[Scroll to the next video for therapy pictures]

Santiago's Diagnosis

Up until Santiago was about 2.5 years old, we thought everything was okay. But the summer after Santi turned 2, we noticed he was making less eye contact, and his vocabulary was diminishing. As all parents would be, we were concerned. After a consultation with our paediatrician, Santi began to see a speech therapist. After a few sessions, the speech therapist suggested a developmental assessment for Santi as there seemed to be more than a speech delay. We began reading as much as we could about developmental issues, in preparation for the assessment, and asking God to guide and strengthen us along the way. Since Santi's diagnosis in 2020 (level 3 moderate-severe), he has benefited from speech, ABA, and occupational therapies. We have also followed a bio-medical treatment which has helped to improve Santi's sleeping and gatrointestinal disorders. Santi's main challenges are summarized by verbal and social communication. Going forward we plan to focus on speech and occupational therapies along with the bio-medical treatment.

Emi's Diagnosis

Frankly speaking, awaiting Emi's arrival was a mix of joy and fear during Jovana's pregnancy. We knew we had received a gift from God, but part of us feared that Emi could also be on the Autism spectrum. Early on we looked for signs that could indicate Emi was on the spectrum. We quickly realized his eye contact was not as it should be, and over time he was not hitting other key milestones. Emi was diagnosed during the summer of 2021. He is a happy little guy, but he does become very frustrated when he cannot communicate his needs properly. We have learned several strategies from Santi's therapies, which we can apply at home with Emi, but he still requires additional assistance mainly in the areas of speech and occupational development.

Both Santi and Emi have many dietary intolerances, as do many other kids on the spectrum. Kids on the spectrum tend to experience gastrointestinal symptoms. We are also trying to address this with the guidance of a nutritionist and biomedical physician, who prescribes a restricted diet and supplements. As you probably know, these are all out-of-pocket expenses.

How can I help?

This is a journey we never expected, but we have experienced God's strength and wisdom through times of weakness and uncertainty. Currently, 40,000 families are on the waiting list in Ontario to register for funding through the Ontario Autism Program (see articles below) and the backlog is expected to last several years. This would typically be how families cover therapy expenses in Ontario.

Early intervention is key, and so we are asking for your support. Your contribution will go towards speech and occupational therapy expenses, as well as to pay for supplements.

If you have made it this far, thank you for your attention! We greatly value your support and prayers.

Sincerely,
Jonathan and Jovana

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Articles about Ontario Funding

Most kids with autism won't ge t core therapy funding soon: Ontario ministry document

Families trapped for years on Ontario's autism program waitlist speak out

Some parents are leaving Ontario because of frustrations with its autism program

Ontario Autism Coalition head 'enraged' to see figures showing lack of long-term progress

This campaign is unpublished.

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