“Support is Family”

December 02, 2019

Nolan was one year-old when he and his family first came to Foothills Gateway in 2016. They knew he had a speech delay and that he would need some kind of support, but nothing could have prepared them for the journey ahead.

Services always begin with an evaluation to assess individual need and help identify what supports will be essential.

Nolan’s mom, Jaimie, spoke about this experience: “Everyone was so kind and patient. Nolan was so at ease in the evaluation room. It was clear Nolan needed Early Intervention services, and staff made it streamlined and worked with us to get a speech therapist in our home.”

Both of Nolan’s parents knew it would take time to find answers; Nolan was not making progress, but receiving a developmental diagnosis at his age was highly irregular. Jaimie explained, “No one wanted to label him as Autistic because of his age, but it almost gave us false hope that things would get better.”

Growing beyond Early Intervention

As Nolan reached age three, Early Intervention services ended, but their Service Coordinator, Leah, stayed involved in this transition. She coordinated Education Plan meetings with the school district, as well as another assessment that was required. In that assessment, Nolan received his “educational diagnosis” of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

“Leah always goes above and beyond for us,” Jaimie said. “She helped without judgement, and I can’t tell you how much that meant.”

“I really want people to understand how appreciative we are to have a safe space where Nolan can be himself, and a space for Nolan’s brother to know he isn’t alone. It’s so wonderful to have Foothills as kind of a ‘catch all’ – it really cuts down on stress.”

Now, as Nolan approaches his fifth birthday, his family has begun working with an Intake Case Manager, Rachel, to apply for further supports.

“Rachel has spent so much time with us – two meetings just to fill out an application, and one of those was almost eight hours long! She helped us through every single question,” Jaimie said, “I would be so lost without her help.”

When we asked Jaimie what “Support Is” for Nolan she said, “Support is Family. Foothills Gateway has really become an important part of our support system, they’re like extended family. They never hesitate to help when I call – it’s such a valuable resource!”

Donors like you help make it possible to provide consistent support for families like Nolan’s! Don’t forget that you can take the stress out of giving on Colorado Gives Day by scheduling your donation: Simply follow this link to our Colorado Gives Day page, click DONATE, and under Donation Frequency, choose “Colorado Gives Day” to schedule your donation for December 10th!