The theme song to Mission Impossible would be pumping inside Brittany’s head every time she had to take her son Kendrick into a crowded store.

“Kendrick could not cope with certain sounds and it was always a mad dash to go to somewhere like Walmart for groceries,” explains Brittany. “It would be sensory overload for him, which would lead to him hurting himself and eventually an ugly public meltdown.”

As a baby, at 11 months, Kendrick was missing the developmental milestones. His family doctor, however, did not confirm an autism diagnosis until he was 15 months old. Brittany explains she had to keep pushing for the diagnosis because she could see Kendrick was struggling to communicate.

“He would be thirsty or hungry and he would hit his head off a concrete floor,” recalls Brittany. “I Googled ‘what causes headbanging?’ and everything kept saying autism. Kendrick could not communicate his wants, his needs. At one point, he could say Mama or Papa and then it just stopped. He became non-verbal. I was convinced and correct that he was autistic.”

Four months after the diagnosis, Brittany was able to get Kendrick into ABA therapy sessions and speech therapy. Within three weeks of being in the ABA program, Kendrick’s headbanging stopped completely and it has never happened again. He began to speak, a few words in the beginning. The speech therapist also taught Brittany how to build on what Kendrick was learning.

“He began to blossom because he was getting the help he needed,” says Brittany. “ABA definitely helped him through his toddler years, dealing with sensory issues. He used to have no sense of danger, but he now understands the importance of being safe on the playground and around cars. ABA helped him, helped us, get toilet training figured out. He talks in complete sentences now and can carry on conversations.”

Kendrick is now 7 and still receiving ABA therapy, but far fewer hours than he once received largely due to what Brittany can afford to pay. Kendrick is struggling with the social isolation imposed by the pandemic, which his mother says has set him back a bit. He is still working on speech, writing and functional daily living skills, but progress is being made.

“He can understand instruction, but sometimes it takes a few times to get it,” explains Brittany. “So, if a child is learning to tie their shoes, a neurotypical child might do it in two or three steps whereas Kendrick might do it in nine. ABA therapy breaks it down, slows it down. It’s a different way of teaching that is tailored to the individual, which is incredibly supportive and encouraging.”

“The encouragement is key. I just I want him to catch up. I want him to be able to live a fulfilling life. I want him to develop skills, which he will be able to apply towards his passions whatever they may be. Sometimes I don’t know if he’s going to get there. It can take up to a year for Kendrick to learn a new skill through consistent repetition.”

Getting ‘there’, however, also has financial implications. Brittany co-parents with Kendrick’s father, but she has been handling most of the work to get funding for their son’s therapy. In the early days, Brittany paid privately for Kendrick’s therapy going over $20,000 into debt.

“I was making $17 per hour working construction, taking as much overtime as I could handle,” remembers Brittany. “My credit cards were maxed out until we began to qualify for OAP funding. I’m still jumping through all of the OAP funding hoops trying to get Kendrick onto any wait lists where we may be able to get additional support.”

It’s not easy, but Brittany has made it her mission to see Kendrick live a full life.