When their son Truman showed signs of autism spectrum disorder at age 4, his parents looked for a place for him to receive therapy. Activities like buttoning a shirt, climbing, and playing with his siblings were difficult for Truman. His mother, Shelly, wasn’t sure exactly what he needed to work on at first. She explained, “as we got into it, I realized he needed help with understanding auditory instructions, joint attention, and with coordination.”

Truman began seeing Dusti for occupational therapy at the 321go Kids clinic. He didn’t engage at first.

“It took a while to tap into his sensory needs but once this happened, he began to allow me into his world,” Dusti described. “Now he plays hide and seek with me, engages, follows simple directions, laughs, and best of all communicates with me.”

These days, Truman can’t wait to go see Dusti. Shelly shared, “Truman knows where this building is and knows how to get here from home. When we are in the car driving, he tries to direct me to ‘go this way!’ to ‘go see Dusti!’”

Not only has his ability to engage at the clinic improved, but he is also better able to participate in family time. “Because of the skills he learns here, he can engage and play with his siblings at home,” said Shelly.

In addition to improved engagement, Truman is now able to follow simple directions, climb a ladder, maintain joint attention, follow instructions, and communicate his needs without frustration.

Truman's family is thankful for his strides in therapy and growth in engagement that he experienced through 321go Kids. Shelly expressed, “it’s a wonderful environment for children to learn and be supported on their journey.”