The Adam Morgan Foundation History

Rachel & Adam

In December of 2002 Adam was found eligible for the First Steps Program (Early Intervention program for the State of Missouri) based on motor delays. I quickly came to realize that we had a long road ahead of us and as parents we wanted to do everything we could to help our son.

I found out that the program was in need of Family Service Coordinators. I had the qualifications that they were looking for because I have a degree in psychology. I had never worked in the field of psychology but was anxious to put my education to work and give it a shot. I was very eager to start a new chapter in my life. While helping other families, I would also be helping out our son and getting educated on his needs. And so my journey began in January of 2003 as a Family Service Coordinator…

For the next two years I read everything I could get my hands on pertaining to development of children birth to three years old. I listened to every parent I worked with to gain the knowledge I needed, not only for my job but also to pick up pointers I could take home and embed in my daily routines with my family. I gained some great skills by doing this. After getting a couple of years under my belt I was feeling more and more confident in my skills, not only as a Family Service Coordinator but as a mother raising a child with special needs!

In August of 2005 a different obstacle came upon us. That obstacle was the big transition out of First Steps and into services with the school district. Adam had turned three earlier in April that year, but due to having a summer birthday he received an extension to transition into School Services until the day school started in August.

The transition went smoothly for the most part but what a hard adjustment to go from having all the support, education and guidance right in your own home to the rug being pulled out from beneath you and put all in the education setting! Luckily, having worked in the field for the past two years, I was more prepared for this change than most parents. I had other resources lined up for our family so we could continue to get the support and guidance that we still needed at home. The feeling of empowerment that First Steps gave our family was the ultimate gift. We will be forever grateful to them for what we received as a family!

After going through this transition myself from First Steps to the School District, I started receiving more and more phone calls from parents on my caseload that have children with Autism. They were very upset and seeking advice about how to utilize outside resources from certified professionals and get financial assistance to cover these services. Over the past three years I continue to get increased phone calls with this request and it breaks my heart that I have not been able to help them more.

I am a runner at heart and this is a big stress reliever for me. I try to run 4 days a week. Over the past three years, when I have been out running, I developed this plan in my head to start a non-profit organization to help families raising children with Autism receive support and guidance from certified professionals while helping to finance these supports with little to no cost to the family.

So, here I am embarking on another new journey and I hope that you will join me in the fight to make a better life for the children in our community that have Autism and for the families that are raising them! We are never going to give up on these precious children. They deserve the best that life has to offer and The Adam Morgan Foundation wants to help make that happen. Please join us!