WALK FOR HOPE: Family and friends gather for an inspiring little girl

When Matt Traylor watches the video of this past Christmas, he is amazed to see the progress that his daughter, Hope, has made.

“To watch it now is just odd,” said Matt. “All you could hear was the crinkling of wrapping paper in front of the Christmas tree.”

The Miramar Beach family had traveled to Louisiana to spend the holiday with family. Hope’s cousins and other family members were all around her, but the interaction that usually comes with such a situation was elusive to Hope.

“Christmas was the pinnacle of Hope’s frustration,” said Alanna Traylor, Hope's mother. “You could really tell that there was some sort of internal struggle there. It was like the rest of us weren’t even there. She was also throwing a lot of fits. She desired to communicate with us, but just didn’t know how.”

This past Wednesday, Hope Elisabeth Traylor looked as happy and active as any 2-year-old. She darted from her mother, to her father, to some of her favorite toys and then back to mom, smiling from ear to ear.

On Oct. 10, Hope’s second birthday, family members had brought her lack of communication to the attention of her parents. Alanna immediately started researching and stumbled upon promising therapies used with autistic children.

She came across a practice called Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy, then found the closest institution that offers the practice: Brilliant Minds, a nonprofit organization in Destin.

Hope was soon enrolled in the Early Steps program after her speech and language skills were rated at the level of a 6- to 9-month-old. The program provides speech therapy twice a week and occupational therapy once a week. She has also been to several neurologists and has been scheduled to address gastrointestinal issues.

Hope’s initial diagnosis was a developmental speech delay and it has been determined that she has several “red flags” for autism.

“You struggle to acknowledge something like this,” said Alanna. “And you don’t know that a place like Brilliant Minds exists until you need it. They love my child as much as we do and people need to know that they are there, this could happen to anyone. What they do for children is amazing.”

Because of Hope’s age, doctors cannot be completely sure about her diagnosis. They have very specific possibilities in mind, but until she ages and can be observed more in her ability to communicate, they cannot be specific.

This creates a problem for the Traylors.

Under their insurance, Hope would need a defined diagnosis in order for her treatment and therapy to be covered. She currently receives seven hours of ABA therapy a week, which costs $420.

Happy with Hope’s progress and desperate for the treatment to continue, Alanna asked the Brilliant Minds’ clinical director what she could do to continue providing care for her daughter.

“She told me to get creative,” said Alanna. “And a walk was the first thing I thought of.”

Saturday morning, friends and family of the Traylors are gathering at 8 a.m. at Legion Park in Miramar Beach to participate in the Walk for Hope.

“She has grasped everything so quickly,” said Brilliant Minds clinical director Gina Ballone. “She is our little trooper.”

To inquire about helping Hope’s situation or for more information, call 837-1200; visit brilliantminds.org, or e-mail hopetraylorwalk@gmail.com.

“It’s like they sprinkled glitter on my kid,” said Alanna. “And she has come out better than ever.”