From the Founder
My path towards founding First Bridge began with my personal journey with autism. Every parent is faced with the overwhelming question of what is best for their child. This question is even more challenging when raising a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder.
I know first hand what it feels like to be unable to communicate with your child. At the age of 18 months, my son began losing skills, one at a time and then all at once. At that point, I promised myself that I would find the best approach to help him learn and communicate. I was relentless in my search for the most effective multidimensional treatment for this pervasive condition. I tried five different approaches in three countries, on two continents, within one year.
My son’s name is Jake and he is 6 years old. He is a loving and caring brother to his younger sister Bailey. Jake’s resilience and ability to open himself up to new experiences and pick up new skills at the age of 2 years old with this multidisciplinary play-based therapy approach shifted my perception of what he could achieve, if we persevered. This inspired me every step of the way. Today, seeing Jake with Bailey surrounded by friends, living a happy life full of opportunities, which seemed improbable at the beginning of our journey, continues to inspire my work on building a platform that will offer a solution to thousands of parents like myself.
My enormous gratitude goes out to our team of professionals who worked with Jake over the past four years. Jake’s success story is a true manifestation of their hard work, dedication, day-in-and-day-out fun and loving attitude fundamental to the ABA profession.
