My son is thriving

What a journey we have been on with my high functioning autistic son. Robin came alongside us early on in his elementary school years. We were struggling to advocate for the appropriate services for my son Chase. He presents so high functioning, but his fine motor development and executive functioning skills were far behind those in his age group. My family had no idea how to advocate for Chase and his hard to see needs. We were drowning in new acronyms, stubborn school administrations, and sleepless nights that our son was falling behind. We reached out to Robin after he did not qualify for an IEP in first grade. He missed the necessary score by one point! Robin taught us the services that would specifically help Chase with his needs. She sat with us and taught us what the acronyms mean, what the test scores mean separately and put together, and went above and beyond by giving us tools to use at home. By the end of Chase 1st grade year, we had a 504 in place with very detailed strategies and services for his teacher to implement. 

 Chase thrived with this 504 until distance learning began in 4th grade. Signs of struggling and falling behind were very apparent in Chase’s reading comprehension and writing ability. We transitioned Chase to a new school district and had to start the testing process over again. Just like in 1st grade, Chase was so close to qualifying for an IEP with his test scores, but he was still borderline. We called Robin and after several SST meetings and IEP meetings, Robin worked with the school administration, Chase’s 5th grade teacher, and the special education support staff to develop a vibrant 504. When we, my family and Robin, attended the introductory 504 meeting with middle school staff at the end of Chase’s 5th grade year, the counselor said, “this is the most detailed 504 I have ever seen!” 

 We are so thankful for Robin’s strong voice in our IEP meetings, her depth of knowledge, her ability to listen to our family’s needs, and her kindness and empathy when we were truly afraid for our son’s academic success. We believe in her so much that we are working with her again for my son Tommy who is entering kindergarten with a high probability of dyslexia. Our family highly recommends partnering with Robin!

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