Teresa Field was all smiles as she played with her son, Simon, at the Kindering Graduation on Thursday at Crossroads Park in Bellevue.

With a head full of blond curls, 3-year-old Simon giggled with his speech therapist during a photo-op to commemorate his special day. After 18 months of therapy, Simon walked under the balloon arch that marked his graduation from Kindering Center along with the other 364 kids of the 2009 graduating class.

“He is a different boy today then when we first came to Kindering,” said Field, whose son was diagnosed on the autism spectrum when he was a little over age one. “He has a great sense of humor now and really engages in the world around him.”

Kindering Center, a nonprofit neurodevelopmental center for children with special needs ages birth to three, works with infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, metabolic disorders, neurological disorders, prematurity, Spina Bifida and visual impairments. The program was founded in 1962 in a church basement and now serves more than 3,000 children and their families each year.

For Simon, his time spent at Kindering Center has enabled him to make the strides needed to enter the regular school program at Faith Lutheran Preschool this fall.

Following graduation, about 25 percent of those who exit Kindering Center no longer require special education or additional services. The other 75 percent are eligible to enter a program through their school district such as an early preschool program, private special needs learning center or a community program.

“I’m so proud of Simon and so thankful to Kindering for its commitment to the community and children with special needs,” Field said. “I don’t know where we would be today without Kindering’s services. It has been a life-changing experience.”

Much like Field, Mary Kay Cuthill has watched her 4-year-old daughter, Maci, achieve continuous progress through the therapy she receives from Kindering Center. At 16 months, Maci began showing signs of developmental delay. She was having trouble imitating speech and her mother began to get concerned.

“As a parent, we weren’t sure if we were being overly sensitive or if there was something seriously wrong. We thought it can’t hurt to have her evaluated,” Cuthill explained. “Our pediatrician referred us to Kindering.”

Maci was eventually diagnosed with Apraxia, a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements. Over the last year and a half, she received home visits three times a week from Kindering staff for occupational and physical therapy.

“I would love for people to know more about Kindering. I think these issues aren’t something you think about until you are thrown head-on into the situation with your own child. We are very fortunate to have such an amazing program located here on the Eastside,” Cuthill added.

Kindering Center focuses primarily on ages birth to three which provides the greatest window of opportunity to affect neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms. They work closely with Child Protective Services, Group Health, Pediatric Association on the Eastside and Public Health to increase community screenings for infants and toddlers.

“This year, we have really stepped up the community screenings we offer,” said Kindering Executive Director Mimi Siegel. “We visit child care centers, homeless shelters and community centers all over the Eastside to make sure our services are as accessible as possible.”

According to Siegel, Kindering has seen an increase in the number of children who are born with autism or born prematurely, resulting in developmental delays.

“The societal need for these services are increasing every year,” she explained. “The good news is that doctors are very aware of the importance of early intervention and they are referring children earlier and earlier. That is a tremendous breakthrough.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.

For more information on the Kindering Center visit www.kindering.org or call 425-747-4004.