Just for the Cause, Inc. was formed in 2004, after Liz Parker discovered
the critical lack of funding for therapeutic services for autistic
children. Liz' own daughter, Kiera, was diagnosed as severely autistic
in 2001, and Kiera's successful journey toward recovery has been both
challenging and educational.
Recovery requires significant effort
from each family member, as well as from a whole host of service providers.
Kiera's team consists of dedicated physicians and specialists, a nutritionist,
specialists in Applied Behavioral Analysis/Verbal Behavior, Speech,
Language, Occupational, and Physical therapies, Therapeutic Horseback
Riding, and dedicated teachers and assistants.
By far, the greatest
expense is for a critical, time-intensive therapy called Applied Behavioral
Analysis/Verbal Behavior. The cost for this critical therapy often
exceeds $40,000 a year (little, if any, is paid by insurers). This
is a sad state of affairs, because it is this therapy that gives
autistic children a voice and an active place in the "mainstream"
world; it teaches language and communication skills, socialization,
self-care, and so much more. Currently, there is little to no
Private, State, or Federal funding to pay the enormous cost of these
services.
Just for the Cause, Inc. fundraisers help defray the cost
to families for providing critical services to their autistic children.
The
number and intensity of services required to help an autistic child
regain a nearly typical future is overwhelming.
The decision to give
your child a chance to have an independent future should not be.
It
takes funding to recover autistic children.