Friends of Forrest

July is Disability Pride Month which celebrates the anniversary of the American’s with Disabilities act of 1990. Pride allows people to find community, resources, acceptance, support, and advocacy. Considering being disabled is the one type of human diversity that knows no bounds of sex, gender, race, religion, or financial status…we can all benefit from learning a little more. When we know better, we do better.

Today is World Autism Day and April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month and Forrest’s birthday month! In our home, EVERY DAY is autism awareness and acceptance day. This means every day, Forrest knows that we love him exactly as he is, no matter what. Thank you to all of our #friendsofforrest for your continued love, inclusion, support, and advocacy. We are excited to launch a special fundraising match effort this April for Autistic Self Advocacy Network. ASAN is a pioneer in the disability rights movement who believe that autistic people should be involved whenever autism is discussed and they should be empowered to take control of their own lives. Now that we are over a decade into this autism journey and looking ahead to Forrest’s future, we cannot think of a better example and inspiration than the lived experience of autistic adults. Visit www.friendsofforrest.org to donate and stay tuned for more information #nothingaboutuswithoutus #autismacceptance #autismawareness #actuallyautistic #friendsofforrest

Spot those QR codes??? As Forrest Transportation’s first 22 trucks hit the road, we are proud to take the Friends of Forrest movement all over the country! Thanks, Forrest Logistics!

Everything you need to know about YES Day! Will you be joining us in saying YES for autistic people this Sunday at Tempe Beach Park? Come see us for some super cool activities at our Friends of Forrest tents from 9am-Noon! https://lnkd.in/d9BiuYtV

“Findings from this report indicate that younger children with ASD from minority backgrounds might be particularly vulnerable to the effects of poverty and hardship,” said Anderson. “Given what we know about the effects of poverty on the developing brain, and the importance of intervening early to improve outcomes for children with autism, there is a vital need for new resources and programs with targeted support for these families.” Join us in person or virtually for YES Day for Autism, as we help raise funds to make autism diagnosis and care accessible to all children. https://lnkd.in/esSNWmKK

“And, to be quite frank about it, it's the rule for people of a certain privilege. If you have the privilege of a solid education, you have the privilege of being able to use English as a first language, you have the privilege of financial capacities to hire people to do things, to expedite the process, your child is probably going to be loud enough, because of your advocacy, in terms of their needs, that they get what they need.” Join our YES day for Autism team, and help us say YES to diagnosis for all children! https://lnkd.in/eHPPbH5Y

This little wild thing met all his developmental milestones on time. Then we noticed that, though he was talking and hadn’t lost any skills, he wasn’t gaining much new language. We started speech therapy and made tremendous progress. We sought out occupational therapy which was also helpful. We also had Forrest placed in special education preschool. I would speak to these therapists and teachers often asked about autism but nobody could give us us clear advice. There’s this thing we do as parents, where we love our babies so much and we get lost in this cycle of working overtime to get through life and figure things out and just make it work. Sometimes, we honestly don’t realize how hard we are working let alone consider the fact that there could be something “wrong” that we are missing. We keep our heads down and we keep pushing through. There’s a Mark Twain quote turned productivity method about “Eating a Frog,” meaning, if you know you have to do something difficult, do it right away. Now, in my practice and advice to other parents. I always say, ask the questions and do the formal testing and evaluation first. Don’t delay, don’t make things any harder on yourelves. Get the answers now. Most people in the field will tell you that this is important because early intervention is key for great outcomes for autistic people, and I don’t disagree. However, I say “eat the frog” and seek out a formal full evaluation. Leave no stones unturned. Get the hard part done first. Then, you can embrace the label, learn everything you can about your child and how to support them as best you can, utilize whichever resources fit your family best, and then both of you can keep living your best life.   When Forrest was four years old, the struggles only intensified and I knew that in order to get more help, we needed the label. Our evaluation at SARRC was comprehensive. I knew from the questions they asked me, the activities they were doing, and observations they were making with Forrest, that they were seeing what I was seeing. And when I read the report, I was so grateful for the explicit detail about his scores and nuances they were qualified to observe during their observations that I had never noticed. It was a certainty and it was finally there in black and white. The knowledge, information, and support that come from evaluation and diagnosis are the most impactful results of an autism diagnosis. This moment in neurodivergent person and their loved ones' story is something we wish to see far greater access to earlier, everywhere, and less cost prohibitive. We are proud to sponsor and raise funds for Yes Day. We are even more proud to direct a donation to SARRC which will help other children to receive an evaluation and diagnosis…which can change their life. https://lnkd.in/gnfFHknb #friendsofforrest #SayYestoDiagnosis #eatthefrog

This sweet baby was so wanted and adored. He doesn't know a thing about autism or what tomorrow will hold. He doesn't realize his mama spent the decade before he was born becoming a school psychologist, learning about child development, special education, developmental disabilities, behavior intervention and therapies, and autism. He'd probably think it was an incredible coincidence that she worked Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) in graduate school, provided behavior coaching in the AZ Early Intervention/DDD Program, and served preschool-8th grade students with disabilities in public schools. You could say that, for an autistic kid, Forrest won the lottery having a parent who could so easily see and understand signs and what to do about them. Well, even with the knowledge we had coming into parenting, it was still difficult to get a formal diagnosis. In fact, it took nearly three years from the time we first had concerns about Forrest's development to when he received a formal autism diagnosis. Three years of speech and OTs scratching their heads, developmental preschool evaluations and services, and even a visit with a reputable neuropsychologist...all of which coming to the conclusion that he was way too social and engaging to fit the diagnosis and suggesting he just needed more time. This long period of Is He/Isn't He finally ended with a visit back to SARRC. We needed an expertly trained practitioner who understands autism, could evaluate Forrest objectively, notice the intricacies, and connect the proverbial dots together. And, that's exactly what happened in October 2017, when ,at age 4.5, Forrest was diagnosed with Level 2 Autism-Needing substantial support. And, as a result of that diagnosis; he was finally able to get just that. if it takes that long and that many hurdles for parents with the advantages of Forrest's to get their child a quality evaluation, imagine what it takes for those without these resources at their fingertips, an insurance card in their wallet, and the financial means to access it. This evaluation costs upwards of $1700 out of pocket. Join our YES Day for autism team to assure other children in Arizona receive access to autism diagnosis, care, and acceptance! #linkinbio #friendsofforrest #theshoemakerskidshavenoshoes

Forrest turned 10 this year, so we are embarking on a 10-day journey leading up to Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center’s YES Day For Autism on 10/29. Join us each day as we share stories, milestones, and ways you can make a difference. It's been quite a journey to see Forrest grown from the baby in photo 1 to the tenacious ten year old in photo 2. SARRC has been an important partner to us because it was there that Forrest received his formal autism diagnosis at age 4.5...after years of questions and u-turns. At that time, Forrest didn't look like a neurotypical child, nor did he look like a "typical" autistic child (spoiler alert: there is no such thing). However, his diagnosis informed and empowered us, helped connect us to life-changing resources and supports for him and our entire family, and helped us to find community and acceptance. Diagnosis is essential for autistic people to connect with the treatment, therapies, and accommodations they need to break down the logistical barriers in their path. And, diagnosis also provides autistic people with the personal understanding, self-acceptance, and self-advocacy skills necessary to thrive. Forrest was able to receive a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis because of his family's insurance, financial access, and personal connection to a knowledgeable agency. Yet, diagnosis proves to be out of reach for many people who don't have access to it due to socioeconomic constraints or lack of resources in their communities. That is why @friendsofforrrest is focusing our YES Day fundraising efforts on evaluations. Every dollar we raise for YES Day this year, will stay in Arizona...and since we are a non-profit foundation, SARRC will be giving us half that money back...So, guess what? We plan to give it to them twice as we make a directed donation to fund as many evaluations for those can't afford it as we can. Check out this link: https://lnkd.in/gJUQdzSx for more information about YES Day, including how to join our team or make a donation. And stay tuned for our daily updates! #10DaysFor10Years #FriendsOfForrest #yesdayforautism

October is actually the awareness month for several things! In the spirit of ADHD, why just choose one area of neurodivergence to focus on!? We are looking forward to learning more from our Friends of Forrest in October!