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"It began as a mere thought, then it became a dream, and then it
became real."
In June of 2002, seven months pregnant with our second child,
Rolf and I first learned the word autism. We were devastated.
The years that followed were consumed with ABA (Applied Behavior
Analysis), speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy,
medical interventions and biomedical treatments. This began our
journey of bringing our son back to us. And, over the years, we have
made progress. Two steps forward, one step back.
Today, Yates is a handsome, loveable little guy who recently learned
how to give an Eskimo kiss. Although his language is limited and
he still exhibits characteristics of autism, he no longer screams
for hours and his precious eye contact has largely returned. As
a mother you begin to praise the good days and ignore the bad.
You begin to focus on what your child can do and less on what
he cannot do. In my personal journey, I began to see that attitude
is everything.
ALL ABOUT AUTISM - NAA - nationalautismassociation.org
The Yates Foundation began in early 2008 with seven beautiful women
sitting at my Breakfast Room table. Some were family, some were friends,
but we all had one thing in common: we knew how autism could affect
a family. In that one evening, these committee members and myself
planned the first annual "Breaking the silence of Autism Gala" that
touched the heart of West TN. $20,000 dollars went to research, educational
symposiums and scholarships......the rest is history.
Members:
Eliza Forbes
Anne Garrard
Mary Beth Gibson
Jenny Hayes
Tammy McCoy
Carol Ryan
Anna Cash
Molly Roy
The Mission of the Yates Foundation is to advocate on behalf of and to
empower those in the autism community to never give up in their search of
helping their loved ones reach their full Potential.
How do we fulfill our Mission Statment?
By raising public and professional awareness of autism and related disorders,
raising funds in order fo provide educational and financial assistance to
families in need, and furthering the advancement of research of individuals with autism and
related disorders.
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