May 29, 2020

I quit homeschooling Kaya this morning and left with our autism service dog Dianne for a three hour walk, leaving my husband to take over.

When you’re a parent of a child with autism, you have to be on 24 hours a day. There’s no such thing as a break.

My name is Iveta Nelson and I’m the mother of two beautiful girls. My youngest, Kaya, has autism.

Mothers of children with autism have stress levels comparable to combat veterans.

Ever since we had to start homeschooling, Kaya has struggled with most of the activities that have been assigned to her. With so many kids in her virtual classroom, the instruction isn’t adapted to Kaya’s needs.

She doesn’t get the support she usually does in person. It has been very stressful and exhausting.

It wasn’t until CAN started putting their videos out that Kaya finally started to pay attention.

I could tell by her wide eyes that Kaya felt like the CAN coaches were talking to her. Watching another person doing the activity alongside her made a world of difference.

For Kaya, she feels safe and at home with CAN, so she sees the videos as being for her. So she pays attention. At school, she never feels like that.

The need for our online programs has never been greater. Give now to support CAN in helping others like Kaya.

This time has been really hard for us all. We’re just so thankful to CAN that we have activities to do at home that are short and simple enough for our amazing kids but challenging enough that they can work on their skills and still have fun!

And when they do them, they feel so proud of themselves. I know because I’ve seen the pride on my own daughter’s face.

Make a contribution to give families like the Nelsons access to vital online programs that can support them right now.

So thank you CAN and thank you to all of the people who make CAN possible.

Because of you, I have hope that our family will get through this.

Sincerely,
Iveta Nelson
CAN Parent


Give hope to families like the Nelsons. 

The need for CAN programs is greater than ever. With help from contributors like you, we can continue to support our community during and after this very difficult time.