Today marks the 5 year Anniversary of One Child!

We invite you to check out this video with an ending message from our co-founder reflecting on the work of One Child. We are grateful to a community that has embraced and supported One Child and its mission, and to the families that allow One Child to be a part of your lives –

THANK YOU!!!!

Like every child as they age-they learn, grow and change… so too has One Child.  Over the past 4 years, we learned that many of our services can help children of a wide variety of developmental differences (not just autism). What I like to tell people, is that One Child is an autism center in name only, that autism is the foundation from which One Child was created. One Child was founded by two moms whose sons have autism that wanted to create a place that helped make the daily lives of families of children with autism easier by providing access to affordable high quality therapy programs, supporting parents and siblings, and working to establish a community for families like our own. We’ve since changed our mission statement to be more inclusive and demonstrate our commitment to ANY family of a child with a developmental difference. 

We learned that social skills are a continuum, that the demands of social interaction become more complex and therefore isn’t a skill that can be mastered at age 4 and not revisited. The social demands at the preschool level where sharing, waiting, and following simple 2 step directions are vastly different from that of a 3rd grader who must work collaboratively with a peer on a school project, or that of a middle schooler who must now understand the nuances of sarcasm and the multi-tiered facets of friendship.  As such, One Child’s social skills programs have expanded to include levels that reflect the expanding social demands as a child grows.

We’ve learned the value of community is so much bigger than One Child. Whether it be the friendships of parents forged in the waiting room, providing parents with resources or connecting them with other parents in our parent support groups, helping connect siblings with other siblings like themselves in our Creators Club, or Kids’ Night where everyone in the family walks away having different but fulfilling experiences. I would like to think One Child has helped build a community for each of our families in a way that best fits their individual journeys.

We are honored that One Child is an important part of the lives of our families and equally, One Child has been an import part of our families lives. The two little preschoolers whose futures seemed so daunting when we began One Child are now in elementary school. As with One Child, they’ve both grown in ways we never could have imagined when we began this journey but through it all the purpose of One Child lies with them and others like them.

Today we celebrate 4 years of One Child serving families and I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank you! Thank you to our families who have entrusted us with your children, who have followed us throughout the years and been patient as we moved from location to location, or changed program times as we learned what would work best for our families. Thank you to the friends of One Child that have financially supported One Child and our mission, recognizing the work One Child does is important and is making a positive impact in our community. Thank you to our Board Members who quietly work behind the scenes giving of their time and expertise to help further One Child’s mission.

Some days, 4 years seems like an eternity.  Most days it’s hard to believe that One Child was forged in the late night meetings of two autism moms who gathered for months to write a business plan only once our children were happily tucked away in their beds for the night. As we exhaustedly sat down at the kitchen table after a long day of therapies, school, and extra circular activities for our other children, we were driven by the desire to create a place that could serve families like ours. We wanted to create a place that helped make the daily lives of families easier by providing access to affordable high quality therapy programs, help families experience hope, and community as they navigate their own unique journey.

Four years later, One Child is the fulfillment of this dream. Every day, we work tirelessly to help families like our own. Whether through One Child’s therapy programs, respite nights, parent groups, or sibling group, we’ve been blessed to get to know some amazing families and incredible kids. We are honored that One Child is an important part of their lives and equally, One Child has been an import part of our families lives over these past years. The two little preschoolers whose futures seemed so daunting are now in elementary school and some of the differences that made them seem two sides of the same coin have now diminished. They’ve both grown in ways we never could have imagined when we began this journey but through it all… the purpose of One Child lies with them. 

On May 9th One Child will be participating in Give Local 757. A day set aside for the Hampton Roads community to give to local charities. Help us spread the word about Give Local by sharing your story… share your story of how One Child has impacted your family. Your family’s story is a powerful one! Share it on twitter, share it on FB, send an email to family and friends encouraging to them to support One Child and tell them how it has helped your family. Most importantly share it with us— use hashtag #MyOneChildStory #GiveLocal757

Every family has a story… what is your One Child Story?

Your path is your own but it’s not the only one in the desert.
(Photo: K. Neumann)

As parents, when our children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, we are often given a long list of recommended therapy services and told to seek out these services in order to provide our children with “as much, as soon as possible.”  In that moment we find ourselves left in the desert landscape of a medical/therapy world that is very unfamiliar. We’re given a list of therapy services that we may or may not have ever heard of before such as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) or Occupational Therapy, and maybe a few we are more familiar with like Speech or Physical Therapy. Then we are told to find these life sustaining needs but we have no real understanding of what they are, where they are, how to find them, and most importantly how to afford them.  In every direction, there is sand with no roads, water, food, or shade in sight.

There is not a known cure for Autism; it is a neurological disorder with life-long effects.  Children with Autism are neither broken nor burdens; they are a gift like every other child. My son laughs, plays, and feels deeply. He loves to play “chase” (his own version of tag), indoor basketball, and soccer with his siblings or climb into his parents laps. He also has strengths and weaknesses like everyone else in our family. As parents, it is important to remember the journey we encounter is not because our children are any less than other children. Rather, society’s inability to support them has created the desert landscape that we must traverse.

So, we slowly trudge through the process researching the various types of therapies, navigating the complicated world of insurance companies, and finding therapy providers. Only to discover the moment we think we have found that necessary therapy service –it’s a mere mirage. A mirage predicated on waiting lists and insurance companies that will not cover services for conditions not related to an accident in children over the age of 3.  However, through perseverance we forge a path in the sand, we educate ourselves, we fight insurance companies, we make financial sacrifices, and travel significant distances in order to provide these services to our children.

My Little Man at 15 months forging his own path.
(Photo: J. Cullifer)

This may not be every parent’s experience (almost certainly not for parents that in live in states with better Autism support services), but it was mine 3 ½ years ago when my son was diagnosed with Autism. In the years following his diagnosis, I’ve realized that my reality IS the reality for many parents in our community. One Child Center for Autism was founded in part for this reason. There is not a map for navigating the world of Autism Spectrum Disorder.  We are told that no child is alike and “Once you’ve met One Child with Autism, you’ve met One Child with Autism”- Stephen Shore.  Likewise, there is not one “right” way to journey through the world of Autism.  I believe strongly we can empower and help our children learn how to navigate a world that is very unfamiliar to them.

I began One Child out of a love for my son and a desire to help our community find a path out of the desert of inaccessible therapy,  financial distress, and uncertainty.  But helping the child is only part  of One  Child’s mission. I’ve come to realize that we  are each stronger –  and I am stronger –  when there are people in our lives that  acknowledge and support our family’s  journey. To that end, One Child  strives to create a space that not only provides support for our children with Autism but also a place that cares for the entire family unit – one that considers the well-being of  the parents and siblings. For  if we do not also support the caregivers and the future caregivers we  are doing a disservice to our families. My hope for One Child is that it  will serve as an oasis, a place where children and families affected by  Autism are given the tools and support to more easily conduct their  lives.

One Child is steered by a vision of hope and acceptance. We understand that there are many divisive issues surrounding Autism but we believe that the differences do not and should not alienate us from others affected by Autism. Our differences should not prevent us from working to create a central place where families affected by Autism can embrace their journey out of the desert, find respite, and create hope. In striving toward these aims I believe we will find that despite our many differences, our shared experiences unite us. Let’s celebrate our children and find space to support each other as we do the best for our families.

The desert is not our destination; it is merely the starting place from which we begin our journey.

Julie Cullifer
Co-Founder, One Child Center for Autism