Therapy for Ari

Until he started therapy, Ari’s autism led him to do things like emptying full bottles of shampoo down the drain and clogging the toilet so that it flooded the house. Therapy and the medications have helped Ari, 18, to refrain from such destructive behaviors. However, Ari’s parents are running out of money to pay for the treatments. His father worked until recently as a cab driver, but has been at home for months, recuperating from bypass surgery. His earnings, along with his wife’s salary as a bookkeeper, were sufficient to keep the family out of debt. However, now Ari’s mother, Bella, is shouldering the entire burden herself – caring for her two autistic epileptic sons and for her husband while working as the family’s main breadwinner. Her income cannot cover all of their needs, and there is no longer enough money for the therapy that has been so helpful to Ari and, by extension, to his entire family.