The idea for Thinkers for Autism came about slowly as I searched for resources to help my second child, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.
My story reflects what many parents experience when they first hear the word autism connected to their child. When my son was born, I already had experience raising a seven-year-old daughter, so I assumed his developmental delays were simply a matter of boys taking longer than girls to reach certain milestones. When Jesse turned two, I began to worry about some of the things my husband had been noticing for months. That concern pushed us to seek an evaluation with a doctor. After a second evaluation, we finally had a name for what we were seeing. It was autism.
Like so many parents receiving a new diagnosis, I felt lost and alone. There was no place to talk with other parents and no clear guidance on how to help our son grow into his best self. We had endless questions and no real answers. A social worker helped me set up speech therapy, followed by occupational therapy. We were fortunate because my husband had insurance that could cover these important services. Over time, Jesse began to improve. His preschool understood how to support children on the spectrum, and that environment helped him grow. Unfortunately, things changed once he entered the public school system, and the support he once had was no longer guaranteed.
