April marks World Autism Month—a time dedicated to fostering greater understanding, encouraging acceptance, and driving meaningful, lasting change for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Throughout the month, communities come together to raise awareness, share stories, and promote inclusion, helping to create a world where every individual is valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.

Over the coming months, we’ll share stories and insights — starting with Liam’s — to highlight how adaptive equipment and technologies can transform daily life. From improving safety and sleep to fostering independence and connection, these solutions help create a world where every person feels valued, supported, and included.

Real-Life Example of How a Safety Bed Changed Liam’s Life

Adaptive equipment and technologies play a critical role in supporting children and families with complex medical and neurodevelopmental needs. These tools make daily activities safer and more manageable — from helping a child sleep securely at night to enabling effective communication. By improving safety and accessibility, adaptive technologies support greater independence and strengthen daily interactions.

Adaptive technologies contribute to improved outcomes by:

• Increasing independence and social engagement, including self-care
• Supporting physical, emotional and cognitive development
• Enhancing quality of life and boosting caregiver confidence
• Enabling safe participation and connection within the home and community.

Like most parents, Brian and Agustina McCarthy want to ensure their son, Liam, is happy, healthy and safe. But because Liam, who’s 7 years old, lives with Level 3 autism, PICA and epilepsy, that can be a little more complicated for the McCarthy family.

“There’s a level of focus that’s required when monitoring Liam that we never knew we had or could even be achieved,” Brian says. “He’s a wonderful, caring, loving, curious, determined and silly little man, but his body is compelled to consume non-food items and seek sensory input by climbing on anything and everything tall.”

Liam, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was around 4 and epilepsy just last year, lives an active life. Brian describes his son as having “impeccable balance,” but because of Liam’s epilepsy diagnosis, climbing can be dangerous.

His parents make sure he’s supervised during the day, but nighttime proved to be a little harder to manage. After a night when Liam climbed atop his bureau to fall into his bed, his parents knew they needed a safety bed in addition to video monitors.

“After his epilepsy diagnosis, they told us he really shouldn’t be climbing anything higher than two feet,” Brian says. “It’s a huge danger if he wakes up in the middle of the night, doesn’t make a peep and climbs [on top of his bureau], and we don’t wake up. It’s a very serious safety issue.”

Even before Liam was diagnosed with epilepsy, helping him to settle and safely sleep through the night had been difficult.

We’ve spent at least four years anxious about Liam quietly engaging in dangerous sensory seeking or self-injurious behavior while we’re sleeping,” Brian says. “We’ve put 28,000 miles on our car in nine months just to drive him around to get him to sleep.”

Brian, Agustina and Liam’s ATP, Peter Eastman, initiated the process of ordering a safety bed at their local NSM branch, then worked with Kim Giordano, NSM Funding Supervisor, and Justyna Wozny, an NSM Funding Specialist, to navigate the insurance approval process. Liam received his Cubby Bed in March of last year.

“Kim and Justyna were so understanding of our need for things to be expedited,” Brian says. “At each step, they told us exactly what actions we needed to take to move the process further to completion. They were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and nurturing during what can be an absolutely crazy, intimidating, confusing and frustrating process.”

For the McCarthy family, the experience was a primary example of NSM working to meet client needs — something NSM’s funding team prides itself on, according to Kim Giordano, NSM Funding Supervisor.

“We strive to be subject matter experts and advocate fiercely for our clients to ensure they receive the necessary equipment,” Giordano says. “It was rewarding for Justyna and our team to be a part of an effort that allows this family to rest peacefully at night, knowing their son is secure.”

Learn More about how NSM Can Support You

Due to autism, PICA, and epilepsy, Liam required a safe nighttime solution to prevent injury. A medically approved safety bed provided security, improved sleep, and peace of mind for his family.

👉 Click here to discover how Cubby Beds can create a safer, more restful space for your child.