Raising Caine: A Mom's Search for Yes

In many ways, Caine is a typical 4-year-old boy. He loves Curious George and watching videos on his mom's iPad, and has tons of energy. But when Caine was 18 months old, his mom Jasmine noticed some speech and cognitive delays. Recently, Caine received a diagnosis of Autism. He also is not potty-trained, a common trait among children his age with Autism.

For Jasmine, a single working mother, all this made it incredibly difficult to find childcare. When Jasmine explained that Caine didn’t talk and was still in diapers, several childcare centers told her they simply couldn’t meet his needs.

Then a spot opened at the Easterseals Child Development Center in Silver Spring, where teachers receive specialized training to support children like Caine. With lesson plans that meet him exactly where he is, he learns in the same classroom as his typically developing peers. Easterseals also coordinates his transportation five days a week for speech therapy at a local school.

“Sometimes families don’t want to share that information” about their child’s delays or other needs, “because they’re afraid they’re going to hear, No,” explains Center Director Chyrlette Crump. “What sets us apart is we’re not afraid to work with children with disabilities. We need to meet children exactly where they are, so if there’s an ability or a disability, we can help support them.”

For Jasmine, this level of care has made Easterseals a perfect fit for her son.

“I just want Caine to be happy,” Jasmine says. “I want him to be a kind, loving person that's thriving, and to be able to do that, he needs extra help. And that’s OK.”