Kaleb's New "Furever" Companion

When Kaleb was 18 months old it was the first time I noticed something was different with him than with my two older children. He wasn't using any words. He would gesture and point when he wanted something and he should have been able to speak 3-5 words at this age. At age 4 he started VPK and that's when I was able to start getting help for him. He was evaluated and observed at school and when he started kindergarten I took him to specialist after specialist, had him seen by a psychologist and at age 6 was diagnosed with autism. Those first three years were very difficult. He was receiving speech therapy in and out of school, learning how to interact with other children and being educated. In addition to Kaleb learning this new world, I was also thrown into learning how to navigate the world of autism. He would have meltdowns that would be viewed as tantrums but part of understanding autism is how the brain processes information and although Kaleb does not represent the typical child with autism by looking at him, since he can now communicate and complete age appropriate tasks, he still struggles with everyday activities. Over the past five years, Kaleb has made a lot of progress with therapies, supports and lots of hard work. Even with all the progress, each new milestone for Kaleb brings new challenges. Roughly two and a half years ago, when we moved into a new home, Kaleb struggled with sleeping on his own. He would wake up night after night and could not fall back asleep without me. As Kaleb got older, this became more difficult. Knowing independence is extremely important for kids with autism and that co-sleeping interrupts both of our routines, it was time to look into more intensive strategies. A teacher of Kaleb's recommended looking into a support dog. After searching for the best fit, we found New Horizons Service Dogs. This program supports all different families who have special scenarios and are in need of service dog assistance. If you could please consider donating to help New Horizons Service Dogs and support Kaleb's new journey.