“It’s extremely difficult to put in words how much BCOTB has meant to us and our son. However, I want other parents to know how special this place is, so I’ll try…Our son had just turned 2 and my wife was concerned with a couple behaviors he had been exhibiting. They were rather subtle, so I didn’t pick up on anything. This was very much “mother’s intuition.” Even our pediatrician thought he was fine. We took him to see a child psychologist to be proactive (Dr. Danielle Sutton in Tampa was amazing), and after observation, she diagnosed him with ASD. It was difficult to hear, but we got him into therapy right away. He has been going to BCOTB since April 2015 and he absolutely loves it. He has worked with several therapists since then and they are all amazing, special people who we trust completely. In the past few years, it has been nothing short of remarkable to see his progress. When looking at the charts that quantify his progress, it shows him almost caught up to where he should be. But as his dad and interacting with him, I don’t need to see charts to tell how much BCOTB has helped him. We feel absolutely blessed to have BCOTB in our lives.

We actually took our son to see Dr. Sutton 6 months into therapy to see what she thought of his progress. She was ecstatic. She made a comment that I thought was worth sharing. After observing our son, she said (and I’m paraphrasing) “Whatever BCOTB is doing is working wonders. Unfortunately, many kids come in after going to an ABA clinic, and they just do ‘pony tricks.’ It’s not really developmental progress or social skills and it gives ABA a bad name.” And I wanted to say, as a dad/parent, don’t be afraid. If you feel something is off with your child, no matter how slight, take your child to be evaluated. Don’t be so afraid of a potential diagnosis that you don’t get them the help they need. The sooner you intervene, the bigger the impact therapy can have. I have seen other parents “wait it out” and hope their child catches up, and it’s heartbreaking. Every day counts. I hope you find this helpful.”