2026 Face of the Foundation
Kinsley Reyes
At the Growing Minds Foundation, we are honored to walk alongside children and families through every milestone, both big and small. Kinsley’s journey is one filled with perseverance, strength, and incredible progress, and since beginning therapy at just 12 months old, she has continued to inspire everyone around her through her determination, resilience, and the remarkable growth she continues to make every day.
Kinsley's Story:
We first began working with Kinsley when she was only 12 months old. At the time, she had already spent much of her infancy in traditional therapy with very little progress. She struggled to sit independently, relied heavily on syringe and dropper feeding due to failure to thrive, and demonstrated significantly delayed and disorganized movement patterns.
Her primary form of mobility was lying on her back and pushing herself backward with her feet — a sign that her nervous system was not yet accessing foundational developmental movement patterns.
Through consistent MNRI reflex integration work, gradual but meaningful changes began to emerge. Therapy focused on foundational reflex patterns including leg cross-flexion and extension, spinal reflexes, oral-facial reflexes, and hand and foot reflex integration.
Over the following months, Kinsley transitioned from supine propulsion to organized creeping on her hands and knees — a major developmental milestone that marked the beginning of significant progress.
By age 2, Kinsley stood independently for the very first time. While standing and balance developed slowly, her determination never wavered. As her stability improved, those first independent steps soon followed.
Her feeding journey also transformed tremendously. Through oral-facial reflex integration work, Kinsley learned to safely tolerate whole foods, self-feed independently, and manage a wider variety of textures. While she still benefits from occasional cues for pacing and safety, her progress has been remarkable.
Now at 4 years old, Kinsley keeps up with her younger brother, communicates her wants and needs through gestures and emerging verbalizations, advocates for herself, and continues building independence every day — including working toward potty training.
Despite facing a genetic disorder, early failure to thrive, severe apraxia, and profound speech delays, Kinsley continues to surpass expectations and amaze everyone who knows her. Her journey is a beautiful reminder that every child deserves support, opportunity, and people who believe in their potential.
We are deeply honored to support Kinsley and celebrate every milestone alongside her family.
"Every step forward for Kinsley has been hard-earned and deeply celebrated. Her journey reminds us that progress is possible, hope matters, and every child deserves the opportunity to thrive."