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Success Story: Devin G.
FUND IT FORWARD received this letter from Devin's dad:
Devin was perfect when he was born. He was bright eyed and happy, and seemed to be growing and progressing normally, if a little slowly. The last normal memory of him was about 18 months old. We would ask "how big is Devin?" He would raise his arms up towards the ceiling and we would say "So BIG!" We could clap for him, and he would clap along with us.
At about 2 years old, he stopped interacting with his environment. He began lining up water bottles. He would line them up on the table, all 24 (or more) from the package. He would line up the labels of the water bottles out, so that they all matched, like soldiers at attention. Once satisfied, he would begin lining them up somewhere else. One by one, the line moved, until it was once again "perfect" in his eyes. Then he would repeat the line somewhere else.
We knew something was wrong. First Devin was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and then Autism after seeing a specialist. His speech declined, he didn't avoid or recognize danger. Teaching him anything became a full time job.
Devin started going to speech and occupational therapy to help him progress. The process has been slow, but Devin is making progress. One of the things that really motivates Devin to do well is the tablets they use at speech. He loves everything about them, and will work hard for tablet time. We wanted to have that same positive force at home, so we purchased a Google Nexus 7. For quite some time, the Nexus 7 helped us teach Devin new skills, as well as keep him calm. It gave us freedom to go places we couldn't, because Devin is very loud if he isn't engaged in something. He would blurt out sounds and noises, or even cry for no apparent reason. For a parent, this makes going places very problematic. Going places is important for Devin's growth and development, so that he can learn how to act around other people.
One day, Devin's tablet was knocked to the ground, and the screen shattered. We don't have the funds to replace it.
Very special thank you to Fund it Forward for stepping up and getting us another tablet, and very importantly, a rugged case, to keep this from happening again.
You can read more about Devin here.
Devin Sr, June 2013
Would you like to help Devin?
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FUND IT FORWARD, P.O. Box 457, Wexford, PA 15090. Please include the child's name on your check.