her difficulty with attention/focus, noise, and sensory processing. It's also just so important for autistic children to learn water safety and how to swim.

2. Summer family membership to the Rochester Athletic Club - $935.22

The RAC's outdoor pool tends to be quieter and less busy than other local pools, and Evie took to it very well our first summer in Rochester. The zero-depth entry gave her the chance to control her comfort level in the pool, and she developed a lot of water confidence that summer.

The RAC outdoor pool would benefit Mama Alex, as well, due to her health conditions. It's a smaller and more manageable space to take Evie to alone if nobody else is available to accompany and support. Also, floating and walking in a pool are pretty much the only exercise Alex can do without much risk of exacerbating her symptoms.

3. Gymnastics classes at ROGA - $225 per 12-week session

Evie's OT highly recommended we get her into gymnastics to support her sensory needs, body awareness, strength, balance, coirdination, mental focus, social skills, and self-esteem. Evie has expressed significant interest in gymnastics, as well.

4. Private piano lessons - $28 per lesson

We've connected with a piano teacher who loves to teach neurodivergent children. Evie's OT thinks this would be beneficial for mental focus, perseverance, and emotional regulation.

5. Sensory tools - $100

We have been working on the Zones of Regulation in OT, and Evie recently had the opportunity to try out some sensory tools, to see what she would find helpful in helping her to calm her body and focus her brain when needed.

We're creating a safe space in the house where she can have access to all of her tools when she needs them, and we'd like to get a few duplicates to keep in a backpack for when we're out in the community. Specific things we'd like to get are a vibrating neck pillow, a weighted lap pad or vest, a spinning light wand, squishy sensory mazes, and a PopIt Pro light-up pop-it game.

We can provide links and examples, if anyone would like to gift these particular items, and we're open to secondhand items.

6. Community outings

The kid needs to get out of the house more and interacting with other kids and adults outside of home and school. We'd love to get her to things like one-off art/craft classes, Red Barn Learning Farm, Boundless Indoor Playground or ROGA open gym on a bad weather day, concerts, dance or theatre performances, etc.

If you've made it this far, thanks for your attention! We would appreciate any help in getting Evie's particular needs met. All donations will be kept in an account solely for her recreational/enrichment/support needs.

With love and gratitude,

Alex, Heather, and Everett