The Isaac Foundation

We just learned that we have received a grant from a local organization called The Isaac Foundation. Yahoo! It is for a specific type of therapy called Relationship Development Intervention. I've mentioned this before as it was one of the recommendations from our child psychologist when we received Morgan's diagnosis.

The Isaac Foundation is a local organization who provides grants to families with children with autism in five surrounding counties. The couple who founded it had a child with a diagnosis similar to Morgan's and they understand the financial strain on parents as insurance does not cover many autism services and therapies. Please read their story in the link provided.

I attended an orientation last night and had the privilege of meeting Holly and Reed, who founded this organization. They touched my heart as they explained that this is their passion. Though they lost their son (due to an undetected heart defect unrelated to autism), this is their way of keeping his memory alive. Isn't that amazing?

I spoke with the RDI consultant, Christine, today and we are getting started with some basic information and "get to know the family" type paperwork. Christine lives in central Washington, about two hours from us, but she is working with The Isaac Foundation to work out a plan to come to Spokane once a month to meet with families. We will also be able to consult via Skype as well. This therapy is wonderful in that it is primarily parent-led, so we do not have to take Morgan to therapy "sessions." Our sessions will be conducted at home at specific times and throughout our daily routine while checking in with our consultant a few times a month. There are some initial assessments and parent classes that we will also begin soon, and she is hoping to be able to conduct these in Spokane with a few other families in early summer.

We are SO excited about this opportunity and can't wait to get started! So you know, the grant does not cover the therapy in it's entirely, but will help us get the ball rolling and make it more do-able for us. The program itself on average takes about two years, so we will have another opportunity to apply for an additional grant along the way (they are only awarded once every twelve months).