A Brief Hiatus WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED
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inding someone trustworthy to watch your children is a dilemma for any parent. When you have two children with autism however, there are additional care-giving needs that must be considered.
FINDING RESPITE It was more than a decade before Matthew Veitch, and Stephanie (his wife of 22 years), were able to leave their two boys with anyone other than family. “You can’t just go out to dinner and say, ‘Ok, we’ll be back in a couple of hours.’ When you have two children with autism, you don’t have that opportunity,” said Matt. Matt who has been the Saratoga Springs Supervisor since 2008, is a long-time Verizon employee, and an avid cyclist. Going for a bike ride, or even just getting chores done around the house – uninterrupted – used to feel like an unattainable luxury.
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In many families, as kids become teenagers, they start to take on more responsibilities (like watching the house when the parents are out). The Veitchs could not do that. Thanks to AIM Services Respite Care, Matt and Stephanie can get out once in a while. The couple has also been able to enjoy two vacations to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. “Respite allows for us to get that free time out and not have to worry about our kids’ safety or security,” said Matt. Those are things that before Respite, they’d never imagined were possible. UNIQUE CHALLENGES, INDIVIDUALIZED SOLUTIONS Jacob Veitch spent much of his childhood upside-down. “He experienced the world from an inverted position. He spent many, many years upside down, so he knows the world upside down and right side up,” said Matt. Jacob loves movement and has an uncanny ability to spin objects extremely fast. This manipulation of the physical world earned him the nickname, Sir Isaac Newton. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
