Millburn-Short Hills Magazine May 2021 | Page 38

solutions

La�e��er Li�eli�e

�eloved�ath offers �eanin�f�lwor� for people with a�tis� WR�TTE� �Y KA�TLY� KA��LE�

ome people joke that great bath products are lifesavers . For two local mothers , this sentiment hits close to home . After they discovered that the

scent of lavender helped soothe their autistic sons , they built a thriving business called Beloved Bath that not only creates calming bath products , but helps provide jobs for people with autism . They share their story and what they ’ ve learned about autism and running their business in apodcast called Ma�ing �cents o� �utis� , available onSpotify .
FRIENDSWHO SHARE APURPOSE
West Orange resident Patricia Miller and Maplewood resident Pam Kattouf first became friends at a playground when their oldest sons were little . “ We hit it off , and then we both ended up having boys with autism ,” Kattouf says .
Kattouf says her son Justin , now 1� , was diagnosed atage 2with profound autism — just months before Miller ’ s nearly-three-year-old son John , who , after getting a finger caught in the hinge of afireplace screen , displayed classic autism symptoms .
“ I guess Iwas so in denial that it really was autism because he had just had a traumatic injury and the pediatrician had just said ‘ Oh , it could be the trauma , just give him some time ,’” Miller says . “ And when we finally did get the diagnosis and it became reality , it took some time to digest .”
GETT��G TO �O�K �Top� �at Miller and �a� �atto�f�s sons �ohn and ��stin were dia�nosed with a�tis� within �onths of each other . �Above� �at Miller and �a� �atto�f started �eloved �ath as away to provide �obs not only for their a�tistic sons , b�t for other people with a�tis� , too .
Miller says she waited to process the information before she called Kattouf . When they spoke , Kattouf told her she had waited six months for her call . “ It ’ s ahard call when
your child first gets diagnosed to reach out to that first person and say it ,” Kattouf says .
ENGAGING WORK , NOTBUSYWORK
Beloved Bath is not the first attempt the women made to improve the lives of their sons and others with autism . Before starting the bath products company , they were part of agroup of parents who started Garden Academy , a non-profit school for individuals with autism . The school specializes in applied behavior analysis , a type of therapy that focuses on improving communication , reading , fine motor dexterity and other life skills . Miller currently sits on its board of directors , and she and Kattouf still fundraise for the school .
But being diagnosed with profound autism means that John and Justin ’ s verbal skills are limited , which caused Miller and Kattouf to be concerned about what their sons would do for work as they reached adulthood . According to Miller , between �� and �0 percent of people with autism are underemployed or unemployed .“ Pam started looking , and she kept saying we have tofind something that they love to do and that they would be happy doing ,” Miller says .
Kattouf , who was an educator before starting Beloved Bath and most recently worked with autistic students , says she was horrified at the kinds of jobs people with autism are given . She says she visited job sites with some of her students . “ What Isaw made me cry ,” she says .
�HOTOS COURTESY OF �AT M�LLER
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MAY 2021 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE