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Tuesday, January 27, 2015

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I just realized donor level items were created but not visible on the fund page. If you did contribute but did not leave and address contact me davecroke@yahoo.com or leav...
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A message from David W Croke...
My wife Traci and I were concerned for our beloved Thomas when, around 2 years of age, his development regressed.  He would have screaming fits for no apparent reason. Thomas' developing speech diminished to screamed demands or scripted dialogue from movies/shows; he also began repetitive spinning of toy car wheels and plane propellers. And he made no eye contact with anyone, he just stopped looking at us with those beautiful, deep brown eyes.

 Thomas was diagnosed with autism at 3 yrs of age.  He has been receiving ABA therapy and making it through public school with "meltdowns".  Going out to dinner or shopping is still out of the question due to his extreme reactions to stimuli, throwing himself/items on the floor or even running out of the building.
 

We attended the The Son-Rise Program® Start-Up and saw immediate results; we reduced the environmental factors that contributed to Thomas' tantrums, changed our attitude about his behaviors, and found ways to help him transition to new situations.  We saw a decrease in meltdowns and he was generally calmer within the home.
While things are better in the home, that behavior change has unfortunately reached a plateau.  In school Thomas has significant trouble accommodating the environment; he is reacting violently to others and situations with an intensity and duration such that he has been moved to a more restrictive environment , i.e. away from our goal of a mainstream classroom.  This is not what we want for our son.  We know there is so much more we can do to help Thomas develop into an independent and thriving child who loves "our world", feels safe and trust others, however we cannot do the next step alone
 
Few autism treatments are covered by insurance, much less a home based/parent led/child-centered one such as ours.  The class is called The Son-Rise Program® Maximum Impact and is in April 2015.  This fund is to cover costs for travel and training of Traci and I at the center in Sheffield, Massachusetts.  This course gives us more skills and techniques as well as train/prepare our volunteers.  The expenses for travel and course fees total 8250.00.   A teacher and a paramedic do not make enough to cover this large of a one-time expense.

Thomas is an amazingly bright and loving son struggling to accommodate the world surrounding him. If you can help us, even in your prayers, know that you will be supporting Thomas' move into a mainstream environment, be independent and one day contribute in a meaningful way
 

This is where you can help.  Please make a donation today to help Thomas recover from Autism. PLEASE! Continue Reading >>

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Saturday, January 24, 2015

What happened

      It has been said somewhere that Life is what happens as we are making other plans.  So much happened when we moved to Texas from Alaska, Thomas was 2 months old, we had bought a house, I had lost my planned "career"  job(my position had been "eliminated"), and I was working a thanklessly frustrating job that was wearing me down inside and out.    Traci had to return to work since my income alone wasn't going to keep us in our new home and feed us.  This was rough for her, she had been working with autistic children for 20 years and was ready to be a mom and housewife.



     Something had to change, six months after taking all the required classes I began a new career as an EMT and have since continued my training to the paramedic level.  Traci discovered we were pregnant with Ian the same week we lost her youngest brother Timmy in an accident.  Then we lost a beloved aunt the week before Ian's birth. I was working two part time jobs and going to community college to for EMT classes during this time and everything was a mess, in limbo.  No consistency at home and no light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.  Looking back now at that inconsistency, the frustration, the whole energy of the situation; how did that affect Thomas?   

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Welcome back

   A lot has occurred since my initial undertaking of this blog.  Thomas has since been diagnosed with Autism, actually right after his 3rd birthday.  Ian is now 4 and has grown into (and out of) that big belly of his. He also thinks he is 6 years old and can get away with the same eccentric behavior as his brother.  Best of all though,  Traci and I haven't driven each other crazy yet!
    So what does our return mean?  Online media being what it is now(as opposed to when I initially began this), it is yet another way for me to share the journeys of two young men and one not-yet-old man all Life throws at them.

 
EVERY DAY IS A GIFT

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