“When Nathan was diagnosed with autism, it was devastating. The neurologist told us he was autistic and that there was no cause and no cure, and sent me home. I cried all the way home. One of the biggest things that Nate has learned at Monarch that he brings home is his wanting to be with other people. He used to lock himself in his room and be up there just watching videos, and we would have to pull him out and into the family and into some of the things we do…and it’s not like that anymore.”   – The Higginbotham Family

“Bobby came to the Monarch School when he was six years old. At six, he could say some  basic terms such as ‘Elmo’ and ‘ball’ and ‘toy.’ And now at eight years old, he really has a huge vocabulary that we’re proud of. If there wasn’t a Monarch, my son’s past would definitely be his future. He wouldn’t be able to talk the way he’s talking. He wouldn’t be able to converse somewhat, the way he does. He wouldn’t be able to play with other kids. And now I know what his future is. It’s up in the air, nobody knows, and it’s great to anticipate that—to see what he achieves and is going to do every day.”  – The Jordan Family

“…When Derek was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half, he was withdrawn from his family and the world around him. His severe behaviors also kept us from doing anything in the community. When he was seven, Monarch School became available. Six years later, his verbal language has gone from approximately 30 words to thousands. He now has the ability to learn different themes in science and social studies. He has learned how to do cursive handwriting and typing. Instead of being withdrawn, Derek now initiates interactions with his teachers with his unique sense of humor. We are always doing community outings that Derek requests by writing them on my calendar.”

“When Ryan first entered Monarch School, he was a nine-year-old boy who continually had behavioral outbursts. The staff was required to give him head pressure virtually all day long–and that was about the only thing he could tolerate. Although he obviously still has issues...he is a long way from the scared little boy who first stepped through Monarch’s doors those years ago. He is continually learning academically as well as communicatively–and the school has been instrumental in helping him find his place in this world. We really don’t know where Ryan would have been without Monarch’s program.”  – The Bregan Family

 “Michael is able to communicate with us through pictures. Visual supports have enabled him to increase his language comprehension, and he’s able to share language with us, either through the picture support or gestures. The first time he used the ‘sentence strip’ at home for his visual communication – and he initiated it – that was a major thing. Every single achievement…no matter how small, is major for us. The whole point of this is to make him as good as he can be, not to leave any stone unturned in this, and just to push him as far as he can go.”   – The Vaccariello Family