Hope for Son with Down Syndrome and Autism

When our son Blake was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. In a single day, we experienced a spectrum of emotions: excitement, about this beautiful new life; fear, about what the future held; sadness, about what we thought his future might be; anger, wondering why this had to happen to us; and, finally, hope and happiness, when we learned that Blake was physically healthy.

Fraser teachers and therapists opened the door

Blake is 3 years old now, and in his short time at Fraser, he has consistently learned new skills and has shown a love for the teachers and therapist here. Fraser has improved our lives greatly by opening a door and showing us the Blake that was locked away. Fraser has given our family new hope and has shown us the limitless possibilities for Blake’s future.

Around the time when Blake was 18 months old, we felt as if we had read every book and learned every educational technique regarding Down syndrome. We began noticing that Blake was losing the few skills that we had worked so hard to teach him. His teacher from the public school system and my husband suspected that Blake had autism. He was tested and received the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, with pervasive developmental delays "not otherwise specified."

Typical child care didn't understand his needs

Blake was in a typical daycare that just didn’t understand his special needs. Daily drop-offs were filled with tantrums and tears. He would throw his lunch plate because he was frustrated, and he required help that he wasn’t getting. When we picked him up at the end of the day, we would find him in a corner or by the door rocking and moaning. This broke our hearts and made us feel that Blake’s future was bleak.

No more tantrums and tears

We have always felt as if we had an invisible guide steering us in the direction of what is best for Blake. Thankfully, that guide brought us to Fraser. Blake has been at Fraser School for almost a year and at Fraser Child & Family Center in the autism day-treatment program for about four months. The Blake we knew before Fraser was beautiful but very difficult. He was happy but withdrawn, had loads of smiles but was uncommunicative. To say that Fraser is our light in a very dark tunnel doesn’t begin to express how this organization has changed our lives.

Drop-offs at Fraser are amazing

Overnight, Blake went from a withdrawn and uncommunicative child to a child who seeks out peers and teachers to request things and to interact. Blake has improved his sign language and uses three-word combinations such as, "More music, please" and "More story, please." He says one word, "Ya," which he uses consistently. Drop-offs at Fraser are amazing. No longer do we deal with tantrums and tears. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. Blake waves goodbye and blows kisses, a social skill taught to him by one of his teachers.

Hope in our hearts

Our proudest moment with Fraser was when Blake participated in the holiday program. We didn’t think that they would get him on the stage. Not only did he go on the stage, but also he smiled and played his drum just like the other boys and girls. We left with tears in our eyes and hope in our hearts.