Bret’s Adventure, Inc.

My life.  My way.

Bret is a handsome and wonderful 15 yr old teenager.  He was born in Florida and moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to family when he was only 2yrs old.  He acquired autism from the vaccinations however, has been making great strides despite the adversity from society and those paid with tax dollars to supposedly help him.  Bret takes no medication.  He monitors his diet (yea..more like mom does) and takes a few vitamins, omega 3’s, other supplements and practices a variety of alternative approaches.

He has heard much negativity from psychologists, dentists, teachers and others who said he would never ride a bike, would never talk or be toilet trained like other kids and that he needs to be restrained for dental or other medical treatments.  He was also told that he would be in an institution by the time he is 18.  Of course, when Kathleen, his mother, refused to believe these educated idiots, she was then told that they were concerned about her because she has so much hope for her son.  Bret was also abused by the very professionals paid to educate him in the school system.  She then not only pulled her son out of public education and home schooled him, but fired the MHMR providers and became a provider in Pennsylvania so she and Bret make the choices related to who participates in his life.

With compassion, caring, expecting and love, Bret was in fact toilet trained in two days at a very young age, has learned to not only ride a bike but also to ride a horse AND his ATV.  He plays games on his computer and playstation 2 and has typical teenage experiences!  He loves to swim, hike and ride anything with a motor.  Bret loves to travel and has been to a number of different states and islands.

Bret uses a total communication approach including gestures, sign language, pictures, assistive technology (some FC) and some verbal expressive language.  Bret is a success on his own without any help from the “systems”.    He takes risks to dream, to love, to live.

Kathleen is a Registered Nurse with certifications in Legal Nurse Consulting and Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. She also holds certifications and certificates in a variety of therapies and modalities such as TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication Handicapped Children), Basic Sign Language, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, SonRise Option Start Up Program, Reflexology, DAN! Training (biomedical treatments), and more.   Most importantly, she is the mother of a child with autism and has learned more from him and others with autism then through her professional career or from other professionals.
 

Kathleen has 20 years of experience in all phases of healthcare across the lifespan!

·       Governor’s Disability Advisory Committee Member

·        Wellness Nurse Educator

·        Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse

·        Autism Consultant and Provider of Service

·        Peer Reviewer for the National Institute of Justice

·        Resource and Research Coordinator

·        Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

·        Community Relations Coordinator

·        Disability and Special Education Advocate

·        DAN! Trained Nurse  

She has worked with patients and clients of all ages diagnosed with a variety of mental health and medical issues such as depression, dementia, substance abuse, bipolar, autism, PTSD, etc. Her experience also includes working with victims and perpetrators of crimes, domestic violence and elder abuse. She has experience with PFA orders and in due process special education, child custody/support, commitment / competency and guardianship hearings. Kathleen also provides habilitation services and a home educational program for her son who is recovering from autism.
 

Specialties and Interests:

·        Autism

·        Psych and Mental Health (all ages and environments)

·        Aging & Elderly Issues

·        Special Education and Home School

·        DAN! Protocol (Biomedical Treatments)

·        Pharmaceuticals

·        Domestic Violence and Abuse

Kathleen has recently been appointed to the Disability Advisory Committee to the Governor of Pennsylvania.  She was also a member of the Pennsylvania Autism Task Force as an information and advocacy committee member and has initiated the local autism legal task force in central Pennsylvania to address the problem of growing numbers of people with autism in the legal justice system.  She has assisted others in advocacy from around the nation and participated in the review of special education in Pennsylvania.  She also attended the special education congressional hearings in DC and is a reviewer with the National Institute of Justice.   She is a survivor of domestic violence and has a great interest in issues related to people with autism and domestic violence as well.

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