Living with autism and ADHD makes life a little more challenging for nine-year-old Josiah. Unfortunately, the services he needs are not available in his hometown of Steele, North Dakota. The next closest place that has everything he needs is in Bismarck.

“Everyone wants to better the life of their kids,” tells his mother, Salena Shipley. “Josiah’s therapy makes such a difference for him.” His care includes speech, occupational and physical therapy. He also does applied behavioral analysis. For these appointments, they make the 90-mile roundtrip trek to and from Bismarck twice a week.

NDAD has been providing financial assistance for Josiah’s medical travel for several years. “There’s a financial burden of traveling so much for the care Josiah needs. NDAD has made a massive difference. If we didn’t have this help, we wouldn’t be able to afford the frequency he needs therapy.”

Salena learned about NDAD through Family Voices. “Everyone wants to give the best to their kids. NDAD’s programs are there for a reason – to help you give your kids better lives,” she states. Instead of worrying about finances for travel, she can turn her mind to helping him do what he enjoys and she’s grateful for NDAD. “He loves nature, animals and geography, especially international landmarks. We love that we can focus our resources on things that bring him joy.”