MEET THE
MARTH FAMILY
B E N, R O B I N, A N D C L AY TO N What are your family members’ names and children’s ages? Where do your children go to school, and does/do your special needs child/children attend school and/ or receive other educational/ behavioral services? If you have a special needs adult living at home, are they employed or attending a special services program? Robin and I have been married since 2011; we have one son, Clayton Marth, who will be 9 this July. Clayton attends full-time ABA, speech, and occupational therapies at BACA in Fishers, IN. Do you have pets or service animals? Tell us a little about them. We have one dog (Moolah) and two cats (Elsa Von Thunderpaws and Maddox). Moolah is a black lab/retriever mix; she is 7 years old. Where are you and your family originally from? Ben is originally from Green Bay, WI, and Robin is originally from Sandy, Utah. Where do you live in Indiana? How long have you lived here? What brought you to Indiana? As a family, we have lived in Fishers since 2011. Robin has lived in Fishers since 1994. Her family moved here after her father took on a new position with a large corporation headquartered in Indianapolis. Ben originally moved to Bloomington, IN, in 1999 as part of a job promotion. Since then, he’s lived in Texas and New York before settling back in Fishers.
26 Special Needs Living • May 2022
What have been some of the challenges you/your family have experienced, how have you overcome some of these struggles? The initial diagnosis of Clayton’s autism was devastating to us as parents. There were countless hours of tears, anger, guilt, and frustration between us. The unknown of what we were to expect was probably the hardest part. Clayton is non-verbal and has unique challenges, some he has conquered and others he continues to work on. His therapies are covered under insurance; however, maintaining that coverage is becoming more challenging as Clayton gets older. Clayton struggles to interact with other children, and as such, he doesn’t have any friends. Clayton is challenged with undesirable behaviors at times but is mostly a very happy, funny boy. As parents, we find solace in the fact that “Clayton will be Clayton,” and that’s okay. Any advice you have for others who are experiencing similar situations and challenges? The best advice for parents with a child with autism would be to know that you are not alone. There are great people and programs that will help you. Ben is involved in Empact Parenting as a parent facilitator. It is an amazing program to help you hone your skills as a parent of a child with unique challenges. Robin went through the Indiana Partners in Policymaking advocacy program through the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities. There, she learned how to advocate for not only her child but anyone with disabilities living in the state.
What are some happy memories that really stay with you? Were there milestones or accomplishments you/your child hit that you never thought would be possible? Our son amazes us daily; his skills and abilities grow constantly. A major milestone that we can recall was when Clayton became potty trained; we didn’t think that it was possible due to his general lack of communication, but he is 100% potty trained. Currently, Clayton is involved in a special needs ice hockey league in Westfield. He is doing a great job learning to tolerate wearing a helmet and ice skates and is starting to get out on the ice with his coach. These are things that we never expected him to be able to do, but slowly, he is. What college/university did you/your spouse attend? How has school been challenging? What did you do in school to overcome some of these challenges? Ben attended college courses in criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay; Robin graduated from IUPUI with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. As mentioned, Clayton attends ABA full-time; he’s never been part of the public school system. We don’t know what we don’t know with regards to his education path, but we always remain hopeful. What are your profession(s), and where do you work? Ben is a district manager for a private security firm; Robin works remotely as an editor for a safety and compliance company. If you have children or a special needs adult still at home, with what activities are they involved? Clayton is our only child. He is currently involved with the Indy Twisters Special Hockey team. Everything we do seems to revolve around Clayton, and that’s okay! We like to get outside when the weather allows. He enjoys going to the local parks, and we enjoy walking around the Indiana state parks as well.
