Faye Butler always knew that something was different about her daughter, but it wasn’t until Olivia was two that she realized just how different.  “She just stopped looking at me with that loving sparkle,” says Faye.  For the next three years, Faye would battle doctors and school officials in search of an answer as to why Olivia was not developing verbal skills, was unable to feed herself, and could no longer make eye contact. “As a family, we were lost with her,” she recalls.

In the summer of 2006, Faye finally got an answer when Olivia was diagnosed with autism. “I spent the first half of Olivia’s life fighting for a diagnosis,” says Faye, “but that was just the beginning.”  Her next battle would be about finding the right therapy to bring Olivia back.  Enter Kicklighter Academy.

“‘There are no learning problems; there are only teaching problems.’  But that’s not mine, I think that’s Lovass,” says Dianne Wilson-Evatt, referring to world-renown autism expert Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas.  Dianne has been the Academy Director for Kicklighter Resource Center since 2005, when she brought the Lovaas model of therapy known as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to the curriculum.  Today, Kicklighter Academy, a United Way funded program of Kicklighter Resource Center, is the only learning center in the area that specializes in ABA therapy with inclusion - the pairing of typically developing children as peer models to children with autism and other developmental delays. “Kicklighter was already practicing inclusion when I came along,” she explains. But, according to Wilson-Evatt, it is the marriage of the two practices applied before age six which creates a recipe for success.  And the proof is in Olivia.

Within weeks of attending the Academy, Olivia was no longer throwing tantrums, had developed several signs of communication, and was visibly less frustrated.  The most significant change in Olivia, however, has been the eye contact. What may seem small to some, for Faye - who ached only to look into her daughter’s eyes and see her looking back – it was nothing short of miraculous. “As a parent, it’s your instinct to care for your child, and it is also your instinct to expect a response.  I wasn’t getting any of that, I felt disconnected.” 

Kicklighter Academy offered precisely the “out of the box” thinking about her daughter’s capabilities that Faye was searching for.  In addition to the remarkable strides that Olivia has made, Faye feels grateful that her other two children, who also attend the Academy, are learning in an environment in which their sister is not only respected by others, but is also cherished and valued. “It was difficult to see people not understand her, not respect her needs.”  With what she herself has learned at the Academy, Faye now teaches family and friends how to do just that. “It makes spending time with Olivia pleasurable again...it enhances her quality of life.” 

So what advice does Faye have for parents who may be struggling with a special needs child?  “No matter what the circumstances, no matter what your child is faced with, you must remember that you are your child’s only advocate.  Never stop knocking on doors, and don’t take “no” for an answer.” 

Kicklighter Academy is an early learning program offered by Kicklighter Resource Center for typically developing children and children with autism and other developmental delays. For more information about Kicklighter Academy call 912.355.7633.

United Way of the Coastal Empire is a proud funder of this program.  For information about how you can support programs such as this call 912.651.7700, and thank you for helping your community to LIVE UNITED.

Pictured: Olivia and her mother, Faye Butler