Casey Young

Raising twin boys can be a daunting task for almost anyone. But it can feel like your world is caving in when you discover one of those boys isn’t developing normally. Rebecca Young’s family experienced these feelings and more when her young son Casey received a diagnosis of autism last year.

Casey’s mother began noticing that something wasn’t right when he was about 15 months old. His twin brother was progressing as expected, but his mother said they couldn’t shake the feeling Casey was different.

The warning signs were all there. Casey has the singing voice of an angel, but his vocabulary developed and then disappeared almost overnight, becoming limited to 12-15 words. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and instead became fixated on his hand flapping in front of his face. Finally, while listening to a radio program about autism one day, his father came to the realization that Casey was displaying 5 out of the 5 characteristics of autism.

At that point, Rebecca and her husband decided that they needed to find a way to help their son. Interestingly, once they told their family members about Casey’s diagnosis, everyone said that they always suspected something was different, but didn’t know how to tell Rebecca and her husband.

When she got the initial diagnosis, Rebecca said she was overwhelmed with how negative the information was about the expectations for a child with autism. But it was during her interaction with an Achievement Centers’ staff member through the Help Me Grow program, that her hope for Casey’s future was restored.

Shortly thereafter, Casey enrolled in the autism Pre-K classroom at the Achievement Centers for Children’s Highland Hills location. His mom is thrilled to report that within six months of starting to receive services, Casey has begun to show significant progress. He now makes eye contact, and has learned how to feed himself with a spoon and suck through a straw. Rebecca believes that Casey’s coming to the Achievement Centers has made a remarkable difference in his development. “Everyone here is so caring and empathetic. They are all so dedicated to encouraging the success of each child” she said.

Casey is excelling within the sensory-rich environment of the autism classroom, and his level of comprehension has increased greatly. The Achievement Centers blends several teaching methods in its autism education program, and Casey has enjoyed tremendous success with the TEACCH, Floortime, and the PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) methodologies. His mother says she can see that things are starting to click for him. She was especially ecstatic about Casey’s new ability to respond to his name and follow simple commands. “He has such a sense of pride now that he can do more things.” On a recent trip to the zoo, Casey ran off to pick up a stranger’s water bottle. Amazingly, when his mother said “Casey, Stop!” he understood what she was saying…immediately stopped, dropped the bottle and walked back over to her. That was real progress!

Like any parent of a child with special needs, Casey’s mother’s hopes and dreams for him are slightly different than what she initially anticipated. However, his ability to communicate and connect with others, in whatever manner possible, and live a more fulfilled life is what matters most to her now.

Providing a circle of care and hope for parents like Rebecca is what makes the Achievement Centers so special. “Prior to coming to the Achievement Centers, I wanted to take Casey and hide under a rock…I would just sit there and cry. But now I channel my energy into being an advocate for him and being his voice until he has one of his own. I’m so glad I found the Achievement Centers because he’s receiving the level of services he needs. But most importantly, Casey is a happy child, so why should I be sad?”