Dear Jennifer and Everyone at Including Kids
and the Community Outreach Program:

While you know me for the record I wanted to state that my name is Michelle A. G. My husband Roberto and I are the parents of Billy whose picture I am attaching. This is his kindergarten picture for this year.  I wanted to take the time to write to you so that you know what Including Kids means to our son Billy and us. Words cannot describe what Including Kids through their community outreach program have done for our son Billy and us.  If it were not for this program Billy would not be where he is today. 

We cannot afford ABA, we live on the poverty level. He does not get any services at school. We depend on this program along with what we do at home to give Billy what he needs.

It was three years this month that Billy has been attending Including Kids through the outreach program. He learned his letters here, how to tie his shoes, how to use a microwave, how to deal with his feeling and social skills problems, how to learn his academics. When Billy started at Including Kids he could not eat anything and had been on Ensure for the first four years of his life. He was put and is still on waiting lists to receive therapy for his sensory integration disorder and oral motor defensiveness problems which cause him to have been diagnosed with a severe eating disorder.

At Including Kids they taught Billy to eat Jello through small steps and a lot of trust and hard work. Then yogurt was introduced, then chicken nuggets. While there is still a long way to go on his eating and academics,  thanks to Including Kids my son is getting the help he needs to learn in all areas due to his autism, sensory integration disorder, dyspraxia, learning disabilities,  Without Including Kids Billy would be lost.

I am so grateful amidst all our trials and tribulations for Including Kids and their job with Billy. I have also seen firsthand when I have been trained there the wonderful job they do with all the other children.  It fills my heart with joy and I just wanted to let you know that as a parent, Including Kids is the ONLY program in the City of Houston who is helping and trying to reach as many children as they can.

Thanks for never leaving our son Billy in the dark, for always being there for him. It has saved his life, and is helping him make leaps and bounds of progress.

With so much love and gratitude for what you are doing for our son,

Michelle and Roberto G.

My name is Linda C. My son, Aidan, is 5 years old and started going to Including Kids’ Community Outreach Program in May of 2007. In just the one year he has been going, he has come a long way. I can’t tell you enough how Ashley Fogle has helped us get through to Aidan, both academically and with his behavior. At the beginning of the program Aidan was having a hard time communicating verbally. The Community Outreach Program has showed me how to teach him and how to use the ABA methods at home and it has really improved Aidan’s communication. Aidan has learned so much within this year that it has been noticed by family members and his teachers at school. The Community Outreach Program has given my family hope that with the methods they have taught me, Aidan will continue to do well. I thank God that I found the Community Outreach Program, without it I don’t know where we would be today.

Sincerely,
Linda C.

The simplest statement of our family’s experience with InKids is that it has restored our hopes for our son, Bill.  Bill received the diagnosis of autism (PPD/NOS) not long before his third birthday.  We quickly learned that early intervention is very important.

This forced my wife and me to undertake a crash effort to educate ourselves about  the disability, create a program and find a school as quickly as possible.  But since there is no prescribed treatment and much conflicting advice, parents are forced to do all the research themselves.  Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. Unfortunately, we were “unlucky” for over six years, sending Bill to four schools, private and public, but not   finding a good fit until we reached InKids.

The key problem for Bill was aggressiveness.  This is common with autistic children because of their difficulties in understanding and communication.  To our disappointment though, a number of the schools that billed themselves as expert in teaching autistic children responded to this common problem by suggesting that we send Bill elsewhere.  Some of the “alternative placements” seemed unlikely to accomplish more than warehousing and  isolating our son.  It gradually became evident that many of the special education departments and personnel that we encountered lacked adequate skills and training to address and reduce Bill’s aggressiveness. This led to a vicious cycle developed in which Bill became increasingly aggressive and thereby avoided necessary work and learning.

We were faced with some hard choices when Bill was 8.  The   public school could not educate him or control his repeated tantrums.  It was not until we found Including Kids, that we found a school and staff capable of breaking through Bill’s aggressiveness and achieving progress in teaching him necessary social and academic skills.  Bill began at Including Kids when he was 9.  He spent the first year one-on-one, with the immediate goal to address his inappropriate behaviors.  Bill is now reading, doing math and most importantly, the aggression has all but disappeared.

By the beginning of his second year, Bill joined a class with three other children and three teachers and tolerating interaction with other children that he had not previously achieved.  Thanks to Jennifer Dantzler and the excellent InKids staff, Bill now has a real future.

Unfortunately there are no short cuts with an autistic child.  Skilled teachers, a small teacher-child ratio and learning tools all cost money.  It is a heavy burden for the individual family which doesn’t even take in the other costs of speech, occupational therapy these children require.  It is a long hard path, but thanks to InKids, we are making progress.

Sincerely yours,

Lynn and Tynan K.

My name is Gabrielle S. and my son, Brady, was diagnosed as autistic about two months after his 3rd birthday.  He started the program at Including Kids four months later. 

Prior to attending Inkids, Brady was enrolled in PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) with the school district but not really making much progress.  At that time, he had fewer than 25 words in his vocabulary, no eye-contact, limited social skills, was not toilet-trained and had frequent tantrums. We had a very difficult time communicating with Brady and determining his wants and needs. 

After much research, we decided he needed a more intensive program designed for children with autism; specifically Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)  and we decided that InKids was the best fit for our family. One month after his enrollment at InKids, he was toilet trained, speaking in one and two-word phrases and answering yes/no questions.  It was as if, the lights were “turned on” and Brady began to engage with people and the world around him. 

Just a short time later, he called me “mommy” for the first time and I was moved to tears.  I never thought these things would be possible after learning about autism and the characteristics associated with the disorder.  About 18 months into the InKids program, Brady started attending a preschool class with an aide from InKids.  He later attended the class independently.  He is now fully mainstreamed in Kindergarten and doing remarkably well.

He continues to improve in all areas of development and he loves playing with his classmates.  In my mind, Including Kids and Jennifer Dantzler are the reason for accomplishments my child has made.  It is a place for a child to be loved, nurtured and supported each day.  For parents, Including Kids is a place that offers hope.  The school has an amazing and wonderful staff that truly enjoys being with children and helping them reach their fullest potential. 

I don’t know where Brady would be now, if he had not had the opportunity to attend this school.  I do know that my son’s future looks bright and it is due to the services he received at InKids.

Sincerely,

Gabrielle S.

My name is Amy M. and I am a parent of two boys with autism spectrum disorders. I am pleased to share my story with you about the positive impact Including Kids, Inc. has had on our family.  In fact, it is a story I share frequently with many parents I meet all too often these days –  those who have just received a diagnosis of autism for one of their children.

Almost ten years ago, my son Bryce was born. He was perfect and beautiful in every way. Looking back, he did show some signs of autism as an infant and toddler. Most remarkably, he didn’t develop spontaneous language like most typically developing two-year-olds. However, since his older brother was a ”late-talker”(probably due to chronic ear infections), I assumed Bryce’s words would come soon enough.

By age 2 ½ he had some language, however, it was only echolalic – he couldn’t tell us his wants and needs. In addition, he often didn’t seem to understand what I was saying to him. It was heartbreaking to see him so upset and frustrated.

My oldest son, Riley, was diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome (sometimes referred to as high-functioning autism) at age 4 ½, so, I was aware of many of the symptoms of autism. Of course, I hoped against hope that Bryce just had a speech delay that he could overcome with some speech therapy. Sadly, he received a preliminary diagnosis of PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified) when he was 3 ¾ years old. Now I knew what I was dealing with.

Shortly after his diagnosis, I recalled I had read an article in our local newspaper about a woman who started a program for kids with autism and other developmental delays. That person was Jennifer Dantzler.

The best thing I ever did for Bryce was to contact Jennifer and find out more about her program. Since the age of three, Bryce languished in the public school PPCD program with just two certified teachers for 18 kids with a myriad of physical and developmental disabilities. He was allowed to “roam the room” and was rarely challenged. I was losing my son to his autism and I was determined get more help for him.

Fortunately, a spot came available for Bryce in Jennifer’s program, just two months after Bryce’s fourth birthday. It was obvious to me within a few short weeks that the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy were ideal for Bryce. Soon his inappropriate and frequently aggressive behaviors, which often stemmed from his inability to communicate, were becoming controlled. This allowed my bright boy to begin exceeding all of our expectations by allowing him to focus on learning.

He began speaking new words daily. His utterances went from jargon to actual one and two word sentences. He became less and less frustrated and learned to “use his words” to communicate. Language began to have meaning for him and it wasn’t long before he was stringing together three to five words and then seven to ten words. When I stopped counting the number of words he would say at a time, it was glorious! I was proud of him and the hard work he was doing to not give in to his autism. Eventually he developed more and more spontaneous conversation…what a treat to hear what he was thinking and feeling without having to prompt him with questions.

After one year of intensive ABA therapy, we had to decide if Bryce was ready to prepare for inclusion in a regular education kindergarten classroom.  Jennifer and her staff went above and beyond what I could have ever imagined to give Bryce the tools to start kindergarten with his typically developing peers. They worked with me and the local school district to ensure we were all knowledgeable about what Bryce could expect in his classroom so that they could replicate it for him at Including Kids. This opportunity to “practice” kindergarten in advance minimized the “surprise” he would encounter while transitioning to public school.

In August of 2003, just four months after his fifth birthday, Bryce started kindergarten with a fulltime aide. He was fully included in a regular education classroom, with speech and occupational therapy several times a week. Jennifer and her staff helped me coordinate a plan with the school district to slowly transition Bryce from his private placement to public school. He started attending kindergarten in the morning and Including Kids in the afternoon. We gradually increased his time at his public school until he was attending full days in February 2004. Bryce became the first “graduate” of Including Kids. He was so proud! We were all so proud of him too! Tears of joy were flowing all around!

I am happy to report that Bryce continues to do well in public school. He loves school and has progressed to the point of no longer needing an aide in the classroom as of October 2005. He is currently on schedule to successfully complete second grade at or above grade level for all subjects with the exception of handwriting and language arts, which are challenges for many kids with autism spectrum disorders. Jennifer still continues to offer us support for home programming. Her dedication and compassion for Bryce is amazing.

At every opportunity, I sing the praise of Jennifer and her staff. As I mentioned earlier, I am meeting more and more families dealing with autism. It saddens me how many kids will be unable to have a chance to progress in the manner that Bryce has because of the lack of funds. I am quick to point out to parents that Including Kids is a non-profit organization and they aim to make this intensive therapy as affordable as possible without compromising on quality. Sadly, the tuition at Including Kids is still out of reach of many families.

While I am not naïve enough to believe that ABA therapy is a cure for autism and that all kids will experience the phenomenal outcome that Bryce has, I hope that someday parents of kids with autism will at least have a chance to try this scientifically proven method of treatment. It is truly the “miracle” for which I was praying.

None of us know what Bryce’s future holds for him, however, I assure you that his future will be so much brighter and his quality of life is already greatly increased due to the treatment he received at Including Kids. Sure, he still gets frustrated and has his “moments” when he is unhappy – but, don’t we all?! I often remark to others that Bryce is the happiest kid I know. I am able to say that, in large part, because of Including Kids.

I hope you will consider supporting Including Kids and the amazing work they do every day. Like I commented earlier, the best thing I ever did for Bryce was to contact Jennifer. I refused to let him fail and I refused to give in to his autism. I am forever grateful to Jennifer and her staff.

Sincerely,

Amy M.

Thomas’ First Joke

I have to share this with you.

Thomas is not very good at answering questions that do not have a right answer ( example: “pick a color” is very hard for him). Anyhow, we play this kissing game where I ask him to tell me where he wants to be kissed (eye, cheek, neck, chin, etc.) I have been smacked in the mouth more than once with a overly exuberant elbow or knee so this game is not without its risks, but it helps him practice this type of “choice” skill.

We were playing last night and Thomas was telling  me : knee, toe, thumb, etc. . . . And then he said “tahl-LEE.”

“Tahl-LEE? What’s that, Thomas? Can you right it down?”

So I gave Thomas a piece of paper and he wrote T-A-I-L.”

“What? I am not going to kiss your bum!”

The he ran to get his old, old PEC’s book and flipped to the page that had a picture of a puppy tail and he pointed to it.

It was a warm reminder that there is so much more that has yet to be revealed.

Julie

Dear Ashley

I do not want to count victory yet, but I swear there is a special place in heaven for you and Jennifer.  After observing you on Friday, I thought to myself why not try the reward system regarding Billy’s potty problem. You are not going to believe this and I might sound stupid, but since Saturday Billy is going number two in the bathroom floor and not anywhere else. This is a big step from doing it in the bedroom to anywhere on the living room floor. I know you here going to try to think of something over the weekend, so I wanted to let you know. And today he is referring to “his Tiffany” by saying “his sister” instead! I have to thank you for that in this two week period.

 I am sending a box of goodies to the school on Tuesday. My Dad already has it loaded in his truck.  Books, Dinosaurs and some Sesame Street videos. This is only a small token of my appreciation to you and the school, and of course, Jennifer.

Sincerely,

Michelle

When my son, Parker, was 2 years old we got the news our lives would be forever changed.  Our most beautiful and perfect son was diagnosed with autism.  From that minute on fear, adventure, research, and behaviors took over all our extra time.  Autism or not, he was our very special child and we wanted what was absolutely best for him.  We dove head first seeking therapies, social groups, diets, and a private school for kiddos with language differences.  While we clung to hope for a voice and a little person to evolve out of this handsome child we loved so, progress just wasn’t happening. 

After a year had passed, we were told that our son wasn’t the “right” mold for the school we were attending.  As parents, we had no idea where to go from there.  We visited many other schools in the Houston area for children on the autism spectrum.   But, to no avail we were turned away for one reason or another…”he is too sensory,”  “we prefer they have some language,”  “it just won’t work.”   I remember my husband throwing his hands up asking, “If schools for kids with autism won’t accept kids with autism where do we go from here?”

Within a few days of research, and questioning anyone I could find with knowledge on the subject, I was referred to Including Kids.  I remember nervously having a conversation with my then non-verbal 3 year old in the car about how to act.  Inside I was secretly thinking “ this is our last chance,” and said a final prayer.  We walked in and Jenn (Inkids Director) met us smiling at the door.  She addressed Parker  as she would anyone.  He of course blankly stared away, but she didn’t let him get away with that. We sat down and met a few minutes, she played a bit with Parker, and told me he could start in August.  Having been hurt being asked to leave the previous school, my defenses start rising.

 “He only says 2 words.” She replied, “That is a great start.”  “Well, he isn’t potty trained.”  She responds, “He will be.”  I say, “He pushes other kids.”  She says, “They all do at first.” My son has now  attended Including Kids for 3 years.  Our lives have changed.  He is not only our son, he is a talker, a friend, a big brother, a sea-life genius, a hand-writer, a pre-reader, a smiling, laughing, hopeful  kid who has left his world to live in ours. 

There is not an inch of doubt it was because of Including Kids and their ABA programming, unconditional love, patience,  and staff who have become so much more than therapist.  There was belief in Parker the second he walked through those doors and it has prevailed!  He now attends inclusion settings with typical peers, plays at birthday parties with kids instead of balloons, looks forward to team sports, and has a relationship with his younger brother.  He not only can function, but he shows some leadership qualities amongst younger peers.

Our family is in such a good and happy place.  We no longer   suffer from doubt, the unknown, and being the unaccepted.    Including Kids has given so much of that back to us!  And I am very happy to report Parker now speaks any word that comes to his mind, he IS potty trained, and generally no longer pushes kids!

Sincerely,

Paige N.

November 15, 2009

Dear Jennifer,

We never stop thinking about you and In-Kids.  The graduation ceremony was so “just right” because of the way you made it personal and individualized for each graduate.  Thanks so much to all who helped put it together.  Vaughn was very happy and proud as the pictures reflect.  Yet, he soon found himself missing and actually grieving for his old school and friends, especially Brooke.  He asks daily and sometimes has cried to go to Lamb of God.  He wrote Brooke’s name on a notebook and pencil box to add to his props when he plays “school”.  Of course, we keep gently re-directing him toward his new school and friends.  It has been tempting to bring him back to visit, but we know it would only make it harder on him now.  As much as we would like to, we can’t turn back.  Thank you so much for sending Ashley and Nikki to help Vaughn’s transition.  He seems to have turned the corner in the last few weeks.

We knew from the beginning that In-Kids was a wonderful school, and it turned out to be the perfect place for Vaughn.  The two and half years that he spent there were so rewarding for all of us.  Your faith that he would improve both relieved and encouraged us, including Vaughn.  He was always ready to go to In-Kids or Lamb of God.  We appreciate the loving, enthusiastic spirit that was always inside those doors to give us hope.  It is nothing short of a miracle that Vaughn is now able to attend a regular school although he obviously faces many challenges.

If it were not for you and your vision of creating such a special school, Vaughn and many other children would be so lost and left behind.  Thank goodness you knew that something could be done to help them.  There are so few schools in the first place, and we don’t believe that any of them compare to In-Kids and your inspired, positive leadership.  Doing what you do requires so much exhausting work and dedication that you could only be sustained by a genuine passion to help autistic children and their families.  When you get tired, please remember how much good you are doing and how many people are depending on you for hope.  Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for what you and In-Kids have done for us and for all the other children and families you have helped.  May God bless and strengthen you as you fulfill this most special calling.

Sincerely,
The Russells