what is Autsim JAM?
About the families of Jack, Matt, And Alina.
First let’s start off with the connection of these families—Jeralyn and Jennie—
sisters and moms of kids with autism.
Jennie and I are not only the best of friends we are sisters. We have more in common than most sisters do, we both have children with special needs, specifically Autism. Alina, Jennie’s daughter, was diagnosed before Matt and Jack, so I have relied on Jennie to give me advice at every step. She had much more of a disadvantage with Alina’s diagnosis being 9 years ago compared to Matt and Jack’s today. I don’t know where I would be without her support and knowledge on the subject. She has pulled us through the diagnosis to our acceptance. I think that when you have a close friendship with another mother of a child with special needs, the day to day stress level is reduced dramatically. I know that Jennie will understand what I am going through so it’s so easy for us to talk, laugh, and cry together.
Our family has been instrumental in supporting both of us and keeping us close no matter how far apart we all live. We have a sister, Jacquelyn, who lives in Webster, NY and a brother, Jack, who lives in Lenexa, KS. Most importantly, we have the two most unbelievably supportive and loving parents, John and Jeannine Haak, who live in Fairport, NY. You have to have a great sense of humor to go through anything tough in life, and our family is full of laughs and jokes.
-Jeralyn Cicotta
Tom and Jeralyn Cicotta | Steve and Jennie Collucci
Tom and Jeralyn Cicotta
We are Tom and Jeralyn Cicotta and the proud parents of 3 beautiful children; Alyssa (5 years old), and Matt and Jack (3 years old). Matt and Jack are twin boys with Autism. In the summer of 2004, we were so excited to learn we here having another baby. Not long after that, we went for an ultrasound and found out we were having twins. After the initial shock (I don’t think we said a word on the way home or even blinked), our excitement and anticipation grew with each passing day. We prepared both nurseries, which we changed a couple times with each gender update from the doctor; we thought of names, and we bought two of everything. Our daughter Alyssa would run around and tell everyone that mommy has 2 babies in her belly. It was an unbelievably happy time for our family.
On March 2, 2005, Matthew and Jack Cicotta were born. Throughout the first 9 months, Matt and Jack did the typical things that most babies do. They were crawling, babbling, smiling and looking adorable. After they turned one, we started noticing development delays with each of them. Two days before their 2nd birthday, we took Jack to a developmental pediatrician, Dr. Susan Hyman. She diagnosed Jack with PDD – NOS, which is short for Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified. In other words, Jack has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In summer of 2007 we became increasing concerned with Matt and his delays with speech and his sensory issues. We brought Matt to see Dr. Hyman, and he too was given a diagnosis of Autism. It was truly a surreal moment in our lives.
At that point we shifted our focus to therapy and how to help Matt and Jack. We now realize that the little things we once took for granted keep us going day to day. It’s the sound they make that resembles a word, the turn of their heads when we call their names and the way they dance to their favorite songs. As a family, we understand that the road ahead is going to be tough for us, but above all realize our struggles cannot compare to the ones Matt and Jack will have to endure. They are making huge strides and with the support and love of friends and family and the hard work of Interactive Therapy Group, we know they will be ok.
Through events such as these, we can help raise awareness and money to better understand what causes Autism and hopefully be able to prevent it for future generations.
Read about Jack and Matt.
Steve and Jennie Collucci
We’re Steve and Jennie Collucci and we live in Somerville, New Jersey with our two daughters, Julia and Alina.
When we got married in 1996, we knew we wanted to have children right away. Julia came first, in 1997. She is a bright, beautiful, witty and caring girl. When Julia was nearly two, her sister Alina was born and our family felt complete.
We were glad Alina was a girl; we wanted Julia to have a sister, and we knew that autism was much less likely in girls. Steve had a nephew with autism and we were concerned about a possible family link.
Alina was a very good baby, smiling, happy and seemingly normal in most ways. However, she didn’t start speaking like Julia had. By the time she was 15 months old, she only said one or two words. By the time she was two, she only had three or four words. She started to withdraw from us. We knew something wasn’t right.
We suspected Alina might have a hearing problem, as most parents do when they first notice their autistic child’s symptoms. When her hearing proved normal, we started to fear the possibility that Alina had autism. We took her to a pediatric neurologist who quickly and matter-of-factly confirmed that fear, and it seemed our world had turned upside down. We were absolutely devastated; not so much for us, because we knew we would do whatever we needed to for our daughter, but for her. We feared how difficult life would be for her, and what a long road she had ahead.
Like other parents, we wondered, what do we do now? Unfortunately there is no handbook on what to do following your diagnosis. We enrolled her in a special preschool, where they started to treat her sensory issues. She is still in a private school now, where she studies reading, math, science and social studies and gets the speech therapy and occupational therapy she needs. She has wonderful teachers and therapists as well as a loving extended family and many friends who help her and adore her.
We know that having a child with autism is a daily struggle, full of high points and heartbreak, laughter and tears. We want to help raise money and awareness so that we can find better ways to treat this disorder, and by the time Julia’s generation has children, we can prevent it.
We are blessed in every way to have Julia and Alina.