Jason loves Children's Specialized Hospital's Teen Night and has made so many friends with the volunteers of the programs throughout the years.
In 2008, Jason’s mother, Carmen, noticed that he was struggling with communication and speech function. With her maternal instincts kicking in, she took him for an evaluation where after multiple tests, Jason was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental disorder that affects 1 in 68 children in the U.S. and typically causes behavioral and communication challenges.
A year after his diagnosis, Jason came to Children’s Specialized Hospital for speech therapy to improve his communication ability. Through outpatient speech therapy, Carmen was intrigued by the variety of community recreational programs Children’s Specialized had to offer and decided to try a few out.
Almost ten years later, Jason is extremely involved in many of the programs such as swimming, martial arts, and yoga. He looks forward to every Teen Night and Friday Night Fever, two social events hosted by the hospital, where he can socialize and connect with many of the kids and is constantly making new friends. “Seeing how Jason’s social skills have improved immensely by his interactions at these events and how it’s made an impact on his speech as well, has really showed me the positive influence these recreational programs have on kids”, says Carmen. Overall, Jason has improved tremendously and continues to grow through these programs and therapies at Children's Specialized Hospital.
Learn more about the programs in the Children's Specialized Hospital Activity Connection here: www.childrens-specialized.org/activityconnection