Hello friends! My name is Madelyn Elizabeth Tolliver and I am 4 years old born July 4, 2019! Some of you may know a little bit of my story but for those that don’t, I was born with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Global Developmental Delay, and I am nonverbal. At 7 months old I started getting double ear infections which led to me having two tube surgeries. By 9 months old, my mommy noticed that I wasn’t achieving my milestones on time and I was delayed. At 11 months old I began receiving early intervention services which I liked a lot because I got to play with a lot of fun toys! Even though I enjoyed playing, that wasn’t enough for mommy…at 13 months old she enrolled me in speech therapy with Ms. Dawn Cates! Ms. Dawn became my speech therapist and has been with me every step of the way! A few months later mommy and Ms. Dawn had a grown up talk and decided that I also needed occupational and physical therapy! Since then I’ve graduated physical therapy but continue to receive speech and occupational therapy. By age 2, I suffered 18 double ear infections. Thankfully I do not have any hearing loss, but I have to go for routine hearing test every three months. After researching, mommy decided that it was time for me to get tested for ASD. Fast forward to now, I was diagnosed with ASD on August 1, 2023…the doctor told mommy that I’m severally autistic, I may or may not talk, and I’m on a 22 month old level. Mommy still has faith that I will speak someday, but she didn’t let that report stop her from getting me the resources I needed. Mommy enrolled me in E.P. Todd Elementary School last January. This was a big adjustment for me but I got the hang of it eventually! Although I made lots of friends and loved my teachers, my special ability required that I have more one-on-one learning time with my teachers and more therapy. I’m currently enrolled in Quality Autism Care, which is a school specifically for autistic children like me! Here at QAC I’m able to receive curriculum on my level as well as ABA therapy!Mommy tells me everyday how proud she is of the progress that I’m making! Because of my neurodiversity, mommy surprised me with a golden doodle which will be trained to be my personal autism canine. Stella Pearl is her name and she will assist me with increased social interaction, improving my independence, redirecting repetitive behaviors, increasing my vocabulary, improving my quality of sleep, mobility and stability assistance, and sensory assistance (safety). Mommy has worked really hard getting me the resources I need to be productive and succeeded to the best of my special ability. I’m asking that you donate to this cause to help us raise money to get Stella Pearl trained to be able to accommodate me anywhere I go. Thank you for your support