Speaking on the capitol

On February 22nd, I got the opportunity to go up to the state capitol and testify for early intervention.  Kelsey Lewis, the director of KOTM, contacted me to write a strict 5 minute speech on how early intervention has changed our lives.  The governor proposed 3 million dollars for the budget and the committee was suggest a half a million! Huge cut.

My parents were able to join us that day.

Luke also kept things interesting that day with two poopy diapers at Barratt Elementary (more on why we removed him from there later) and Miss Jenn called us telling us we needed to find a way home for him because they wouldn't let him on the bus.  Chelsey saved the day, AGAIN, and picked him up for us.  This was the last straw on why we switched him solely over to Bridges.

There were so many families there to testify that they had to cut some out.  Kelsey had to choose one person from KOTM and she chose me.  Then some of the other mom's took forever and I didn't get a chance to say all I wanted.  I only had a minute.  But I'm proud of what I said in that short of time.

My name is Keisha Knight, I also proudly go by Luke’s mom.  Luke is my 3 ½ year old son that has autism and has been greatly impacted by Baby Watch Early Intervention Programs since he was 2.  I want to thank you personally for supporting this program and for all the service you render in its behalf.

Early Intervention has ­greatly impacted my family.

At Luke’s second birthday things weren’t clicking like they were for most of his peers.  I took him to see his pediatrician for his two-year checkup, who referred us to our local early intervention program to help accelerate his development.  My husband and I took his wise advice when he said “a child’s development from birth to around age five, is like building the foundation of a house.  Beyond those years, you just start adding finish work and decorations.”   We’ve taken this advice to heart and are striving to provide our son with the best available services so he can have a life full of opportunities.  

Now all of us know how important Early Intervention is for the children. It’s a game changer for most of them.  But what we tend to forget is how impactful these programs are to the whole family.  Luke is our first child.  We didn’t anticipate facing the obstacles we have faced on our parenthood journey this far.  Having a child with ASD was not what we thought we signed up for, but we have fully embraced it thanks to these programs. 

If you’ve ever searched the internet for ASD therapies and tools, it can be overwhelming and quite frankly depressing.  We were provided with classes and tools to teach us how to get down on Luke’s level and interact with him in our home 24/7.  Luke’s developmental specialist showed us how to break walls we couldn’t seem to break with Luke during sessions in our home.  Coming to the realization that your child has ASD is not easy.  Fortunately, the coaching and tools that were given to us helped my family find hope in a very difficult time.

When Luke started Early Intervention, he had a vocabulary of five words and around ten signs he could use to meet his needs.  He now has hundreds of words he can express and is starting to speak in complete sentences, all in just a year’s time.

Luke is still making huge strides in all areas of his development.  He’s a happy boy with a bright future ahead of him.  My child, and every other child, that needs extra help, deserves programs that Baby Watch Early Intervention funds.  We need the full amount of funding requested in the Governor’s Budget.  These programs make it possible for many kids just like Luke to get the foundation they need to achieve their full potential in life.