Love For Lincoln : Autism Therapy
Donation protected
This is going to be long, so please bear with me. I promise my son is worth the time it takes to read this. He's worth getting to know. He's worth helping.
The CDC just released new information last week on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States. 1 in 59 children are now diagnosed with the disorder. According to the CDC website, that is a 15% increase from 2 years prior and a 150% increase since 2000.
Those are the statistics. But my child is not a statistic. He is a beautiful, brilliant little boy who has stolen my heart.
Lincoln came into this world with a quickness. He was born exactly one hour after my first contraction. He came so fast that he was grey and not breathing when he entered this world. My new baby was shielded from me and all I could see was a tiny grey foot. He was rushed down to the NICU by an entire team of nurses and doctors. I had no updates for quite some time and I was unable to see my baby for hours. Those hours seemed like decades. During his stay in the NICU, Lincoln had a lot of ups and downs. We were told on multiple occasions we could go home the next day, only for something else to go wrong. I was heartbroken and terrified. At that time, I thought the word NICU would be the scariest word I would ever hear.
Fast forward about 6 months. I started noticing some differences in Lincoln's development from his older sister. At first, I just told myself that every child develops at his or her own pace. However, he soon began to show signs of self harm and constant frustration with not being able to communicate. At about 8 months old he was pulling his hair out, slamming his head into the wall repeatedly and shouting or thowing things to try to communcate with us. At a year, I said enough is enough and told my husband we needed to get him help. We needed help because I didn't know how to help him myself.
I'll never forget the day we first heard the words Autism Spectrum Disorder. It kind of took our breath away. NICU was no longer the scariest word, ASD was. There were so many questions. What does this mean? What's next? Why him? Did I do something wrong while I was pregnant? What will his future look like?
We mourned for a day. And then we took action. I threw myself into every book, magazine, and website you could imagine looking for some answers and some guidance. You see, we were given very little direction once he was diagnosed. They said, he has ADHD, ASD, oppositional defience disorder and sensory processing disorder. You can use our services if you would like.
We didn't hear back for nearly 6 months, and when we did finally hear back we were told there was no staff available for him. We felt lost. We entered him into Birth to 3 services, but got very little out of it. We didn't know where to go next.
A friend made a recommendation on a place she had some experience with. It took less than a week to go from the initial phone call to recieving services. It was a blessing. We have been with that company for a year now and Lincoln has made some amazing strides. He still struggles every day. He is 4 and he struggles to get himself dressed. He has a lot of sensory overload and often has autistic meltdowns because he still can't handle everything that's goin on with his little body.
We have him in therapy for 30 hours a week. I ended up leaving my job because I needed to focus on him full time and it would have been nearly impossible for him to get the services he needed with me being out of the home. My sole job for the past 4 years has been to take care of him and his sister. It is the hardest and most rewarding job I've ever had. However, I often get ovewhelmed. My husband had to switch insurance companies and now we have to pay a significant amout out of pocket for Lincoln's therapy.
According to Autism Speaks, the average lifetime cost of raising a child on the Autism Spectrum is 1.4 to 2.4 million dollars. Harvard University researchers have estimated that the average additional yearly cost for taking care of a child with Autism is 17,000 dollars.
The financial burden is hard. It has lead to high anxiety in our household and issues that follow anxiety. I'm a proponent of working hard for your money and working hard to provide for your family. My husband is an RN and has taken on many extra 18 hour shifts to try to cover our out-of-pocket costs, but it's taking a toll on him and on our family. I have been advertising that I am willing to help with pretty much anything to earn some extra money for Lincoln's therapy. I just took a job for the first time since Lincoln's diagnosis because we need the money.
I am heartbroken because he needs me too. I don't know if we will be able to keep up with the amount of therapy that he needs financially. On top of therapy costs, we have to pay for special clothing so he can calm himself, a sensory swing for when he's just overwhelmed with life, a sensory bin for school and at home, weighted blankets (which on average cost a couple hundred dollars). There are so many expenses that we didn't expect, but he's so worth it. I am the last person to ever ask for help. It's hard for me to ask for help. But we are in desperate need of help. I don't want my child growing up thinking there is something wrong with him because he can't function correctly because he doesn't have the coping skills. He needs this therapy. I will do anything to help him have the best, happiest, fullest life he can.
So, please any small amount makes a big difference. Even if it's just a dollar here or there. It costs us 40 dollars out of pocket for every time his therapists are here. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up.
For those of you who stuck with me through this long, long, long post...you have a heart of gold! If I were a betting woman, I would bet you have a child you care just much about as I do my dear Lincoln. God Bless you and thank you so, so much for taking the time to hear our story. He's my heart and I'm his voice. So, we both say, "thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
God Bless,
Clayton, Sarah, Lincoln & Peyton
The CDC just released new information last week on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States. 1 in 59 children are now diagnosed with the disorder. According to the CDC website, that is a 15% increase from 2 years prior and a 150% increase since 2000.
Those are the statistics. But my child is not a statistic. He is a beautiful, brilliant little boy who has stolen my heart.
Lincoln came into this world with a quickness. He was born exactly one hour after my first contraction. He came so fast that he was grey and not breathing when he entered this world. My new baby was shielded from me and all I could see was a tiny grey foot. He was rushed down to the NICU by an entire team of nurses and doctors. I had no updates for quite some time and I was unable to see my baby for hours. Those hours seemed like decades. During his stay in the NICU, Lincoln had a lot of ups and downs. We were told on multiple occasions we could go home the next day, only for something else to go wrong. I was heartbroken and terrified. At that time, I thought the word NICU would be the scariest word I would ever hear.
Fast forward about 6 months. I started noticing some differences in Lincoln's development from his older sister. At first, I just told myself that every child develops at his or her own pace. However, he soon began to show signs of self harm and constant frustration with not being able to communicate. At about 8 months old he was pulling his hair out, slamming his head into the wall repeatedly and shouting or thowing things to try to communcate with us. At a year, I said enough is enough and told my husband we needed to get him help. We needed help because I didn't know how to help him myself.
I'll never forget the day we first heard the words Autism Spectrum Disorder. It kind of took our breath away. NICU was no longer the scariest word, ASD was. There were so many questions. What does this mean? What's next? Why him? Did I do something wrong while I was pregnant? What will his future look like?
We mourned for a day. And then we took action. I threw myself into every book, magazine, and website you could imagine looking for some answers and some guidance. You see, we were given very little direction once he was diagnosed. They said, he has ADHD, ASD, oppositional defience disorder and sensory processing disorder. You can use our services if you would like.
We didn't hear back for nearly 6 months, and when we did finally hear back we were told there was no staff available for him. We felt lost. We entered him into Birth to 3 services, but got very little out of it. We didn't know where to go next.
A friend made a recommendation on a place she had some experience with. It took less than a week to go from the initial phone call to recieving services. It was a blessing. We have been with that company for a year now and Lincoln has made some amazing strides. He still struggles every day. He is 4 and he struggles to get himself dressed. He has a lot of sensory overload and often has autistic meltdowns because he still can't handle everything that's goin on with his little body.
We have him in therapy for 30 hours a week. I ended up leaving my job because I needed to focus on him full time and it would have been nearly impossible for him to get the services he needed with me being out of the home. My sole job for the past 4 years has been to take care of him and his sister. It is the hardest and most rewarding job I've ever had. However, I often get ovewhelmed. My husband had to switch insurance companies and now we have to pay a significant amout out of pocket for Lincoln's therapy.
According to Autism Speaks, the average lifetime cost of raising a child on the Autism Spectrum is 1.4 to 2.4 million dollars. Harvard University researchers have estimated that the average additional yearly cost for taking care of a child with Autism is 17,000 dollars.
The financial burden is hard. It has lead to high anxiety in our household and issues that follow anxiety. I'm a proponent of working hard for your money and working hard to provide for your family. My husband is an RN and has taken on many extra 18 hour shifts to try to cover our out-of-pocket costs, but it's taking a toll on him and on our family. I have been advertising that I am willing to help with pretty much anything to earn some extra money for Lincoln's therapy. I just took a job for the first time since Lincoln's diagnosis because we need the money.
I am heartbroken because he needs me too. I don't know if we will be able to keep up with the amount of therapy that he needs financially. On top of therapy costs, we have to pay for special clothing so he can calm himself, a sensory swing for when he's just overwhelmed with life, a sensory bin for school and at home, weighted blankets (which on average cost a couple hundred dollars). There are so many expenses that we didn't expect, but he's so worth it. I am the last person to ever ask for help. It's hard for me to ask for help. But we are in desperate need of help. I don't want my child growing up thinking there is something wrong with him because he can't function correctly because he doesn't have the coping skills. He needs this therapy. I will do anything to help him have the best, happiest, fullest life he can.
So, please any small amount makes a big difference. Even if it's just a dollar here or there. It costs us 40 dollars out of pocket for every time his therapists are here. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up.
For those of you who stuck with me through this long, long, long post...you have a heart of gold! If I were a betting woman, I would bet you have a child you care just much about as I do my dear Lincoln. God Bless you and thank you so, so much for taking the time to hear our story. He's my heart and I'm his voice. So, we both say, "thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
God Bless,
Clayton, Sarah, Lincoln & Peyton
Organizer
Sarah Pollack
Organizer
North Prairie, WI