The Māori definition of Autism is "In one's own time and space".

We started this journey with that inspirational quote and it still rings true today. Declan just needs his own time and space, but he will get there! As we enter our third year of participating in the Autism Speaks walk, we are blown away at the progress Declan has made in the past year. He completed his first year of pre-school and is about to start his second next week! He has made AMAZING strides in speech, putting together three-to-five-word sentences, which has opened up a whole new world for us, with being able to understand more of what he needs. Pre-school has really enhanced his socialization skills, which we've seen in the way he plays with his brother Collin, and our close friend's children as well. It's truly so special to have other people get to witness just how incredible Declan really is. 

In addition to his services at school, Declan continues to receive in-home ABA and speech therapy, which we are so grateful for, and have the most amazing support team in our corner. After the tremendous progress we've seen in the past year, we are even more excited and hopeful for what's to come and can't wait for all of our friends and family to witness Declan's progress too. 

If you are able to contribute to this extremely meaningful cause to our family, we would be incredibly grateful! 

Love,
Matt, Jamie, Declan, and Collin 

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Today, over 70 million children and adults are affected by autism. Each of them, have unique strengths, challenges and potential. Autism Speaks will be there for them. You and I can be too.

It’s only through the dedicated support of people like us that Autism Speaks can continue their vital mission work. Each year, the Autism Speaks Autism Response Team makes direct contact with tens of thousands of individuals looking for advice or guidance and more than one million people access their free nationwide autism services and resources. They continue to partner and support research to improve the lives of people with autism by investing in science that will allow more personalized treatments and therapies. You can find out even more about where your fundraising dollars go at autismspeaks.org/our-work.

Please join me by donating to help me reach my fundraising goal. Together, we have the power to enhance the lives of people with autism and make a meaningful difference. Thanks so much for your support!