Mobile unit aids children with autism post-storms

The recent storms we’ve experienced have been especially hard to process for children with autism.

Like others in their community, many of them are displaced and struggling. It’s why the governor’s office asked a local autism organization for help.

The governor’s office is on the Family Initiative’s sensory trailer. On Thursday, they invited the organization to Tallahassee and gave them a check for $50,000 to expand the group’s one-of-a-kind emergency response.

In a sea of need, this mobile unit is a lifeline. It first pulled into sites hard hit by Hurricane Helene and then redeployed after Milton.

“Leadership just reached out, sent us a text message and just said, ‘Hey, this is where we’re rolling to. Do you guys have capacity and ability to be there?’ And we said, ‘yes,'” said David Brown, co-founder of Family Initiative.

Florida’s emergency response team heard about the trailer home in Cape Coral. It’s a one-stop shop that supports kids with autism and their families. It was created by a pair of social workers who recognized a need for people with functional needs.

“We pack up all the supplies, put them inside the trailer and then we get to wherever we need to be. When responding to hurricanes, we have water, we have diapers, we have whatever they might need,” said Anjali Vandrie, co-founder of Family Initiative.

The mobile unit is a treasure chest of stimulating toys.

Sensory devices calm kids and keep them engaged. Clinicians also use the tools at Family Initiative’s school. They stimulate through light, touch, movement and sound. They designed the trailer to bring to community events but found it helped kids with autism process trauma.

“We worked very closely together with our clinical staff to figure out what are the things that help meet our kids’ needs the most,” Vandrie said.

The proof is in the smiles, creating a slice of normalcy after all the stress.

The mobile unit is locked and ready to roll, carrying emotional support.

“To bring some joy and bring some support to those families has made a huge difference,” Brown said.