Why the butter flies

Our daughter, Hope, was born in 1988 and we were excited to begin this new phase of our lives as parents. We began to notice as she was getting older something was just not adding up in her development. We started with her pediatrician and from there many different tests were done to determine what was going on with our precious child. In 1990 we finally received the news from the psychologist who said, “Your daughter has a developmental delay and her brain does not process information in the way that most people process information.” We then asked, where do we go from here?” His reply, “I have no idea as this is not my area of expertise, you will need to do your homework and find a program that will address your daughter’s needs.” As we left his office we were in tears, but began to do our homework. It was later determined that our daughter was on the autism spectrum.

Our daughter has taught us many things that Kay and I would have never learned in any other way. I want to do what I can to help families who are just now getting the diagnosis that we received a number of years ago. ‘Hope in the Works’ is a nod to our daughter, but it is also a reminder that the hope comes from early intervention and hard work.

Hope loves butterflies and we knew that they would signify the transformation that you will see in your journey with your child, just as a caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis and transforms into a beautiful butterfly, you will see a wonderful transformation in your child as you invest the time, effort and energy of early intervention.  

We have learned some things along the way and I want to do what I can to remove the stigma that this diagnosis brings to our children but also to our families. Autism is a lifetime challenge but it is by no means a dead-end road. There will always be a number of questions and at times you will feel as if you are an island unto yourself. Here’s what I want you to know… you are not alone! Feel free to reach out to me for counseling or to book a seminar. Sir Francis Bacon said many years ago, “Knowledge is power” and that is the key to dealing with a child on the autism spectrum or any other type of special needs.

Dr. David Looney