Once a non-verbal child with autism, Ava hopes her story will help other kids with special needs

I want people to remember that being autistic doesn’t make you any less human. I’m autistic and have accomplished many things in my life. I still am.

I'm autistic... but also a mechanical engineer. I am an iron ring member, it's the hippocratic oath for engineers. I have a BSME, and work as a lean process engineer and quality engineer. I design CMM inspection programs for CNC machined widgets in the industrial, aeronautical and space industries. I am one of the engineers that ensure vendor quality for turbine systems that go into power plants and offshore oil rigs, to make sure we never have an incident like deepwater horizon. Want this to be an example, we are not less.

Don’t call autism a severe emotional disturbance it’s not and that’s so offensive to someone with autism like myself. People with autism feel emotions perhaps more strongly than other people and that’s why they withdraw. Not the other way around.

It’s not aggression, it’s a meltdown.

I feel grateful to live in Australia that funds and provides services for children with Autism. My son is autistic and we were lucky to have psychology, occupational and speech therapy fully funded by the government. The early intervention he received made the world of difference

I told my daughter's pediatrician I suspected she was behind schedule. I was cowed down and blown off. This was about 1-2 years ago. Today she is 5 and I requested that her Pre-K director help us get in touch with some help in testing for Autism. I say this all to say: don't trust these educated fools with fancy degrees. Trust YOUR instincts and fire inept/impotent pediatricians/whomever. Don't wait. Don't be cowed down or GASLIGHTED by these people. They can be wrong. They can cause you damage and unnecessary trauma.

For those reading this, please be aware that there is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of ABA for autistic children. ABA can lead autistic people to hide their sensory or other needs in favour of forcing them to conform to the neurotypical world, and long-term can lead to PTSD and worse. ABA doesn't allow sensory supports, such as earplugs/ear defenders, sunglasses, fidget toys, chewies. It refuses to allow stimming, even if it's not harmful - something autistic people (and others with sensory needs, and even neurotypicals under enough stress) so to self-soothe in anxiety-inducing or scary situations (or when super excited!). Am I saying families shouldn't receive funds for help? Far from it! But I want people to at least question what ABA is, and whether it's the best thing for the young person.

As long as it isn’t the inhumane ABA where shock therapy and other torchers are used to make exceptional individuals less annoying to “normal” people.

Thank-you Ava and mom for your resilience and not giving up . Ava's Law will impact so many children and families thanks to two beautiful souls.

When I was diagnosed, I was 17, and autism was nearly unknown. Nearly 60 years ago. High functioning in highly structured environments, I was fortunate to make it to the first year of college, where a psychology prof was pursuing an interest in this 'new' problem. 75 now, I have slowly with a great deal of help, learned to pass as 'normal' much of the time. Not 'cured', but developed in skills which allow me to understand how my oddly wired brain works, and how to manage and appreciate its differences.

That mum and her daughter are the true heroes! Huge respect for what they have done! <3

WOW. Ava and her family are pioneers. What they did for the special needs families is AWESOME!

Autistic children and adults are really genius they think faster than most

My son is 5 with autism and started kindergarten this year (2023-2024) they put him in a “regular” class and I’ve been a nervous wreck the whole time. He’s not able to speak full sentences, and if you don’t know him it’s har to understand him. He’s very smart and his teacher loves him. There was a autism center that opened up in our town that he went to for a couple months and ended up graduating. I always find myself worrying and thinking of the worst outcome and really I don’t know why I do. I stress myself out thinking about it to much. But so far he has done great with a little accidents here and there. My boy continues to surprise and impress me every day. When he was 2-3 years old he was a lot like ava! Before he was born I never really knew what autism was. My son is a blessing and really made me step back and look at life and what I need to do to help him. We are Georgia residents and Ava you are a hero in our eyes. I keep saying my boys going to be the next Einstein 😁 lol

Thank you Ava!! You're amazing!! I'm sorry it took 7 years, thank you so much for fighting for us!!

they wrote the title like she no longer has autism

Thank you Ava and her Mom. A lot needs to be done to help these awesome children. I'm in a state that does right by kids with special needs. Honestly, it's the only reason why I'm still here. My youngest daughter is nonverbal ASD. She's 12, but has come a very long way from her beginning point. I've looked into relocating to other states, but the services in most of the country aren't up to snuff. I know that there are plenty of kids in the country (and the world for that matter) that are severely underserved when it comes to these services. Each little battle won is a huge victory for them. Keep fighting

understanding and supporting individuals on the spectrum is a step towards creating a more inclusive and empathetic world. Keep up the great work!

I thank the GOOD LORD 🙏 for my training. I a retired Home Health Aide, this just didn't affect childen but Adults that have Strokes, Parkinson's and dementia.

Wow. Thanks to you both...my baby is covered in Georgia. I'm overwhelmed with joy. There's no words to express how grateful I am.✨️ 🙏🏾