maximumpotentialkids.com — Our Story Collin Butch - For whom Maximum Potential Group was founded. Collin is 6 years old. He is a lovable, funny, smart, and now high functioning boy with autism. He attended a typical kindergarten last year with an adult facilitator and now attends public school where he splits his day between typical first grade and a resource room. He loves music, counting and the alphabet. He is on a third grade reading level and enjoys trying new things like rock climbing, canoeing and hiking. His favorite foods are burgers and french fries and he warms the hearts of all our friends and families.   My husband Garrett and I were married over eight years ago in Atlanta, Georgia. In September of 2001 we found out we were having a baby, Collin Raymond Butch, who was born in May of 2002. We were a happy family of three and we filled the role of excited new parents well. I quit my job to stay home with Collin and be there for him daily. At fifteen months some things started to alert Garrett that Collin was not developing typically. I insisted that he was fine, and so did our doctor. I was happy to listen to anyone who would tell us that nothing seemed to be wrong. Garrett was not convinced and after persistent effort and research, he broached the subject of autism.   Honestly, my initial reaction was to completely shut down and block out what he was telling me. I knew nothing about autism, but I knew I did not want it in our family. I fought back tears and pushed the thought out of my mind as much as I could. As time went on, all of our friend's children who were the same age as Collin proceeded to hit milestones that Collin did not. Finally, I listened to my husband and we began to seek help.   We learned more about autism and became parent experts very quickly. We researched and researched and soon became a "Babies Can't Wait” family. By twenty months, Collin was diagnosed and began hours of intense therapy which included a hectic schedule of speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, hippo therapy, music therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis therapy (ABA). We began to see results quickly and continued to see improvements in Collin each year. We are still true to our therapy schedule and Collin is on the GFCF diet. Collin is rising above this disorder's grip and we are proud to say that he has worked very hard to decrease his autistic behaviors and he is developing more typical behavior now than ever before. We believe that each of the therapies we tried has added to Collin's success, but we understand that our persistent efforts at home have been the difference maker in his progress.   As parents of an autistic child, we can sympathize with the emotional, physical and financial burden that autism brings to a family. We celebrate our son's progress and thank those who have helped us so much. With bittersweet emotions we are co-founders of Maximum Potential Group. Maximum Potential is an affordable solution to overcoming autism. Our goal is to help parents like us achieve success with their children, and continue to learn the incredible lessons that life teaches. This cost effective program will bring ABA, into the homes and schools of thousands of autistic families who can apply this therapy using parents, siblings, teachers and caregivers. We are so happy to be able to give something so desperately needed to such a deserving community. Thank you for your interest in our story, our company and our cause.   Christy Butch

joannalife.com — My adventures in raising my children, Lil Angel is 10, Monkey is 9 and Pumpkin 7. Monkey has Autism. The goal of my blog is to raise Autism Awareness by sharing my stories of our life. This blog is PR friendly, check out my product review info page.

autismrocks918.blogspot.com — A very real sneak-peek into the life of a child with "Super Powers". Hopefully our unique perspective on Autism will educate others and build positive community. Education leads to compassion and acceptance.