Jennifer, David and Cade
Jennifer’s only son Cade, now 8, was a very active baby up until the age of 15 months. Cade was hitting all his developmental milestones and had a vocabulary of over 15 words including “fish”, “bowl” and “shoe”, but in October of 2001 his persona drastically changed. Cade lost all his speech and stopped looking at others including family.
Jennifer and David Larson’s mission became healing their son, but by February of 2002, their school district told them that Cade had the severest case of autism it had ever seen. It took years of behavior therapy & biomedical interventions before Cade would say “mama” again.
Jennifer started Holland Center for children with autism in 2003, in order to provide a center where she felt confident her son and other children were getting the best services available. Cade has made great strides and is a happy child with an infectious smile.
Why are you participating in the IT5K for Autism?
I’m so pleased that my direct and extended family are planning to come out for the 5K, whether they’re running, walking or just cheering. I’m actually a co-chair of the event and my IT company is a sponsor. With the growing numbers diagnosed with autism, there are far too few events to support autism causes such as TACA. This is the first year so I really hope a ton of people come out to support the event and the cause.
What are some of the reasons you support TACA?
When Cade was diagnosed, I often felt so alone in my search for information and solutions to help my son. TACA helps support families locally with immediate and real help, providing information and local resources to parents who have recently been diagnosed. The local monthly meetings are very well attended and just the ability to speak with other parents about their experiences is therapeutic.
One thing that others don’t understand about autism or those affected by it?
Society’s lack of understanding and education for disabilities where the children physically look typical, like autism, leave families frustrated and saddened. Families are often criticized, ridiculed and left to feel the only place to feel comfortable is their own home. This even more isolates children that have an already social disorder and families that are exhausted.
[...] Jennifer, David and Cade [...]