At DABSJ, we believe every child and family has incredible strength. Your support provides families like Forrest and Autumn the resources they need to find this strength and thrive.
Forrest was only five years old when he started receiving Family Support Services (FSS). He is on the autism spectrum and struggled with communication and life skills. While his mom has always treasured his uniqueness, she also experienced heartache and sometimes felt like a failure when she was unable to communicate with him.
Autumn decided to look for help and turned to DABSJ to get Forrest the services that he needs and to build her confidence as a mother while working through her own past trauma.
Family support coordinators in Family Support Services respond to the needs of a family and help them to both build a support system and access resources. Our team assists families with achieving goals in areas of daily living, communication, and participation in the community. Over the last year, Forrest’s coordinator has devoted herself to obtaining the services that he needs to thrive while giving Autumn the tools she needs to confidently support her son.
Forrest is now receiving multiple services, which include personal therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy, and has an individualized education plan at school. These interventions have all helped Forrest communicate and connect with his family.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to have a conversation with my son before beginning this journey. Now I need to remind him that not every moment is for talking! His communication skills have exploded. He also went from being almost completely dependent on me to enjoying and learning self-care. I’m thrilled with his growth and development and am so very grateful for the support and help to be a better mom. It’s really all I care about,” said Autumn.
“Because of the support you give, I have the confidence and resources to make the decisions that are best for us,” said Autumn, about her experience in the FSS Program.
We are looking forward to what the future has in store for Autumn and Forrest and will always be here to support them!