Michelle Kightley, RN, watched her son, Connor, during a recent warm, sunny morning in Key Largo, Florida. He was gliding in the roped-off ocean waters, holding on to the dorsal fin of a dolphin named Dinghy. The 8-year-old boy then held a hoop as high out of the water as his right arm could go and laughed with delight as Dinghy cleanly jumped through and made a splash. Connor was smiling–and so was Michelle.

That moment assured Kightley, that she had made the right decision in moving her family from the United Kingdom to Florida to obtain innovative therapies, like this session with the dolphin, for Connor’s autism.

Prior to attending this week-long Island Dolphin Care camp, Connor was unable to pay attention to anything. He couldn’t make a sentence. He’d just "bark" out one or two words.

"We came to the United States to pursue a number of therapies for Connor, including dolphin therapy," said Kightley, 37, a 17-year nurse who specializes in labor and delivery. "Dolphins are the closest to humans. We weren’t expecting a miracle, but it was very comforting to see how intuitive and healing dolphins are with children like our son. Dinghy even came up and kissed Connor lightly on the face."

Making the Choice–For Connor

Connor was diagnosed with autism, a mental disorder of unknown cause, by his third birthday. Michelle and her husband, Darren, found themselves at a difficult crossroads: stay in Derbyshire, England, where lifelong friends and family resided, or uproot and move to the United States where Connor would receive more comprehensive care that included physical therapy, dietary management, and other therapies.

At the time, Kightley was an established nurse specializing as a midwife, a job she cherished. But one look at her son made the decision clear.

She contacted O’Grady Peyton International who helped her prepare for her NCLEX-RN licensing exam, which she passed with ease. Kightley then accepted a position that O’Grady Peyton offered her in the labor and delivery unit of a Miami hospital. She works three 12-hour night shifts, which allows her to spend ample time with Conner and her 4-year-old daughter, Grace. Husband, Darren works as a cable telephone engineer.

Connor has adapted so well to being in the sunshine," Kightley said. "South Florida is a much healthier, happier place for him than the U.K. where you spend 10 months of the year indoors because of the weather."

A rare treat for the family is to be able to go to a restaurant together or visit a nearby park where Connor seems to enjoy the array of flowers in the gardens.

But by far, the highlight of their transatlantic relocation has been the dolphin camp, a place the Kightleys hope Connor will attend again soon. Until then, he cherishes two memories: a videotape of swimming dolphins that he watches repeatedly and a wooden dolphin cut-out that he painted that hangs above his bedroom door in the family’s Miami home.

"We’ve discovered that Americans are very comforting and very friendly to children with disabilities," Kightley said. "Autism seems to be very well understood particularly in Miami, perhaps because [former Miami Dolphins quarterback] Dan Marino’s son, Michael is autistic."

Reflecting on the family’s decision to re-locate, Kightley has no regrets.

"This truly is the place for us, especially Connor," she said.