Meet the Moultrie Family

BY KENDRA ROGERS, MS

PHOTOS BY @PHOTOSBYKPG

Originally from Detroit, Tiera and Montrell Moultrie have two precious boys, both diagnosed with autism. Mykail is 7 and Miguel is 4.5, both boys are attending school in the Berkley district. Berkley school district has been great for Mykail and Miguel so far. Tiera shares that his IEP meeting moved without issues, and he has gotten the support he needs to progress educationally and socially. He will get ABA in the summer as well to further support him. Miguel has gone from not being able to express himself to being able to use 2–3-word phrases to communicate what he wants and needs. They have a 3-year-old black lab, Matte Marie. Though Matte Marie is not trained as a therapy dog, she acts as one for the boys. Mykail and Miguel have a special bond with their special companion.

Tiera shares that finding resources has been a challenge since the beginning. Respite care and consistency of therapy have been especially hard to achieve. Tiera is attending Wayne State University working to earn her BCBA. She says the workload of classes, therapies, and work is daunting.

Due to the cost of extracurricular activities and limited availability to those with special needs, they don’t let that stop them from establishing wonderful traditions and amazing times for the boys. They enjoy outings that most children their age would enjoy. Parks, inside play places, the zoo, etc. we hold a membership to the detroit zoo and the detroit science center. They celebrate the boys’ birthdays all month in April and enjoy taking beach vacations together. Between watching the Detroit Lions, jumping on the trampoline or neighborhood parks, there is no shortage of fun in the Moultrie house!

Though there are fun times, like any parents of kids with special needs, life is tiring, too. Tiera shares that she enjoys relaxing while binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy and eating chips and guac to decompress after a hard day. Throughout the years of watching their boys grow, there have been ups and downs between therapy setbacks and difficulty joining play groups. This year saw wonderful progress when Miguel said, “Mommy”, a word Tiera never thought she’d hear. Now, he talks constantly. Mykail loves to climb, too, so any opportunity to be a spider is exciting! Though the struggles persist, the boys have taught their parents patience through the beams of light and joy they truly are.

Tiera shares the importance of being involved in the community and fulfills that through running an ASD advocacy support group— Autism in the D (autisminthed. com). She shares that Healing Haven has been a necessary resource for her and her boys, too. As she works to support her boys’ development even more, she asks for help in achieving to open Detroit’s first autism adaptive and inclusive play gym.