Dawn and Alex's story-
Alex has dreams like any other young adult. She wanted to live on her own, work, spend time with friends, and have a boyfriend.
Alex got her wish when she moved into her new home at Beverly farms in Godfrey Illinois. She has a job, friends, attends social activities and plans to attend college classes. It wasn’t a quick or easy decision when Alex and her parents decided it was time for Alex to move out on her own. Alex was born with down syndrome, and when she graduated from High School her mom wanted Alex to be as independent as possible. Dawn was also concerned what would happen to Alex when she was no longer able to care for her daughter. Dawn explained to the online support group the process of finding a good placement, what they looked for in a home, and eventually choosing a place that was a good fit for Alex. Dawn credits Alex’s positive move to the support of other parents of differently-abled adult children. Dawn leaned on her friends who had been through similar situations. This helped her and Alex make the smooth transition into Beverly Farm.
We all want the same things for our children regardless if they have special needs or not. We want them to be happy, healthy, passionate about a job, and to live a productive life within their community. As parents of special needs children and adults it is nice to share the milestones of our children. Sometimes those milestones take a little extra time and effort. It’s important to realize that it doesn’t really matter how long it takes you to get there. It only matters that you made it and Alex has made it !!
The next support group meeting will be: Tuesday March 7, 2017 at 7 p.m.
For more information contact:
Jill
815-866-3776
http://parentingcelebratingsmallsteps.blogspot.com/
