"Our son, Ryan, has Asperger's Syndrome, and is very good at holding it together in public so it was really hard to get people to take us seriously and understand what we were going through at home. We had been seeing a clinical psychologist who specializes in ASD (autism spectrum disorder). He helped us work through some difficult times with self-destructive behavior and when I inquired about help with advocating for Ryan at school, he referred us to the most extraordinary, knowledgeable, compassionate and vibrant person, Marie Johnson with Empowerment Services. She has been our lifeline to understanding Ryan and helping him become more socially confident to advocate for himself. Marie and everyone at ES care about Ryan and he knows it! Marie has attended Ryan's annual IEP meetings, helped our other children to understand and be compassionate to Ryan, and encouraged my husband and I as parents. Thank you Marie and all the awesome teachers at ES for being there for our family!"