We can help

This year has brought many challenges, and among them was a complication with our daughter’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). My husband and I were meeting with teachers, hitting dead ends while our daughter’s education stalled and she was still unable to read as a third grader. We set up an IEP review, but with the COVID-19 pandemic things were put on hold and delayed repeatedly. We needed help, an advocate, and a way ahead to get things turned around for our daughter’s education. We were on the verge of giving up dealing with the local school.
 

Through a network of friends, we had the opportunity to meet Julia and began finding the hope and encouragement to forge ahead. The personal encouragement that we received meant so much, there was a new sense of possibility that our daughter's education wouldn't all be lost and the Emily Thomas Foundation would also end up helping us financially to afford an advocate to help bring resolution with the IEP. 

Without help from the foundation, there is no way any of this would have been possible. Evaluations were performed the quickest I have ever seen or heard of. With our second daughter entering Kindergarten, with most likely similar struggles, we were able to obtain the appropriate level of attention, services and support we need to be able to learn within the school systems.

Thank you so much for caring about our daughter’s future. Thank you for listening to our needs. Thank you for responding the way you have. Thank you for your amazing generosity. We couldn’t have done it without you!!!

My son started therapy in the summer and the results have been amazing! Logan has really started to blossom and we are so thankful the Foundation made this possible for him. Though he's been able to speak, holding an actual conversation has been non-existent. We were told last week that he has started to finally develop two of the three key parts of holding a two-way conversation. This is key to Logan's success in having any relationship with his peers. His father and I see such wonderful changes in him and we are truly grateful. Thanks so much for your help!

My dream is to one day have a conversation with my son about his day.  He was diagnosed with Autism at 2 years old and is currently receiving services for ABA Behavioral Therapy thanks to Emily Thomas Foundation. 

I was very lucky to have caught it early and receive help through the Early Intervention program in Florida. Through it he received Speech, Occupational and ABA Behavioral Therapies and was able to progress in his development. Unfortunately, the services end at the age of 3 and he was transitioned to our county school ESE program and the necessary therapies were no longer covered. Noah went for a year without receiving any ABA Behavioral Therapy, which happens to be the most important, and most expensive therapy that he needs until the Foundation stepped in and helped.  

With the progress he is making through this therapy, I can now envision that day when I can have a conversation with him and I have Emily Thomas Foundation to thank.

A four year old Rogelio and his mother, Irma, received a once-in-a-lifetime gift when they were presented with a check from the Emily Thomas Foundation to the PACER Center. 

The funds purchased equipment for Rogelio, who is blind, has developmental delays, and uses a wheelchair. With physical therapy services at school, his motor development has improved, but his family had no equipment at home to continue his physical therapy when there are no school services during the summer.

The Emily Thomas Foundation has been a true blessing to our sweet angel Landon! 

Since he was about 3 months old, he has had many struggles and hurdles in his life. It started with a diagnoses of tracheomalacia (airway development problem), severe digestive issues (projectile vomiting everything he ate or drank) for nearly 2 years. At around a year old he experienced 3 seizures within about 3 months. It led us to the neurologist where an MRI showed he had a brain injury due to the lack of oxygen. This has affected his learning and certain developmental areas such as comprehension, fine motor skills and planning, balance and coordination, and severe ADHD. He has received special education services since Pre-k within our county schools that have included Occupational therapy. Up until this past year his placement was helpful to him, but we started to see some major struggles and obvious challenges in his social and emotional behaviors.  After a thorough evaluation with a specialist he was diagnosed with high functioning autism.

At this point I knew a lot of changes needed to be made with school resources and his placement. Needless to say we started having one of the biggest battles yet! This foundation made it possible to fight a fight I never dreamed I would have to face for my son.  We were provided with full legal support in battling with the county school system, in which I could not have gotten otherwise on my own.  It is because of this foundation that my son now receives the most thorough support and resources for his issues. I learned so much about the laws in Georgia that protect special needs children and from here forward feel confident in being able to fight and advocate for Landon. There are no words to express how truly grateful and blessed we feel because of what this foundation has provided for our family!  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.