By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Commission voted this week to allocate $15,000 from the County’s annual operating budget for the Sunflower Diversified Early Childhood Intervention Program. Sunflower provides individualized services to children from birth to age five with a developmental delay or disability.
Sunflower’s Executive Director Jon Prescott told Commissioners that his organization is continuing to make a special effort to help children with autism. Seven children with autism are currently being served by Sunflower with another five children on a waiting list. Prescott shared the story of a conversation he recently had with a mother whose son was helped by Sunflower’s program.
“She said ‘I just want to make a comment that my son had a diagnosis of autism,’” Prescott related. “'Even though you guys didn’t have the training you’ve got today, he is now in middle school. Does he make A’s? Not even close, but he does well. He plays sports, and no way would he have ever been to that point without the support you guys gave him when he was small.’”
“Her best friend had no idea that her son had a diagnosis of autism. She said, ‘why make a big deal out of it? He’s doing well.’”
Sunflower’s professional staff serves children in a home setting allowing them to include the family in the educational process.
In addition to Barton County, Sunflower provides services in Rice, Pawnee, Stafford and Rush Counties. Those counties also allocate funding for the Early Childhood Intervention Program.