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Hello, David W Croke would like you to support: Help Thomas beat Autism Donate below, or forward this email to a friend now. 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 >> What is GoFundMe? GoFundMe is a personal fundraising website that has helped thousands of people raise millions of dollars for the things that matter to them most. Sent from GoFundMe's Headquarters in California PO BOX 711798 San Diego, CA 92171 Don't want emails from GoFundMe? We're sorry. You can unsubscribe here.

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?   

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

moving along

Thomas has a new brother so wemade a new site on Blogger, check it out

Fw: Be prepared for a NEW looking THOMAS

After two years it was finally time for a haircut,,my little man now looks indeed like a little man, or as TC would say, ready for Kindergarten!

Nancy's visit

We had a wonderful visit with Nancy last week - She stopped by on her way to ALBQ and we enjoyed each minute of her brief stay. Dave was able to take Monday off from work, so we took Aunt Nancy to our favorite park, The Train Park in Old Katy. We walked around the lake and had time to catch up on each other's lives and watch the ducks, Thomas liked that :) Then it was off to the playground, where Thomas showed Godmother the ropes of how to play. She even did the slides, rang the bells and climbed the rope web. Thomas was in awe!!   We had family dinner that night at my folks place, and Nancy was subjected to my loud and overpopulated family :) Dave and I asked both Nancy and my brother Tim to be Godparents, again!!! They agreed. She even sat in on a interview my parents were part of - Timmy's high school newspaper came to do a story on Timmy and the upcoming bowling tournament. My niece Taylor (who is now a Senior at the same school) set up the interview. Dave still needs to scan it and send it out, but Nancy is mentioned in the article.....   I was able to take Tuesday off and after a L O N G breakfast and sister talk, we took Thomas to the mall to walk and play in the kids area. It was AWESOME to have a Barnett in our home and hanging out! Thanks Nancy. We spent the afternoon at my folks place talking and then went out for "grown ups only" dinner @ Red Lobster!!     It was tough to say goodbye, but we know Nancy was thrilled to be on her way and start a new chapter in her life :)   Enjoy the pictures. Love you all. xoxoxo Dave, Thomas & Traci

Last weekend, we took Chris and Thomas to the "Katy Folk Festival" at the Outdoor Learning Center,  in "old" Katy. The day started off with major lightning, thunder and rain - but we waited it out and finally headed to the festival. Glad we did - it was FUN!!! Thomas enjoyed chasing the turkeys and chickens,  Two Toms strutted and fronted across in ront of Thomas oblivious to the three adults present, but essentially left him alone.  He was more interested in chasing the hens, which actually did run from him. TC made a rag doll, we watched a blacksmith bend iron, Thomas danced and made bubbles and Chris was a proud Uncle pushing Thomas around in "BOB"    Dave, Thomas & Traci