ABOUT US
Magnolia Rose was born April 22, 2019. When Magnolia was about 1 ½ year old, my husband, Roderick and I noticed that Magnolia had not started speaking. In fact, she wasn’t even babbling like most babies do. We immediately arranged for her to see her pediatrician who recommended she receive speech therapy. There were other characteristics that concerned us as well, so we had to seek further evaluations and help from other professionals. The wait in the Baton Rouge area alone for a child to be assessed for developmental differences is 6 months to a year. So, a year later from our initial concern Magnolia was tested and diagnosed with Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Most people don’t realize that Autism isn’t a “disability” it’s a “different ability”. Current CDC, reports show that 1 in 36 children are autistic. The vision of the Magnolia Rose Foundation is to teach inclusion and encourage the acknowledgement of developmental differences. For children of all ages and abilities to connect through play and education. That one-day society will show recognition to all neurodivergent people.
In doing this, we will support other families with autistic children provide a free activity each month for “all” children to give them an opportunity to play together AND learn about each other’s differences. Our mission is to create safe and fun spaces for autistic and neurotypical children to play and learn. To educate parents on inclusion and developmental differences. To establish an environment of growth and understanding of the unique variations in each other.
Magnolia and Esther
The Inspiration Behind Our Play Dates
Best friends since the womb! The mission of The Magnolia Rose Foundation was developed from the friendship and play dates of these little girls. Their mother’s have been best friends since they were 5 & 6 years old and had determined in their minds that they would be best friends as well.
We could tell that their was something different about Magnolia in how she played and interacted with Esther, but that has never stopped their blossoming friendship. It is our determination that they grow and learn from each other. Differences are beautiful.
These past 4 years we have watched our girls grow and love each other. We did not influence their relationship but provided an atmosphere of love and fun. Esther started saying words, then sentences, and can now hold a conversation. Magnolia hasn’t gotten there yet. She only uses 2 words in context “no” and “bye”. However, that has never hindered their communication. They still play and chase each other. Esther has gotten used to hearing Magnolia’s high-pitched squeals and Magnolia now lets Esther hold her hand. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for their friendship.
After Magnolia’s diagnosis, I searched for extracurricular programs for her to be involved in. Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the Baton Rouge Area. I then began to think about how I could fix this issue. The latest studies show that 1 in 36 children are autistic. Why aren’t there more extracurricular programs and why aren’t other programs more inclusive of neurodivergent children?
This is how the Foundation was formed. Creating inclusive play dates for all children so that they might learn from each other through play. After all, an autistic child grows up to be an autistic adult. Just as a neurotypical child will grow up to be a neurotypical adult. Exposing kids to different learning abilities will one day create a more inclusive society.
From Miranda
I think one amazing example of our friendship is unconditional love. The fact that we genuinely love each other’s children and are so happy for each of their accomplishments as they grow up. I admit when I started to notice that Nolie wasn’t hitting some of her milestones as she should I hesitated in telling Miranda. Especially when Esther started doing something new, but when I saw that Miranda was genuinely proud of Esther and didn’t hold it against her or me that she was different than Magnolia I knew I could share everything with her.
That is something I am very grateful for. Not everyone can handle the differences as well as Miranda has. It’s humbling for me to witness and it makes me want to be a better friend to her and do whatever I can to support her and Magnolia.
From Kacee
