AVON LAKE, Ohio — As we flip the calendar from February to March, the focus this month is on children living with developmental disabilities.
Data shows one in every six children will receive a diagnosis in their life.
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank showcased a local organization that has been working for more than a decade to help families navigate the challenges that come along with that discovery.
Ahead of her daughter Josephine’s fifth birthday, Carolyn Garr is sharing her family's journey through the ups and downs of parenting a child with developmental disabilities.
“She's Indiana Jones, she's MacGyver, she's taking my house apart. She's like a tiny genius, and I'm trying to keep up with her, said Garr.
Josephine was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, level three, which is severe, a profound speech delay, and significant sensory processing issues.
"Essentially, we had to throw out the parenting manual that we had learned or whole lives and build a new one,” said Garr.
The first-time mother said she was trying to navigate the challenges without the proper support system in place.
"We were in over our heads. There are no choices because your kid needs you and they need to know that they're loved just as much as any other kid, maybe even more so," said Garr.
Garr, like so many other parents, eventually found the village they needed through Connecting for Kids.
"When you walk in that room, everybody, you can watch them just kind of go 'ahh' and relax. You don't have to explain yourself to each other,” said Garr.
Each spring, the Westlake nonprofit hosts a handful of resource fairs to not only create community but also provide potentially life-changing connections.
"They are looking for resources to help their child thrive and in turn, help their family thrive and that's what these fairs provide,” said Joellen Podoll, Connecting for Kids.
Garr said the information families can gather is immeasurable.
"It's like walking into a google search that you didn't have to do. It's walking into vetted suppliers that you didn't have to vet," said Garr.
The term developmental disabilities is more far-reaching than most people think.
"For me, I always thought of someone in a wheelchair, someone with a physical disability, but it's so much broader than that,” said Podoll.
ADHD, Autism and genetic disorders all fall under developmental disabilities.
And at this year's resource fairs, that message will be front and center.
"We at Connecting for Kids this year, we're taking on the mentality of the future is inclusive. We want it to become more and more inclusive and make paths open for children,” said Podoll.
Each of the four resource fairs brings together more than 300 families just like Garr’s.
"It's not overstating the case to say that without Connecting for Kids, we would have drowned,” said Garr.
All of the families share a unique bond that continues to strengthen as they work tirelessly to find the best therapies, providers and services to help their children with special needs.
"Josephine is very special. When we say special needs, we should say different needs," said Garr.
Garr is committed to doing what she needs to do to make sure her daughter's future is full of the support and love she and all children with developmental disabilities deserve.
"Her future is going to be written by Jo, and I'm going to be there trying to help her along. I don't know what it looks like," said Garr.
Connecting for Kids will be hosting its first community resource fair of the season this Saturday, March 2 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the student services building at Tri-C's eastern campus.
Families who are not comfortable attending the in-person event can drive up to the grab-and-go tent located in front of the student center to receive materials in a safe, socially distanced way.
