Four years later…
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.
