My The Summit Center Autism Walk Fundraising Page
Tammy Nicholson
Tammy Nicholson
I always wanted to be a mother. I had this vision of raising a bunch of kids with my amazing husband; sharing adventures, going on beach vacations, taking road trips, going to music concerts, enjoying game nights, and simply sharing everything I loved. I wouldn’t care what my kids did when they grew up, all that mattered to me was that they would be happy and independent. I pictured each of my children to be a better version of myself. When my daughter was fourteen months old, I discovered I was pregnant with twins. The three were going to be my little sidekicks, three little girls who I would mold into independent women and the best of friends.
From the start, the twins were very fussy babies, issues with reflux, feeding difficulties, and dairy intolerance. After many trips to multiple doctors and hospitals we felt things started to work themselves out. The twins started to gain weight and thrive. They were happy babies who were a little late reaching some milestones, but I attributed it to being born prematurely. They finally began to crawl at an age when many kids are starting to walk. I don’t believe I was consciously in denial about the twins’ delays; it was honestly not even on my radar that I would have a child or children with developmental delays or any kind of special needs. This changed over the next several months, as each day brought new struggles. They would never respond to their names, all eye contact ceased, and at times they stopped saying the few sounds they made. My concerns and intuition were confirmed when the first of many developmental experts evaluated the twins and diagnosed them with significant developmental delays. I was unprepared for what was to come. I began to have a constant sinking feeling from my throat to the pit of my stomach. I went online and spent many nights frantically researching early childhood Autism. It suddenly struck me that my daughters were Autistic. As abruptly as I realized Harper and Emily had Autism, I collapsed into devastation and grief. For months I cried all the time, I stopped socializing. I was nauseous and couldn’t sleep. After the twins were formally diagnosed, my life no longer felt like my own.
The girls needed help, which brought a variety of therapists, supervisors, and social workers into our lives. Thankfully, many of these outside people became part of our strongest support system. This support system is centered with Summit Learning. They have given me hope, joy, and the faith to know my girls will be just fine. They have helped me stay in the present, conscious and calm as I face behavior issues and challenges. I have learned to wade through the rough moments, as they always pass and new joyful ones replace them.
The twins are enrolled in Summit Academy 3 year old PreK program (9-11:30). In addition they have 2 hours of homeschool daily (1-3pm). I know that they simply love it because they jump into their teachers’ arms every morning and walk out glowing at the end of their class. They are non-verbal, but I can see in their bright blue eyes that they had a blast.
I am asking for your assistance in helping the many kids with Autism, like my little Harper and Emily, by donating to Summit Learning.
From the start, the twins were very fussy babies, issues with reflux, feeding difficulties, and dairy intolerance. After many trips to multiple doctors and hospitals we felt things started to work themselves out. The twins started to gain weight and thrive. They were happy babies who were a little late reaching some milestones, but I attributed it to being born prematurely. They finally began to crawl at an age when many kids are starting to walk. I don’t believe I was consciously in denial about the twins’ delays; it was honestly not even on my radar that I would have a child or children with developmental delays or any kind of special needs. This changed over the next several months, as each day brought new struggles. They would never respond to their names, all eye contact ceased, and at times they stopped saying the few sounds they made. My concerns and intuition were confirmed when the first of many developmental experts evaluated the twins and diagnosed them with significant developmental delays. I was unprepared for what was to come. I began to have a constant sinking feeling from my throat to the pit of my stomach. I went online and spent many nights frantically researching early childhood Autism. It suddenly struck me that my daughters were Autistic. As abruptly as I realized Harper and Emily had Autism, I collapsed into devastation and grief. For months I cried all the time, I stopped socializing. I was nauseous and couldn’t sleep. After the twins were formally diagnosed, my life no longer felt like my own.
The girls needed help, which brought a variety of therapists, supervisors, and social workers into our lives. Thankfully, many of these outside people became part of our strongest support system. This support system is centered with Summit Learning. They have given me hope, joy, and the faith to know my girls will be just fine. They have helped me stay in the present, conscious and calm as I face behavior issues and challenges. I have learned to wade through the rough moments, as they always pass and new joyful ones replace them.
The twins are enrolled in Summit Academy 3 year old PreK program (9-11:30). In addition they have 2 hours of homeschool daily (1-3pm). I know that they simply love it because they jump into their teachers’ arms every morning and walk out glowing at the end of their class. They are non-verbal, but I can see in their bright blue eyes that they had a blast.
I am asking for your assistance in helping the many kids with Autism, like my little Harper and Emily, by donating to Summit Learning.
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