Honoring our Therapists

I would like to honor the amazing therapists at Accelerate Early Intervention.

They listened to me when no one else did. They believed in my sons abilities and they nurtured and cared for both of us like family for three years.

I stumbled into their small facility teary eyed and scared when my son was around 20 months. Owen began therapy with them at age 2 and spent 10-15 hrs a week with them for 3 years. They became an extended family.

They never gave up on Owen and were always supportive to both him and I.

Owen would not be where he is without them.

I’ll never forget the moment I knew. The moment I knew my life would not be what I pictured.

It was October 2014.

My son Owen, lovingly referred to as Odie, had always been quiet. He was 14 months at the time and until then had developed normally.

I wasn’t overly concerned at the time about his lack of speech. His older sister, who was 16 months older, was doing all the talking for everyone within a 5 mile radius.

Odie sat unassisted early, crawled early, and was running by 11 months. I was never concerned about his development until he stopped looking at me, his sister, and every other important person in his life.

The thought of the moment I knew still brings chills to my body when I look back on it. He was playing with toys in the living room. I said, “Odie, Odie, Owen!”

He didn’t bother to look at me so I walked over to him, inches from him, and again called his name to get his attention. He didn’t respond.

Something came over me and I clapped my hands directly behind his head. He didn’t flinch. He was so concentrated on his toy.

That was the moment I knew my son had autism.

The week prior he wasn’t looking into our eyes and almost seemed like his mind was foggy. I immediately called our doctor and scheduled an appointment.

Our doctor examined him, and even with what I told him didn’t think there was any concern with his development. He told me not to worry. He will start talking and perhaps he was having an off week.

It wasn’t enough for me. I started searching for information.

Countless hours of research followed that day. I was able to get Odie an evaluation with Birth to 3, but that was still not enough for me. I found an organization in our town, Accelerate Early Intervention, and called immediately.

“Accelerate is a small, non-profit organization which offers occupational and speech therapy services to children ages 2-6 with autism or other developmental delays emphasizing communication, peer interaction and play skills, daily living skills, fine motor skills and self-regulation and coping skills.”

They invited Odie and I to come in and meet them. I wandered into the small building in a strip mall teary eyed and confused and met two amazing people, Paul and Julie.

I had no idea these people would change my life and most importantly Odie’s life.

Odie started attending Accelerate a few weeks after his 2nd birthday. The average stay for a child in the therapy program is 7 months. Odie was there for 3 years.

No one knew how severe his Autism was at the time.

Paul his Speech Therapist and Julie his Occupational Therapist and later Courtney, another OT, never gave up on him. They provided me with a wealth of knowledge. They were there anytime I needed to address a concern and anytime I needed advice.

They empowered me to be Odie’s number one advocate when IEPs and the public school district came into our life.

They gave Owen a countless number of essential skills that have provided the building blocks for him to succeed.

It was been a few months since Owen has attended Accelerate and he still complains when we drive by, but don’t stop. They became an extended family to us and I am forever grateful for their compassion, guidance, and wisdom.

Owen still struggles. He is nonverbal and recently has been suspended from Kindergarten, but I had Accelerate on speed dial and yet again they provided me with advice on how to navigate the next battle we face.

I don’t want to know where Owen would be if I had not wandered teary eyed and confused into their organization.

Paul, Julie, and Courtney haven’t only changed Owens life, but also the lives of so many other families.

Written by, Brittnee Martinez

I’m a 28 year old mom of 3 living in South Dakota. I enjoy spending time with my children, and our 3 dogs. You can follow our journey with Owen @Odiesjourney on Instagram.

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Brittnee Martinez and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.)

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