Once again, I'm amazed at how much time has passed since I wrote the last update! I just re-read the post for May and have to laugh thinking that I thought things would calm down in the summer. Ha!
We had a nice trip to our friends horse ranch in AK, although of course it was disappointing to have our "family" vacation without Jeff there! But it was mission accomplished as when we got back Travis started his therapeutic riding the following week without a hitch. He went weekly for the summer session (7 weeks) without a problem, but after a 3 week break before fall session started last Saturday, it was a little more difficult getting back to it. We spent the first 30 minutes of the 45 minute session trying to convince him to get up on the horse. But he did ride for the last 15 minutes so hopefully this week he'll remember and be ready to go. His horse is named Spirit and during the summer he really did enjoy riding. The instructor has them do many different therapeutic tasks: red light/green light games, treasure hunts where they have to reach down to grab things to put in their bags, even doing a puzzle while riding backwards on the horse. It's very interesting to watch as some of the kids who don't have a lot of gross motor control really respond to the horses - you can just see their whole bodies relax.
Unfortunately, we had 2 disappointing events this summer. Most importantly, the Children's Hospital that runs Travis' therapy program decided to shut the program down in mid-Sept. due to "budget cuts". And the PPCD program that he attended at our local elementary school was also pulled from our school for the same reason. The public school system has rezoned him to another school much farther away, so he can still attend at a new location and with new staff and peers. But it will definitely be a transition. Right now we're still looking into alternatives for the therapy program. Doing the therapies individually privately is much too expensive (the tuition we paid for the hospital program for 40+ hrs therapy/month would buy us only 5 hours of private therapy/month!) But the hospital is willing to let a private school in Houston use the same space to offer a half-time school program, and if there are enough parents interested this could be an option for us. Since we received a good amount of tuition assistance through the hospital, it would more than double what we're paying now, but at least it would be for the same number of hours per month as what he's getting now. I will be observing at the school this week to see how their academic program looks, and we will know if there are enough interested parents by the end of this month.
Needless to say, Travis is going to have a lot of transitions over the next 6 weeks or so. He will try attending Julia's preschool for typical kids 2 mornings per week as well. Hopefully by the next update, I'll be able to report on how things have worked out and that at least he's adjusting well to however his schedule looks. Keep fingers crossed for us!
Fund Raising For Travis
Hello! We are Travis’ parents, Laura and Jeff, and have set up this web page in response to family and friends who have been so loving and generous in wanting to help us on this journey. We appreciate all the love and support you give us, and your well wishes are a most valuable resource for all of us!
Travis is a beautiful, sweet boy with an adorable laugh and twinkle in his eye. After developing normally for the first year of his life, Travis stopped babbling around 12 months and became delayed in other areas of development. At 18 months, he was diagnosed with autism. Autism is a developmental disability resulting in challenges in language, communication, cognition, and social interaction. While there are many things that are still challenging and frustrating for Travis, he also gets a lot of joy out of life. He loves to climb and play outside, run around with his big sister Julia (5 yrs old), and play in his "Son-Rise" playroom with family, volunteers, and therapists. At 4 yrs old, he has progressed over the last 2 years from communicating with signs and sounds to speaking in multiple word sentences, and developing much more interaction with others.
Travis’ parents are helping Travis overcome his autism with a home-based, child-centered Son-Rise Program® in combination with biomedical interventions and other therapeutic options. The Son-Rise Program® has helped thousands of children move towards recovery, using an optimistic, loving approach that is based on the belief that all children have a limitless potential for extraordinary healing and growth. Funds raised initially were used to help Travis’ parents attend the Son-Rise Program® Start Up, a five-day group training course at the Autism Treatment Center of America™ in Sheffield, Massachusetts, in September of 2008. Additional funds were used for Laura to attend the advanced Son-Rise training programs Maximum Impact (in March 2009) and New Frontiers (November 2009), as well as to support his enrollment in other therapeutic settings such as the Bridges Program at Texas Children’s Hospital, where he received Floortime, speech, and occupational therapy for a year and a half. Current donations are being used towards continuing private therapy with his former Bridges therapists following the closing of the Bridges program in September 2010 due to budget cuts . To find out more about The Son-Rise Program® visit the website: www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/.
To send a donation for Travis, you can send a check to our address below, or click the "Donate" button on the right to donate with a credit card using PayPal. Please note that this donation will not be tax deductible since we are not a non-profit organization, as the funds raised will help one particular individual. Any amount is most appreciated and helpful, but nothing is as valuable as all your positive thoughts and prayers! We are amazed at the generous outflow of kindness that has already come our way in response to starting this journey. Everyone seems to know someone who is willing to share their story, experience, advice, or information about a new therapy, dietary intervention, educational program, etc. This support has been so very helpful by both providing us information and also letting us know that we’re not doing this alone. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!!
- Laura Licato and Jeff Meier
Travis Meier
4607 Rainbow Valley Ct, Missouri City, TX 77459
For more information, email: travismeier@sbcglobal.net
Travis is a beautiful, sweet boy with an adorable laugh and twinkle in his eye. After developing normally for the first year of his life, Travis stopped babbling around 12 months and became delayed in other areas of development. At 18 months, he was diagnosed with autism. Autism is a developmental disability resulting in challenges in language, communication, cognition, and social interaction. While there are many things that are still challenging and frustrating for Travis, he also gets a lot of joy out of life. He loves to climb and play outside, run around with his big sister Julia (5 yrs old), and play in his "Son-Rise" playroom with family, volunteers, and therapists. At 4 yrs old, he has progressed over the last 2 years from communicating with signs and sounds to speaking in multiple word sentences, and developing much more interaction with others.
Travis’ parents are helping Travis overcome his autism with a home-based, child-centered Son-Rise Program® in combination with biomedical interventions and other therapeutic options. The Son-Rise Program® has helped thousands of children move towards recovery, using an optimistic, loving approach that is based on the belief that all children have a limitless potential for extraordinary healing and growth. Funds raised initially were used to help Travis’ parents attend the Son-Rise Program® Start Up, a five-day group training course at the Autism Treatment Center of America™ in Sheffield, Massachusetts, in September of 2008. Additional funds were used for Laura to attend the advanced Son-Rise training programs Maximum Impact (in March 2009) and New Frontiers (November 2009), as well as to support his enrollment in other therapeutic settings such as the Bridges Program at Texas Children’s Hospital, where he received Floortime, speech, and occupational therapy for a year and a half. Current donations are being used towards continuing private therapy with his former Bridges therapists following the closing of the Bridges program in September 2010 due to budget cuts . To find out more about The Son-Rise Program® visit the website: www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/.
To send a donation for Travis, you can send a check to our address below, or click the "Donate" button on the right to donate with a credit card using PayPal. Please note that this donation will not be tax deductible since we are not a non-profit organization, as the funds raised will help one particular individual. Any amount is most appreciated and helpful, but nothing is as valuable as all your positive thoughts and prayers! We are amazed at the generous outflow of kindness that has already come our way in response to starting this journey. Everyone seems to know someone who is willing to share their story, experience, advice, or information about a new therapy, dietary intervention, educational program, etc. This support has been so very helpful by both providing us information and also letting us know that we’re not doing this alone. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!!
- Laura Licato and Jeff Meier
Travis Meier
4607 Rainbow Valley Ct, Missouri City, TX 77459
For more information, email: travismeier@sbcglobal.net
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