Thinking back to their son, Henry, and his early years, Stacie and Cory McCutcheon remember a quiet boy who smiled easily but struggled to fully connect. "We noticed early on that he was developing differently," Stacie recalls. "At first, we didn't want to compare him to his older brother, but eventually, we realized something more was going on."
At 19 months old, Henry was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome - a rare genetic condition that affects balance, speech, and development. Later, he was also diagnosed with autism, opening a door to essential therapies. "That diagnosis was pretty tough," Cory admits. "But you have to advocate for what your child needs."
That help came through Easterseals Midwest's autism services in Columbia, Missouri. Henry began Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy with Autism Manager Megan Tregnago, beginning nearly nonverbal and often communicating through frustration. "He came to us with only two requests: 'dada' and 'bubbles,'" Megan explains. From there, they built one small victory at a time.
Using a play-based approach known as the Early Start Denver Model, Henry's therapists embedded communication goals into his favorite activities. Pairing this with Skill-Based Treatment, it helped Henry express his needs when faced with certain challenges, like when someone walked away or a toy was out of reach. "One of his things was if anyone walked away from him, like if his parents had to leave him, he would begin to hit himself in the head," Megan says. "So we taught him what to say on his device instead."
Over time, those moments of frustration transformed into meaningful communication. Henry began to use his speech device - affectionately called his "talker" - not only to label things, but to connect with the world around him. "Through his speech device, he was able to say things like 'I don't feel well' or 'I want to go play on the playground,' do those things that help him interact with his community, not just sit at a desk," Stacie explains.
Soon, Henry was using complete sentences.
"We had these fudge pops, frozen ice cream that he really liked," Cory laughs. "And there is no 'fudge pop' key on the communication device, so he said 'brownie popsicle' instead. It's pretty neat to see him be creative with it sometimes."
Even his relationships at home began to blossom. Henry's therapists invite his brothers into sessions to help them understand how to communicate and play together. "Teaching them how to work with his talker and teaching them proper strategies, like lowering their voice to better communicate," Stacie says. "Henry learned how to interact with them better, too."
The family also credits Easterseals for supporting them beyond therapy. When insurance complications arose, the team worked tirelessly to ensure Henry's services continued. "They didn't take away his services because they knew he should have been covered," Stacie says. "So much of them emailing and calling us, trying to figure it out. You'd think normally they would just take away services, and they didn't."
Two years after beginning ABA therapy, Henry graduated from Easterseals Midwest with a vocabulary that had grown from two words to more than fifteen requests per session. He could answer questions about his name and birthday, label favorite foods, and even chat with classmates. "He initially grabbed people's hair when he wanted their attention," Megan says. "By the end, he was able to tap people or use their name on his device to get their attention."
Now, Henry is seven years old, thriving in school, and known familiarly as "the celebrity of his class." He walks down the hall waving and smiling, greeting everyone by name.
"He lights up any room that he's in," Cory says. "I remember picking him up from school and when Henry saw me, he went bananas. One of his teachers told me, 'I wish someone was that happy to see me every day.'"
Looking back, the McCutcheons say their journey has been about more than therapy: it's been about hope. "I would say early intervention is definitely key," Stacie reflects. "When you look back at the start and you look ahead to the finish, you see the tremendous growth."
