By Sean Sullivan

When Lauren Ostrowsky’s daughter Colby wasn’t crawling at about 11 months of age, her parents took notice.

Such delays in development can be signs of more serious issues.

“She was late on her milestones,” said Ostrowsky. A few months later, Colby lost her language capabilities. It was a source of alarm for her parents and the family physician who’d been charting the child’s health and progress.

Now ten years old, Colby remains non-verbal. Her diagnosis is one of autism.

All along the Ostrowskys’ journey, the New England Center for Children has been a source of support. NECC focuses on autism-related education, research and resources for families living with the neurodevelopmental condition.

Part of that support is identifying autism as early as possible, so that specialized therapies and curricula can be most impactful. As with all education, starting sooner can have a drastic impact on trajectory and outcomes.

For the Ostrowskys’ son Camden, that has meant participation in an early autism detection and intervention program. Research has shown that children with autistic siblings have a 20 percent chance of being diagnosed with the condition themselves.

“They suggested he get tested,” said his mother. “And so he started right away.”

Those evaluations include regular visits from NECC therapists and teachers. They engage with Camden in play-based activities designed to gauge his development in a variety of aptitudes.

“We saw Cam from birth,” said Erin Michaud. She is research director at NECC’s early autism intervention study and programming. Camden from early on exhibited a few markers of autism, and thus was sent to an outside organization that confirmed his diagnosis.

One of those markers is an avoidance of eye contact.

“We talk to the parents on how to work on that,” said Michaud. Remedying or even improving the child’s competence in such seemingly simple abilities can pay developmental dividends over a lifetime.

As with all investments, the earlier the intervention the better. Between four and five years is the average age for a diagnosis of autism, said Michaud.

“That’s way too late. That’s the point of the study. And then they get that early intervention in.”  

Now three years old, Camden is scheduled to attend Natick preschool soon. There, he’ll take part in a modified educational experience tailored to his special needs.

Camden is into cartoons and shows streamed from Youtube, while his sister Colby is a big fan of Curious George. Colby requires more supervised care and attention, and so attends a day school run by NECC.

“She’s there all day,” said Ostrowsky. “It’s a lot of work, a lot of therapies. Tons and tons of therapists and teachers, which is so helpful. We have loved every single therapist we’ve ever had.” 

A stay-at-home mom, she spends some portion of her days searching online for programs geared toward assisting families like hers. She subscribes to and participates in online social groups, ones that offer emotional support, guidance and resources from other families facing similar challenges.

“I just always have my head up for different programs,” she said. “Am I taking advantage of the services I can get?” is a question often top of mind.

Lauren’s husband David is her co-captain who helps make their house a home for the family. A dependable roster of support staff from NECC enables them to work toward that goal.

“It’s kind of all we know,” said Lauren. “We feel really supported, and we feel like we’ve had a lot of help.”

For growing children, a consistent environment can be a blessing. Dependable routines serve as solid foundations on which to build skills and make progress. But stability and predictability aren’t hallmarks of our current federal government.

Organizations that help families like the Ostrowskys often depend on grants and funding that flow from federal sources. Now, each day might bring a grab bag of executive orders, budget cuts and snap staff reductions from Washington.

And people who rely on those agencies directly or downstream, now must plan for more uncertain tomorrows.

Still, some states are more hospitable than others in their aid to residents with special needs. State and local governments with robust assistance programs already in place are more apt to weather the capricious winds of change blowing from Congress and the executive branch of national government.

“Massachusetts is well known for doing a good job in special ed,” said Michaud. NECC’s programs are funded in part by local school systems. The early intervention study and program are being funded by a private party.

“We’re really lucky for that. We haven’t had to worry where our funding’s coming from.” 

Ostrowsky said the Bay State’s support for families with special needs has been a source of stability all along their journey.

“I am concerned,” she said. “But I know that Massachusetts is really great. So I feel like we are in the right place. We are hopefully, probably going to be OK.”