In 2010, for the third year in a row, Mike Keohane will run the Boston Marathon to increase autism awareness and raise funds for the New England Center for Children (NECC). Mike’s 5 year-old son John has autism and attends NECC in Southborough, Massachusetts. John’s uncle (and Mike’s brother) Rob Keohane maintains this blog in support of their efforts.

John was diagnosed with PDD-Autism at 27 months. Immediately after diagnosis John began receiving behavioral therapy (ABA, short for Applied Behavioral Analysis) at home for up to 20 hours/week. At age 3 his education moved into the local special needs classroom, where he was placed under an individualized education plan (IEP) designed to provide John with a learning environment offsetting many of the social and behavioral challenges associated with the characteristics of Autism.

In March 2007 John was placed in the Intensive Preschool Program at NECC, which provides John with a top-notch ABA curriculum administered with one-to-one direct instruction mostly by his dedicated primary teacher.

John’s Mom and Dad are confident that having John learn in this environment at such an early age, while not expected to produce a miracle recovery, will set the stage to make John as socially independent as possible to enable him someday to hopefully attend public school back in a community setting.

John is an easy-going and affectionate young boy who enjoys a wide range of activities including playing with toy animals and trains, flipping through books, and playing outside. Above all, there’s nothing John enjoys more than hugs and tickles. While we’re all waiting for John to initiate his own first words, it is the sound of his laughter that brightens any room.

Interested in helping out? Donate by clicking this link.