When Razien Tatum was 17 months old and still not speaking, his mother Latasha knew something wasn’t right.
She knew that Razien needed help however, the first doctor she visited was not able to provide her with any of the 
answers that she needed. After much research, Latasha came across Dr. Ave Gozo, M.D., Special Needs Primary Care pediatrician at Children’s Specialized Hospital, and Razien was finally able to begin getting proper care.
“It was quite a commute for us, but ever since I researched and discovered Children’s Specialized Hospital, it has been a Godsend to me,” said Latasha. After a proper evaluation, Razien was diagnosed with Asperger’s, communication delays, speech delays, developmental delays, and ADHD.
Latasha wasted no time, immediately getting Razien involved in occupational therapy and speech therapy. She also scheduled appointments with Dr. Malia Beckwith, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician at Children’s Specialized Hospital, and Dr. Illeana Bernal, Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatrist. By the time Razien turned five, he was finally able to speak.
For the past 2-3 years, Razien has been involved in the community recreational martial arts program at Children’s Specialized Hospital, which has had more of an impact on him than Latasha could have ever imagined. “Razien was a little socially awkward and he was kind of scared to approach people. Dealing with the martial arts he’s able to be himself,” she says. Latasha gives an immense amount of credit to instructor Isaiah Barnes, who has taught Razien to not be afraid to be himself and to put his best foot forward. “I don’t know where we would be without the martial arts program.”
Razien recently had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Somerset Patriots game, and it was a night the 13 year
old will nev
er forget. He got to take pictures with some of the players, the mayor of the town, and even former New York Yankees pitcher, Sparky Lyle. It was an incredible experience for both him and his parents.
Overall, Latasha says a lot of her appreciation for Children’s Specialized Hospital comes from the friendliness of the staff. As she says, “Usually when you go to hospitals and speak to people, they don’t normally speak back, but when you go to Children’s Specialized it’s always ‘Good morning,’ and ‘How are you, how is everything.’ The people there are phenomenal.” Children’s Specialized Hospital is committed to working not only with the child, but with the children’s family as well through Patient-and-Family-Centered Care. A child’s family is the child’s primary source of strength and support, so Children’s Specialized makes an extra effort to really keep a child’s parents or guardians both engaged and informed through every step of the process. This allows both the child and their family to feel welcome, and helps to provide the best experience possible in a situation that can be at time tough to deal with. “You’re dealing with a lot having a special needs child, by no means is it easy, but when you go (to Children’s Specialized) you know you’re going to come out with a resolution, and if you don’t have a resolution you’re not going to leave until you get one.”
Razien recently celebrated his 13th birthday, entering his teenage years. Both his parents and Children’s Specialized Hospital can’t wait to see what’s in store for him, and look forward to seeing many more years of improvement and growth.