“We have six children all together. When our oldest four started to grow up and leave our house, we had Ronald Jr., and then his baby sister. We were very experienced parents and thought we knew what we were doing. But Ronald Jr. wasn’t meeting developmental milestones. We weren’t bonding with him naturally. He would scream excessively and only my wife could console him. This left me feeling frustrated and alone. It was breaking my heart to not be able to communicate with my son,” Ronald Sr. shared.
Tonya continued, “When Ronald Jr. was two and a half he was diagnosed with Autism. When we got the diagnosis I felt so relieved. It may sound weird but we finally knew what was going on with Ronald Jr. and could start taking steps to help him. We found The Children’s Center and knew immediately this was the place for our family. The Children’s Center is family-centered. You get help for your child and you also get the training and education you need for when you go home at the end of the day. As soon as we walked in the door, Ronald Jr. took to his behavior technician who has such a comforting and calm presence.
We are two years into Ronald Jr.’s treatment here. When we started services, he was nonverbal. Now he is talking all the time and knows how to ask for what he wants. We completed the intensive potty training program and he was potty trained in just two weeks. Ronald is interacting and playing with his baby sister. He has become an adventurous eater. He impresses us every day with his problem-solving skills.
The most uncertain part is his future. What will it be like when he becomes a teenager? An adult? We really don’t know what is going to happen a year or two from now, but we know we have help. We know we have The Children’s Center to help guide us through whatever comes our way.”
