Our young friend Allison(*) is the inspiration for the Allison Foundation. Allison is a little girl who loves to paint, draw, sing, and play outside. Like most autistic children, Allison does not "look" autistic. She was diagnosed with autism at the age of 23 months, which at the time was considered early for an autism diagnosis. She showed signs almost from birth, and at 18 months, she showed no speech development, very little eye contact with people, and motor skills that were considered below the "normal" range. Many people (including pediatricians) did not recognize the signs, assuring her mother by saying, "You're a first time mom. She's just slow to develop, like lots of kids. Give her time." However, her mother knew that something was wrong and was determined to be an advocate for early intervention for her daughter. Over the next six months, a team of specialists from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, confirmed and validated her worries. At about 30 months, Allison was able to enroll in a special early intervention program through Charles County Schools at the F.B. Gwynn Center. Two years after enrolling in this program, as well as many other therapies, Allison's motor skills are now on par with other children her age, and she has developed her speech skills to include short sentences.


(*) Allison's last name is not used on this web site to protect her privacy.