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We are thrilled to announce that Kids Who Count has leased additional space for our growing Autism Services program. The new space is conveniently located to the west of our current building. We have begun renovating the space and hope to move the Autism program into their new home in July. None of this would be possible without the unexpected donation we received from Foster and Lynn Friess earlier this year. In honor of his legacy, Kids Who Count, will dedicate this space to the memory of Foster Friess who passed away on May 27th.

We also wish to thank the friend of the Friess Family who chose Kids Who Count to receive this incredible donation because his nephew, Knox, is receiving our services. This friend said his family is grateful for Kids Who Count, and he know we would put the funds to good use.

This donation is having an immediate impact on the community of children and families we serve, and we are so grateful to Foster and Lynn Friess.

Emma is almost five and in September of 2020, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder. Several months later she started ABA therapy with Kids Who Count.

In just three short months after starting therapy, she is communicating on a whole new level. She is using words more often, asking nicely, and is almost toilet trained.

Emma’s mom says, “Kids Who Count is the best thing in our life.”  

Ruby began her journey with Kids Who Count at 18 months of age. Her parents were concerned when Ruby was not walking or talking on her own at 18 months. She would sing the lyrics to songs and nursery rhymes, but didn’t say words like “mom” and she wasn’t walking on her own. She began early intervention services at Kids Who Count receiving physical, occupational and, other developmental therapists. Ruby made progress in early intervention and she was eventually diagnosed with Autism. 

Today, Ruby is receiving autism services at Kids Who Count and continues to make steady progress. Ruby’s mom says, “The Kids Who Count building is like a second home to Ruby. She adores coming to the clinic and feels it is a safe space for her.”   

Lately, Ruby is interacting more with her family and shows more interest in family activities. She really loves to play and chase with her older sister and she is making more eye contact with family members, which is an important step forward. 

Ruby’s mom says she is constantly making great progress and reaching her potential in all aspects of her life, “the staff at Kids Who Count is so professional and understanding of Ruby’s and our family’s needs. The BCBA and RBT’s are so respectful and kind to Ruby. We have full confidence that Kids Who Count Autism Center is the best place for her to grow and progress.” 

Brothers Rusty and Bear have both struggled to communicate their feelings and emotions with their family. 

Rusty, the oldest brother, had to have surgery at 18 months. “After a successful surgery, we noticed that what little words he was saying he soon stopped,” his mother, Nicki, said. “We learned that the anesthesia can cause regression in speech.” 

The family was referred to Kids Who Count where his mother said they were “granted our angel,” Child Development Specialist Linda Lange. 

“Linda came every month and felt like a part of our family,” Nicki said. “Rusty responded so well to her and began making progress.” 

 Then Linda noticed that Bear, the younger brother, was also struggling to communicate. Soon both of the boys were in the Kids Who Count program. 

 “They always looked forward to her visits and never liked it when she left,” Nicki said. “Bear was diagnosed with a lisp and tongue thrust in addition to his speech troubles, but Linda gave us the skills we needed to help him through and for us to understand him better.” 

Rusty is now 4 years old and Bear is 3. They never stop talking and love telling stories and sharing everything with their family. 

“It’s all thanks to Linda and Kids Who Count,” Nicki said. 

In the fall of 2019, Miles’ mom, Emily, was at her wit’s end trying to get Miles to communicate with her. She would try multiple guesses before Miles would giggle, finally indicating she’d guessed it right. A small grunt meant the answer was NO. 

Many of Emily’s friends told her Miles would “just catch up.” Finally, one of her friends suggested she contact Kids Who Count, so just a few days before Miles’ 2nd birthday, Emily called us. 

Miles began in-person sessions with Darla Davis, our Kids Who Count Speech-Language Pathologist. “Darla was amazing with Miles,” Emily said. “He easily warmed up to her. I loved the way she interacted with him.” 

But then the Covid-19 virus hit, and everything seemed to come to a standstill. “I had all of my kiddos home, and it was so stressful,” Emily said.  

Darla suggested they try doing some speech therapy sessions remotely using Zoom conferencing. And, Miles did pretty well, paying attention for short spurts of 15 to 30 minutes. His vocabulary grew, and he now tries hard to communicate using his new words. 

“Some days were better than others,” Emily said. “We even did a few in-person sessions out in our front yard. Miles really enjoyed those days. He knows so many more words than before, and I attribute that to Darla and what she taught me to do.” 

Even Miles’ siblings have learned how to help him. Instead of talking for their brother, Miles’ sisters now try to get him to use his words himself. 

“Overall, my experience with Kids Who Count was amazing,” Emily said. “and I’m grateful for this program.” 

If you are concerned about your child’s speech or have questions about their development, don’t wait. We can help! The sooner we start, the further they go! 

Being able to talk and share wants and needs is such a fundamental part of our lives. When you can’t, it’s frustrating, especially for parents trying to develop a relationship with their children.  

This was the situation for Lydia and her family. Lydia was speech delayed and her family experienced a lot of emotional unrest trying to figure out day-to-day life.  

With Kids Who Count they’ve been able to increase their daughter’s language abilities and set goals that have had such a positive impact on their daily lives.

Leandro’s first two years of life were very difficult—for him and for his family. 
 
“Thank God, today I can say that there have been many angels on his path who have helped him make significant progress in all areas of his development,” his mother, Flor, said, “especially Kids Who Count.” 

Leandro was diagnosed with autism about a year ago and also has a rare disease called Chromosome Number 19 Microdeletion Syndrome. When he and his family began to receive services through Kids Who Count, it was significant for them. Leandro soon began to have notable changes in his physical and intellectual development celebrating small achievements such as clapping, pointing with his finger, and great achievements such as getting up without help to communicating through basic word signs like “eat.” 
 
“Kids Who Count and their therapists are angels in my son’s life,” his Flor said. “They have changed Leandro’s life, and ours, for the better. We now understand his diagnosis and can help him become an immensely happy child. We used to have to guess what he wanted, but now I’m happy too because he can tell me what he wants through signs.” 
 
“There are no words to express how grateful we are to Kids Who Count,” Flor said. 
 
We are so thrilled and gratified to see little Leandro’s progress. Our mission includes helping kids with autism reach their developmental potential. It’s wonderful to be a part of the lives of these exceptional children!

This cute kid’s name is Joseph, and he started doing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy at Kids Who Count nearly two years ago. ABA is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior.

“When he was diagnosed on the autism spectrum I was surprised and a little in denial,” Joseph’s mother, Marissa, said. “But I knew we needed to get help. Kids Who Count helped me understand more about what autism is like, although it is different for each child. They helped us identify reasons for Joseph’s behaviors that I never understood.” 

“His therapists have connected with him in ways that no one else could, and they have helped him communicate with us, his parents, as well as with others much better than before,” she said. 
 
Marissa’s daughter was also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has made great strides. “We have seen a significant difference in her ability to handle situations that used to be very upsetting to her,” Marissa said. “Meltdowns have become less often and shorter in length.” 

“Kids Who Count has been a great support to our family,” she said. “Along with the services they provided to our children, they have also helped us increase our ability to understand and interact with both of our children on the autism spectrum.” 
 
“We are more patient with our children and have learned strategies for dealing with things that are difficult for them. It has also helped us to understand and appreciate their unique strengths and abilities. Our family functions better because of ABA therapy and the wonderful help from the great people at Kids Who Count,” Marissa said. 
 
We’re so happy to see how our autism services program is helping this whole family. 
 
If you are concerned about your child’s development don’t wait to get help. The earlier we start the further they will go!

Eliza first came to Kids Who Count to work with our Speech-Language Pathologies to improve her speech and she made great progress! When she turned four and was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, her family knew they wanted to work with Kids Who Count again.  

The ABA staff has been great with Eliza and they feel like another family to all of us. We adore Kodi, our RBT, and are so grateful for Nate, the BCBA for being so involved and inclusive.  

We feel supported and cared for and Eliza feels more comfortable in the Center each day. 

Here are Eliza and Kodi!

Eli needed some extra help to reach his developmental milestones and began receiving early intervention at Kids Who Count (KWC) when he was two years old. His parents were impressed by the KWC early intervention team and how much they cared about Eli. When Eli was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the family enrolled him in KWC’s autism services program to receive Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA.  

After just a few weeks of ABA, Eli is already making a lot of progress. He is learning how to use pictures to communicate since he is non-verbal. Eli’s mom says this has been a major improvement for their family! One day, Eli was upset, and his mom pulled out a picture of his snack cupboard. Eli calmed down and pointed to the snack he wanted. While Eli still has some tough times, his parents say he is happier and less frustrated when trying to communicate his needs. Celebrating Eli’s successes creates a calmer dynamic in the home and his family more time to play and laugh with Eli. 

Eli is such a fun-loving little boy, and his parents say he loves having these new “friends” in his life. He enjoys working with the Behavior Technicians (RBT’s) on his team, Abby and Ashlyn, because they are enthusiastic and excited to work with him every day. The family is so pleased with Eli’s Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, (BCBA) Bryce. They describe Bryce as sensitive and feel he truly listens to them and includes them in the treatment planning process.  

 It means the world to us to receive feedback like this from our families! We are proud of our staff and so grateful to work with Eli and his family!