My name is Chelsea, my husband Rowdy and I are the proud parents of 4 beautiful children, a 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old triplet boys.
I would like to introduce you to two of our boys, Ryder & Havoc. At two years old, they were both diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These two perfect boys of mine, are both non-verbal. They are amazing, loving little boys and although they cannot tell us about their day or share their hopes and dreams, they are beautiful souls.
They love music, numbers, swimming, splashing in puddles, hiking, being outdoors, looking at words and through books. They love their family; their adoring looks tell us all we need.
Life isn't always easy, but it is always worth it.
I am starting this campaign because we need your help. Ryder and Havoc not only have difficulty speaking, they are sensory seekers, harmless flapping, escalates quickly to head banging, hitting themselves, slapping surfaces etc. Both boys also have no safety awareness, water, streets, strangers, hot things all are fair game to them. They love water and go straight for any they see; they want to play not realizing they can't swim. They dart to strangers, and they move much faster than I do. To prevent them from wandering away from home, we have locks on all our doors. We have had escapes, but luckily, they are never far from a watchful eye, so they haven't gotten out of the yard... yet, as they get older they are becoming better at getting past my safe guards. In public we struggle because they want their independence so bad. We try to limit ourselves to outings that are enclosed or contained to give them this much needed freedom. While we try to include them in everything, sometimes it is not possible, it truely takes a villiage to keep up with these two. Sleep is also a struggle; they bounce off the walls a good portion of the night.
Ryder and Havoc have been approved for an Autism service dog by an amazing organization called 4 Paws for Ability. This pup will not only provide them with a much needed social companion, it will be trained to provide pressure to them when that sensory input is needed, to nudge them to distract from harmful stimming, to track them by their scent should they manage to wander off or escape our home, and to tether to them when in public to prevent them from darting off or wandering away while giving them the illusion of independence.
I cannot put into words how beneficial this pup would be for our boys. These dogs come at a hefty price, that is why we need your help.
