Dear Friend of STAR, 

So much of a child’s life happens beneath the surface — the unseen rhythms, sensations, and emotions that shape how they move, feel, and belong in the world. For many families, these invisible sensory experiences create daily challenges that are hard to name and even harder to navigate. 

For Dylan’s family, this was exactly their story. 
“From the very beginning, we knew something was different,” his mom shared. “Dylan had a few medical things at birth, and as he grew, milestones came slowly — or not at all. We could feel something was happening under the surface, but we didn’t have the language to understand it.” 

They searched for answers, trying to piece together behaviors, sensitivities, and moments of overwhelm that others couldn’t see. But the more they looked, the more isolated they felt. 
“It wasn’t that he couldn’t do things — he just couldn’t do them the way everyone expected. And no one could tell us why.” 

Everything changed when they found STAR Institute. 

“For the first time,” his mom said, “someone saw what we were seeing. STAR showed us what was really going on beneath the surface — what Dylan was feeling, sensing, and trying so hard to communicate. It felt like someone turned on a light.” 

Through sensory-informed therapy, a team that truly listened, and tools rooted in research and compassion, Dylan began to flourish. His family began to understand his world — not as broken or wrong, but as beautifully unique. 
“STAR gave us hope,” his mom said. “More than that — they gave us confidence. And they gave Dylan a way to feel safe in his own body.” 

Stories like Dylan’s remind us why STAR exists — and why your support matters. 

This year, hundreds of children, teens, and adults are waiting for sensory-informed therapy. Families are searching for answers. Clinicians around the world are seeking the training STAR provides so they can better support neurodivergent individuals in their own communities. 

Your gift makes this possible. When you give to STAR, you help: 

• Provide life-changing therapy for children like Dylan 

• Reduce wait times so families get help when they need it 

• Sustain financial assistance for families facing barriers 

• Train clinicians across Colorado and beyond in sensory-informed, neurodiversity-affirming care 

• Build a world where every sensory experience — and every person — is seen and understood 

As the year draws to a close, we invite you to join us in Making the Invisible Visible. Your generosity brings clarity, connection, and hope to families searching for answers. It creates a future where neurodivergent individuals don’t just survive — they thrive. 

Please consider making your end-of-year gift today. 
Every sense, every story, and every child matters — and your support changes lives. 

With gratitude, 
Dr. Virginia Spielmann
Executive Director | STAR Institute
 

P.S. Every dollar makes a difference. Your gift today helps STAR Institute lead the way in sensory health, creating lasting change and beyond. Thank you for being so supportive! Remember, your gift is tax-deductible for 2025 if you make it on or before December 31st!

Put your gift to work faster by donating online! Visit our website at https://givebutter.com/star-EOY2025

 

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“Seeing Dylan the Way STAR Sees Him” 

Dylan is almost eight. He is joyful, loud, curious, and full of movement. He doesn’t use verbal speech, but he communicates in so many other ways. He seeks sensory input—banging drawers, stomping loudly, screaming with delight. He loves animals, airplanes, and dance parties around the dining room table. 

But understanding why Dylan moves through the world the way he does took time. 

His first diagnosis—autism at age three—never felt like the full story. “It felt like a comma, not a period,” his mom says. “I knew there was more we didn’t yet understand.” 

Years later, a rare genetic diagnosis finally brought clarity. But it didn’t bring the tools, support, or partnership their family needed. 

STAR did. 

They found STAR through another mom on a ski lift, who described it as a place that understood sensory needs in a whole new way. Their first experience was the School Readiness Program—and it was the first time they’d ever been able to drop Dylan off for even a few hours. 

That mattered. A lot. 

Next came intensive therapy—and the relationship with Virginia, Dylan’s OT, who Dylan loved so instantly that she quickly became part of the “What are you thankful for?” list at school. 

At STAR, therapy looks like play. It feels like joy. It builds regulation, inhibition, communication, motor planning—but Dylan thinks he’s just playing cars with his friend. 

And the progress is real. 

Now he pauses before screaming. He whisper-screams instead. He gently closes drawers he used to slam. He’s learning to feel more in control of his body—and STAR taught his parents how to understand and support that. 

“I just want everyone to see Dylan the way the team at STAR sees him,” his mom says. “He doesn’t have to change anything for them to love him. They see who he is—and who he can be. They see all of him.” 

And that has made all the difference.