Our story begins in Austin, Texas where we met back in 2017. Carleton is a native Texan and Laura is a native Washingtonian. We were both invited to a fundraiser for a Christian based organization and ended up sitting next to one another. We walked out together that night and lo and behold our cars were parked right next to each other! Phone numbers were exchanged and the rest was history. We got married in 2018 and moved to the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA on Valentines Day 2019.
Our first son, Finn, was born in 2019 and had a normal infant upbringing with no real issues. Our second son, Mac (red life jacket), came two years later in 2021 and we could tell something was off right from the start. Mac had to wear a helmet to deal with a severe case of tortacollis. Later we discovered that he was not developing properly and so we had him tested.
Seattle Children's testing confirmed to us that Mac has a condition called Fragile X. This is a genetic disorder that is passed down where the FMR1 gene in his brain does not get the right proteins it needs for proper development. This results in impaired brain development. Mac is a very happy kid but is non-verbal and continues to be in diapers at age 5. He will be dependent upon us most likely for the rest of his life for all of his care.
Raising Mac has been an eye opener for us in terms of trying to navigate all the social care components. Without someone to guide us through the process, we quickly realized there had to be other families like ours who needed additional assistance with everything from government income benefits to education support to speech and cognitive therapy and more. In addition to this, we had to self educate ourselves on the various financial issues that families with special needs children should be aware of including ABLE accounts and special needs trusts. Our own experience with all of this led us to start StillHaven - a non-traditional family office built exclusively to serve special needs families.
Our story begins in Tacoma, WA where we met through mutual friends back in early 1999 and were married later that same year. Katherine had just earned her master's degree in physical therapy in 1998 and was working as a physical therapist in a hospital. Aaron was in the Air Force stationed at McChord but was planning to separate from military service after 8 years. Several moves and job changes after marriage delayed starting a family.
Our son Benjamin (far right) was born in 2007 after an uneventful pregnancy. As Benjamin became a toddler, we started noticing that he often preferred playing by himself, was constantly on the move, struggled with transitions, and became overwhelmed in unfamiliar environments. Everyday outings required careful planning, and we increasingly realized that he experienced the world differently than many other children. When our daughter Autumn was born in 2009, those differences became even more apparent.
As Benjamin entered elementary school, academics, friendships, and emotional regulation became increasingly challenging. He was bright, curious, and incredibly sensitive, yet impulsive and prone to emotional outbursts that were difficult for both him and us to understand.
Although we suspected autism, we didn't know how to pursue an evaluation. At the encouragement of a close friend who was also a special education teacher, we sought a comprehensive evaluation through the University of Washington's Child Development Clinic. Benjamin was 10 years old when he was diagnosed with autism.
Receiving the diagnosis brought both relief and clarity. At last, we understood why our son experienced the world differently. We also believed the diagnosis would open doors to educational support, but instead we encountered another obstacle.
Although Benjamin clearly had unique needs, he did not qualify for special education services through his school district. He instead received accommodations through a Section 504 plan. While helpful, those accommodations often fell short of addressing the day-to-day academic, social, and emotional challenges he faced.
Around the time of Benjamin’s diagnosis, Katherine accepted a position as a physical therapist within the local school district's special education program. Working alongside students with disabilities, families, teachers, therapists, administrators, and community agencies gave her an entirely new perspective on the systems families must navigate.
Katherine saw firsthand as both a parent and a professional how difficult it can be to understand eligibility requirements, coordinate services, advocate within schools, access community resources, and prepare for the future.
This journey, which began with Benjamin, taught us that the greatest challenge for families is rarely just locating individual services. Rather, it is understanding how all the pieces—educational planning, government benefits, healthcare, financial planning, housing, employment, care giving, and long-term planning—fit together as a unified whole.
As the mother of our 22-year-old son, Wyatt, I have spent more than two decades navigating the joys, challenges, and complexities of raising a child with special needs. Wyatt was diagnosed with developmental delays at just nine months old after showing delays in walking and talking. At age six, he was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, and throughout his school years he received special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the support of a dedicated one-on-one aide. Our family also spent countless hours attending physical, occupational, and speech therapy appointments.
When Wyatt (third from left) was 12, he developed epilepsy, adding another layer to his medical journey. He has also been diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and manages severe allergies. These experiences have given me firsthand knowledge of the medical, educational, and government systems that families often must navigate to access the care and services their children need.
Over the years, I have been actively involved in Idaho's Medicaid developmental disabilities programs and have advocated at both the local and state levels for improved services, resources, and support for individuals with disabilities and their families. Along the way, I have been incredibly fortunate to learn from parents who generously shared their knowledge and experience with me. Their mentorship made an overwhelming journey far more manageable.
Because of their example, I have tried to pay that gift forward. I am passionate about helping other families understand the often-complicated processes, paperwork, and bureaucracy involved in accessing services and support. My hope is that no parent has to feel alone as they navigate this journey, and that by sharing what I've learned, I can help other families spend less time fighting systems and more time celebrating their children.
Copyright © 2026 StillHaven Family Office - All Rights Reserved. StillHaven Family Office is a DBA of McHenry Capital, LLC, a registered investment adviser in the state of Washington and Texas. The Adviser may not transact business in states where it is not appropriately registered or exempt from registration. Individualized responses to persons that involve either the effecting of transactions in securities or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation will not be made without registration or exemption. StillHaven Family Office provides financial-advisory and financial-planning services through appropriately authorized personnel, together with non-clinical social care planning, navigation, coordination, referral, and related services. StillHaven Family Office does not itself provide medical or mental-health diagnosis, clinical assessment or treatment, nursing, clinical social work, or other social-care services requiring separate professional licensure. When appropriate, StillHaven family office helps clients identify and coordinate with independent qualified professionals and service providers.