My daughter Emma is six years old and is non-verbal with severe autism. When she first began displaying signs of delayed development, I had no idea what to do or where to begin. She needed support beyond what I, as her mother, could provide. Information on how to move forward was available but it was hard to get all the information in one place that was clear and concise for steps to take in the application process. I would learn something here or hear about something there, but it was all over the place and hard to navigate. Through this experience I learned Colorado is one of the best states in the country to have services available to both adults and children with special needs.

As a parent new to the world of autism, I was struggling to work and take care of all of the needs of my daughter. At the time I was not aware of being able to become Emma’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and get paid to take care of her at home. We also didn’t know that she could have a live-in family care provider to assist with her care. This care is provided by her grandmother. She also qualified for in-home therapy for speech and occupational therapy. Emma is also kept safe in her child safety bed at night. There are so many resources available to her now that we went through the process of applying for assistance. This is a small list of what Emma can now access. It is our goal to share this information and beginning steps with others who may be going through similar situations with their children and loved ones. We are aiming to build what we wished we would have found years ago at the beginning of our journey.