ABC Pediatrics of Florida, Inc. - PPEC

🌟✨ Reflecting on the Magic of Our 4th Annual Christmas Celebration! 🎄🎅

ABC Pediatrics of Florida extends heartfelt gratitude to our incredible owners, dedicated staff, and the amazing families and community partners who made this year's Christmas celebration a resounding success, and a most memorable day for our children! 🙌❤️

🎁 From Santa's arrival to the joyful gift exchange, carol singing, and delightful food, every moment was filled with warmth and holiday spirit. Together, we created cherished memories that will last a lifetime. 🌈✨

👏 A Special Thanks to:
👩‍⚕️ Our Owners: Your vision and commitment to creating a nurturing and festive environment shine through in every detail of this celebration. Thank you for making it magical!

👨‍⚕️ Dedicated Staff: Your hard work, creativity, and passion ensured that every child and family experienced the true joy of the season. Your dedication is the heart of our success!

👪 Families: Thank you for being the heartbeat of our ABC Pediatrics family. Your presence and enthusiasm added an extra layer of joy to the festivities.

🤝 Community Partners: We're grateful for the support of our community partners who collaborated with us to make this celebration truly special. Together, we build a stronger, more connected community.

🎄🎅To MS Catherine: Thank you for your time and efforts in creating such an amazing Christmas Wonderland.

🌟 Special Thanks to Andrea, Her Parents, Astrid and the Amazing Team at Andrea Believes Foundation: Your generosity and commitment to spreading joy through the toy drive, (my office literally looked like Toys-R-US), made a lifelong impact on our amazing kids. Thank you for providing countless smiles and bringing the magic of the season to our celebration! The pure joy everyone felt was a real life Christmas Miracle. Thank you so much and may God Bless you ALL!!!!!! 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

🎉 As we wrap up this festive season, let's carry the spirit of togetherness and gratitude into the new year. Here's to more moments of joy, growth, and community in the coming year!

🙏 Thank you, everyone, for making the 4th Annual Christmas Celebration a memorable and heartwarming event. We can't wait to create more magical moments together in the future! 🌟🎊

🎄❤️🎉

On behalf of ABC Pediatrics of Florida, our children, and their families, we would like to extend a HEARTFELT THANK YOU to Andrea Viejo, founder of Andrea Believes Foundation and her family. Thank you for all your Love and Support!!! 🙏🙏🙏

What an AMAZING DAY!!! Walk for Autism 2023!!!

Thank You to everyone who helped us in making Halloween 2023 a truly memorable day for our children!!!

Happy Birthday Princeley!!! We all had a ROARING good time!!!

What a wonderful event Sponsored by Andrea Viejo, founder of Andrea Believes Foundation. We're so happy to welcome you into our family. Thank You for all you do for our community.

Happy Birthday to Jacques (Jungle Safari) and Joseline (Little Mermaid).

A special Thank You to Ms. Sophia Lacroix and her team from the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP at FIU. Sophia graciously volunteered to do "Face Painting" for the kids with amazing success.
Thank You to Nancy Torres from the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development Family Navigator Program for her support and attendance.
Thank you to Ms. Gina who did an incredible job decorating, and to Ms. Mimose and Ms. Gladys for preparing the delicious Haitian cuisine.

Our 2022 Christmas Party was an AMAZING success!!! A special Thank You to Nancy Torres and Germinia Guzman for conducting a Toy Drive for our Children.

💙💙

"Holiday Guide to Autism

My name is Jack.

I have autism.

My autism means I like my schedule very, very much. I like to wrap myself in routine like a soft, cozy blanket.

Loud noises make me nervous. Do not be surprised if I put my hands over my ears when I walk in the door. I need to filter out all the different sounds until I get used to them.

The doctor says I am very tactile. This means I use my fingers to see things. It is okay for you to ask me not to touch things that are important or fragile. It is also okay for you to put them away before I get there.

Please, don’t be upset if you give me a present but I don’t look very excited.

I love getting a present. I really do.

But after I open it, I have to take my time and look at it carefully and decide how it will fit inside my life. I might be so busy thinking about this that I forget to say thank you.

Try not to say words that sound like maple syrup drizzled over a beehive. The kind that taste sweet in your mouth but are meant to give little stings.

Don’t suggest the gluten-free diet when you see me eating a roll with a lot of butter.

Don’t say maybe my autism would get better if I would learn to stop pacing around the floor so much.

Don’t talk about how the latest research states kids like me who take medicine every night will maybe one day get a third eye or the disease of cancer.

Please, don’t insist I pet your dog.

Don’t insist I try your yams.

Don’t insist I sit the whole time for dinner.

In fact, don’t insist anything.

My mother and my father will do the insisting if they want. They know how to stretch me like a rubber band—just far enough so I don’t break.

They know when is the right time to make me try a new food. They know when to make me sit and when to let me pace.

It can be a help for me if there is a quiet place where I can go and do my breathing. It doesn’t have to be anywhere special—an extra bedroom or your sewing room is good.

When it comes to our family, try not to look at your clock too much. Sometimes we are late for parties.

This can be for many reasons. Maybe I took a long time to get dressed.
Maybe I had to keep going back and making sure my pillows were straight on my bed.

If we are late, don’t sing out about our lateness in a weird voice like this: you’re laa-aate! It makes all of us feel bad.

Sometimes, we have to leave early.

When we have to leave early it’s because I have had enough. I have had enough of the smelly food and the loud talking. The breaks in the sewing room aren’t working anymore.

If this happens, please don’t ask why and say we haven’t even had pie yet and can’t we stay a little while longer.

You see, autism families do not measure time in seconds or minutes or hours like everybody else.

We measure it in sensory overload, lack of schedule, and broken ornaments.

Another thing is I don’t like hugging. This is because when people touch me I feel like I am drowning and maybe my skin will come off my body.

This doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. I do. My caring just looks different.

Ask me things.

Ask me about cookies and my school and my music.

I love music.

Listen for my words, for I take longer than most to say them.

I will tell you that my favorite song is by Ariana Grande, and that I tried a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies the other day that said to use Crisco instead of butter.

Ask me.

I will tell you.

Keep your eyes on my face while I search for a way to explain it.

Keep your hands still while you listen to my quiet, halted speech.

Keep my words close to you, for they are the rarest of gifts.

Because inside of our beating hearts, I think we all want the same things. We want to eat food that tastes good on our tongues, and to feel safe and warm and calm like we are wrapped in a soft blanket.

Meet me where I stand.

Hear me when I speak.

See me as I am.

Thank you.

In case I forget to say it.

Thank you."



Shared with permission from Carrie Cariello

Halloween 2022

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween weekend. 👻

The Hunt is ON!!!!! 😷🐰🥚
ABC Pediatrics wishes everyone a HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!

ABC Pediatrics is Proud to Announce that our entire Staff has been Vaccinated...😷

ABC PPEC wishes Our Little Princess Joseline a very Happy Birthday!!!

I'm often asked how I am able to cope emotionally working in a PPEC, interacting daily with children afflicted with a myriad of infirmities and disabilities. The answer for me is simple...I love what I do. I love the fact that I make a positive difference in the lives of these children and their families. I've learned many life lessons from our children which in turn, has made me a better human being. Working at ABC Pediatrics is a blessing I will treasure forever...

Today we celebrate a very special day for a very special boy...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVINCI!!!

The Staff and Ownership of ABC Pediatrics would like to Thank all the Parents and Patients for your participation in our 2020 Christmas Celebration.

Snap a photo, post it on Instagram, and follow . For every photo posted with the hashtag , South Florida Ford will donate $5 to

Who pays for a PPEC? Patients eligible for Florida Medicaid are fully covered for PPEC and therapy services. We also accept some private insurances.

About 2.5 years ago my son was diagnosed with a speech delay. I didn’t know where to begin. I remember feeling so helpless and like I had failed him, but I picked myself up and I asked for help. It took a lot of work, but I was fortunate enough to find the right tools and people to help me.

The last 2.5 years have been consumed by therapy sessions, but I wouldn’t change a moment of it. I have met the most amazing and supportive community of people whom without, I would have been so, so lost.

I’ve tried to help others along the way and pay it forward, if you will. In doing so, I became passionate about something that I would not have given a second thought had it not been for my son's speech delay. All I found myself talking about was the children and families I was meeting on a daily basis. I was meeting children with cancer, children with neurological disorders, children with physical disabilities. You name it, I’ve seen it. Their stories were so inspirational and they all had one thing in common—they constantly reminded me of what it means to be brave, to look adversity in the face and attempt to overcome it. It was a reminder that my battle was/is a simple one, especially in comparison to theirs…and that with hope, a few tears, and mostly faith, anything is possible.

My family and I realized that we had an opportunity, and that is where ABC Pediatrics of Florida was born. ABC Pediatrics of Florida is a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) program. Our center provides quality care for children with special medical needs that cannot be met by a regular school or daycare. As much as I would like to, I know that I cannot change the world, but I can make a difference in my little corner of it, and I hope that in doing so someone else may feel compelled to pay it forward and make a difference. I will help whoever crosses my path, in any way that I can, such as so many have done for me.

Please join me in celebrating the opening of ABC Pediatrics of Florida by sharing and liking the page. We weren’t able to have a grand opening party because of Covid-19, but we have not let it put a damper on our excitement of this new endeavor!

With love, Vanessa