One Maricopa County Mom Becomes Her Son’s Best Teacher

When Thomas* was two, his mother Catherine* could already tell something wasn’t quite right. He wasn’t playing the way other kids did and only spoke a few words. Catherine was worried and tried researching on her own. She looked for classes and other resources but kept meeting dead ends. It was then that she found the Parents as Teachers program through Child & Family Resources. Thanks to her work with the support specialist, Catherine has found a new pediatrician for Thomas – one who diagnosed his mild delay, and who helped get him into developmental preschool within an autism classroom.

As a single mother, Catherine is trying her very best to make sure her son gets the tools he needs. At first, she was hesitant with messy play and wanted to work on academics, but now she’s asking for more sensory play activities and is even wanting to learn sign and develop a visual schedule for his days off school. She is encouraged to see him becoming more independent and has even moved forward with him taking the bus.

Catherine and Thomas are now growing closer together, learning from one another, and reaching new developmental milestones along the way. Their success is all thanks to the support you give to Child & Family Resources.

*Out of respect to the family, we are honoring their wishes by changing their names when sharing their story.