Scottsdale Families

TROY

Troy is 7 years old with signs of being on the autism spectrum and was on a waiting list to be tested. Troy was one of our first recipients to receive a comprehensive evaluation that allowed him to get the individualized help he needs at school. 

KENDYL 

Kendyl is 5 years old and had some diagnostic evaluations done before age 2, which resulted in attending a developmental preschool program as well as receiving some speech therapy, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), feeding therapy, and consultations with a behavioral therapist. Her therapy addressed everything from visual stimulations, fine motor skills, language skills, social awareness, and oral skills like chewing, biting, moving food in her mouth, and handling food texture/variety. Although Kendyl was eventually diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) by her pediatrician, her mother saw other behaviors that were beyond SPD patterns but could not afford to get further evaluations to address the behaviors that were impeding her ability to learn and focus at school and social settings. Starry Foundation gave Kendyl a new evaluation that showed her to have some autistic behaviors as well as some gifted traits. Now her family had the tools to know how to help her at home and advocate for her needs at school. Best of all, the team of professionals was kind and broke down the results in a way that a parent can understand, and this new knowledge gave them the comfort that Kendyl's needs are being met and allowed them to be happier as a family.

ADALYNN

Adalynn is 7 years old and had previously received some special education services due to her developmental delays. However, when reevaluation came up in 2019, Adalynn no longer qualified for an individualized education plan. Her performance in kindergarten was low and she had a lot of anxiety and overall social and emotional stress. Meanwhile, Adalynn's mother was moving back with her mom after a divorce and was waiting either to be able to afford further testing or wait for her symptoms and behaviors to get worse in order to get approved for more evaluations to prove the need for specialized help at school. Adalynn had some very low "lows" and very high "highs" in the meantime and a great deal of debilitating anxiety and fear of failure, a lack of friends, and other behavioral difficulties. Starry Foundation gave Adalynn's family the answers they needed to help her both at home and at school. 

WILLOW

Willow is 5 years old and had a previous diagnostic evaluation done but did not have any therapy prior to applying to Starry Foundation. Willow's main areas of concern included social delays and difficulty managing her feelings. She resorted to hitting herself when feeling upset or when she felt she did something wrong. After the evaluation done by the team at Starry Foundation, Willow's mom learned better ways to communicate with her child and give her the emotional support she needs, as well as get support from school and outside resources.

JESUS

Jesus is 9 years old and had a previous diagnostic evaluation for his severe speech delays and attended a developmental preschool program. Jesus has difficulty reading non-verbal cues (body language, tone) and delays in receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language skills. He also cannot sequence items easily, nor follow multi-step directions. Jesus can get overwhelmed easily and shut down. Jesus communicates mainly with grunts and is sensitive to loud sounds. All of these speech delays affect his learning and ability to communicate with others at school and at home.

KAI

Kai is 3 years old and has never had any previous evaluation or specialized schooling. He has been on a waiting list to get evaluated for his social anxiety, sensory issues, separation anxiety, bowel sensory issues, extreme outbursts, and aggressive behavior. Exacerbating this all is that his parents are separating and Kai is involved in a custody battle. Kai currently attends a daycare a few days a week and has reported bullying there due to his social anxiety and behavior.

PORTER

Porter is 3 years old and attends a developmental preschool program. He had a prior evaluation done because of his speech, social, and behavioral delays. Porter recently failed 4/5 categories during an early intervention school evaluation. Porter is one of five children to a single mom and has state Medicaid insurance which does not provide specialized evaluations.

ARNOLDO

Arnoldo is 6 years old and attended a developmental preschool program after receiving one diagnostic evaluation for speech delays. Arnoldo has been on a waiting list for a new evaluation for over 2 years. His two uncles are also on the autism spectrum.

JULIO

Julio is 7 years old and had one diagnostic evaluation which led to him attending a developmental preschool program. Julio demonstrates severe anxiety and speech delays. His trouble focusing and learning new tasks resulted in him having to repeat first grade. A teacher at his school spoke with Julio's mom that he may be showing signs of being on the autism spectrum. His mother seeks further evaluation to help Julio do better at school and at home.

ANTWAIN

Antwain is 13 years old and recently moved to Arizona from Minnesota. He has a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), ID, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Antwain has difficulty with memory and processing information and does not socialize well with others. The family has been trying to get help for him since moving here with no success.