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.

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'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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.✨️ 🙏🏾

they wrote the title like she no longer has autism

Thank you! I moved here to Ga in 2015, got my son’s diagnosis in 2016, Medicaid covered it all and it’s because of you❤❤❤

What a great story. These young ladies are doing very important work and are an inspiration to so many. I suffer from mental illness myself and agree officers and public service workers should be trained in mental health and should have access to resources that can properly help those who are suffering.

Man I straight up cried watching this. These two ladies are amazing.

Autism isn't an emotional disturbance, it's a difference in how the brain processes stimulation. Furthermore, ABA is abusive. I applaud this mother and Ava for their work and what they were able to accomplish but this story was very poorly researched and it's obvious no one from the disability or Autistic community was consulted.

This is amazing, her voice was heard! Thank you Ava.

I'm glad to be able to knew some children who had autism when I was in school and everyone them should be able to live in a world that allows every single one of them to have the same opportunity just like the rest of us no matter their disability.

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.

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

Your family was so consistent fought for this beautiful life congratulations

These children bring out the best in me. Kindness and compassion and companionship. I’m sure they are here for a reason but it’s not an easy life

I have autism, I didn’t find out until I was 27. I wasn’t able to speak until I was 4. The teachers told my parents to take me to speech therapy and to have me test for autism but never did because there were in denial about it and it was taboo/ shameful for them. The only reason I found out about autism is when I saw a movie and than looked up what autism was about and I related to it so much. When I asked my mom if anyone mentioned it she than told me about this revelation.

Ava. Autism is not a disease. What people call aggression could be overstimulation. ABA is a bit bad and stops you from stimming which is a what of expression. Of course do not hurt people when you do it but just because you’re a little different doesn’t mean you need a cure. Autism doesn’t have a cure. Autism is not a “ significant disordered condition”. Autistic people ( most of the time) have high levels of creativity, truthfulness, and empathy. Of course autism is a spectrum, you can have a stereotype for autistic people, a nonverbal white boy with low empathy. but you can also have autistic people that are very smart ,very verbal, and very empathetic. My point is the media has had such a bad rap and the examples of autistic people in this video give autism a bad rap. Be yourself kid!

Thank you so much. With all your efforts you are paving the way for parents like myself that can relate with my child being autistic

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.

Even though it still still Angers me that People judge Autistics before knowing anything about us. some of us are only aggressive and violent only when upset and angry. not for no reason. and most people don't seem know that all People Do have Feelings and emotions like everyone else.

she is an absolute inspiration

Ava and your family thank you so much. Thank you so much.

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

I wish this was offered to my non verbal autistic friend growing up in the 90s

IMPORTANT: ABA CAN AND IN MANY INSTANCES IS HIGHLY ABUSIVE WITH LONG LASTING NEGATIVE EFFECTS LIKE TRAUMA AND CPTSD. To anyone with autistic children or similar, look for help or suggestions from other autistic people or people who genuinly want good for your kids. Internet forums like r/autism and youtube channels from autistic people can be a great start

I pray they make more schools for autistic children too!

Most (about 70%) of autistic people who have gone through ABA have symptoms of PTSD from ABA therapy. It’s very important that people are cautious and make sure that the therapy is not traumatizing to the child. If done poorly it can do great harm! Forced reduction of autistic behaviors is also associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Also, a survey showed the vast majority of autistic people who have gone through ABA are against ABA.

The lack of understanding could lead to disasterous outcomes.Get them check early and regularly throughout their stages of childhood development.There are all sorts of help out there people !

I’m crying because I know my son will benefit. We is nonverbal 3 year old with autism. Doctors don’t listen and I pushed for a referral for ABA and screening Autism. Pediatrician should have increased skill in autism and advocacy for parent listening to the parents when they are concern is so important I refused to wait until he was 4 or 5! Sadly parents have to be the sole advocate

Such a heart wrenching story. It just goes to show that persistence pays.

Thank you for my adult autistic daughter. My family and i had to pay out of pocket for any services and my Aunt helped with teaching me how to help my daughter since my Aunt was a special education teacher for 20+ years. Great job Ava🎉

They are a blessing, thank you!

As a man living with it, higher on the spectrum, too much stimuli coming in is the hard one and not a soul gets it. I have learned to deal with it being on the spectrum and just going forward always. It is hard but can be done, for any that are that need that advice. I hate to compare myself to veterans but autism is a lot like that, you just hear and see and smell everything. Your senses are on overdrive all of the time and learning to tame them is the key and why a lot of what PTSD veterans may learn a lot from people on the spectrum.

That is horrible! How are these services not covered by insurance! Children with autism need these services to be affordable. We do need to have universal healthcare. If we all equally share the cost, I believe everyone will benefit.

So glad this girl got help from her mother’s love and dedication.

My brother M17 and I F19 both have autism, though I have ‘high functioning’ autism while my brother is non verbal. He was diagnosed at like 3 or 4, and I was diagnosed at 13 when I ran away from home. Now that he’s taller than both my parents, my dad finds it difficult to care for him. He’s reliant on my dad, but when he’s frustrated he can’t communicate that frustration or pain in word, so he has to resort to violence to have his needs met. I have to admit, we are not a family that is fit to care for him because whenever he is hitting himself or hitting us, we just give him painkiller medicine, hide, and wait for him to calm down. It’s really heartbreaking to hear him cry and then to hear my dad shout at him “being firm” and watch my mum or sisters get hurt. When he’s not crying or hitting anyone, he’s so happy and bright. I’ll never take his radiant sunshine energy for granted. POV: you come home from a hard day of school/work to see him smiling at you and playing with you, making his loud happy noises. I don’t ever want that to end. I hope we find out what’s causing him so much pain, because I can’t take it anymore. 😢

I am SO THANKFUL FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE ON BEHALF OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN!!! My daughter is 28 and was diagnosed at age 5 with Autism, & other related diagnoses. ABA WAS THE RECOMMENDED TREATMENT OF CHOICE BUT WAS NOT FUNDED BY INSURANCE. It took over 2 yrs to get her on Medicaid Waiver after denials & appeals & being in Crisis. It seems like so much time was wasted, when Time Was A Critical Factor. I will look into more of what you have accomplished! I’m So Happy For AVA!! God Bless you!!

Wow, these movers and shakers are our current-day heroes! Our nation requires these reforms. Thank you!

That video made me cry , as a mother of autistic child who doesn’t get much help in the country we live in No chance to live in a country with a more( caring system) I’m willing to pay money but no qualified organizations or people here

I owe my sons improvement and support to this law! Thank you Ava, I wouldn’t be able to afford ABA on my own, y’all’s fight is changing my son’a life!

Great they got the treatment covered! I think the insurance or lacking system find another way around to let early intervention of less severe cases fall through the cracks tho by making it nearly impossible to get an early diagnosis. After waiting 6+ months for a neurologist appt, only to be told “we’ll know for sure if he struggles socially in the teen year & has no friends” Me- “holy cow, why on earth would we wait until he’s traumatized to intervene” as a single working mom of a special needs child after 2 years of specialist visits going no where, I gave up on external help. His outcome will greatly depend on parent/school supports, the struggle is real. Even worse, when your kids lower on the spectrum most outsiders assume their bad or your spoiling them b/c it’s not obvious your 5 year old sized boy is emotionally/socially at a 3 year old level plus the sensory stuff that sets them off no one gets. The lesson society needs in general is “other people brains are wired different, accept & respect that before you form opinions” I think the best 1st step is to meet them where their at with love, positivity, and compassion. They defy social norms, but are some of the most comical and creative genius’s amongst human kind. Some the greatest minds in history had the same challenges, I tell my son you not here to compete or be like everyone else. You have different strengths with a greater purpose when your grown up. By appreciating & teaming up others who strengths are your weaknesses and vice verses you form a creative innovation force around inventions your passionate about. When I look at my experience with winning business teams, a common element I observe is exactly this, very different minded people with collaborate and welcome new ideas. I myself am on the very creative side of the spectrum, aligned with the very opposite types of minds where we really seek to understand each other we and blend our strategies, the sky’s the limit!

Thank you for being persistent!!

Ava Had Autism, But I have Autism Too , but I understand How She Feels 💞

I was diagnosed with autism ,dyslexia , and adhd , on December , 12th , 2023 . I'm the first one of my siblings to graduate from college. I'm earning my paralegal studies undergraduate certificate , from Ashworth College .

I pray for my son Tacomas complete healing by faith i believe he will have his voice awakened and that he will have a bold and strong voice who will share the Gospel with millions ! I receive and believe this in the mighty name of Jesus 🔥

Love this video. I hope they really make a change ♥️

back in the day they just threw us away. now we can communicate and offer a new influence. perhaps soon the people, the children, with special needs will have these needs met, not manipulated. its difficult but possible. i am hopeful.

The waiting list for ABA therapy is so long, and access to care in terms of transit is so terribly difficult. We absolutely need to see these changes. Every day, I see another case of these beautiful, brilliant children being harmed or abandoned, and it’s wholly heartbreaking. What can we do besides writing our legislators? So much gratitude to all who help provide a springboard forward to student-centered learning; the necessity for access to all is paramount.

Everyone deserves help, and it’s wrong to guilt them for needing it. Helping children is the least we can do as a society.

Thank you so much for everything you guys have done I have 2 autistic kids

1st of all.. Thank you for getting this help to ASD parents. 2nd to people out there let me tell you Autism comes with..... 1or 2-3-4-5 issues /behaviors meaning All Autism are different so some kids will be greatly help others a little others no much. I hear youth jails/ teen detention centers are full with teens on the spectrum. Its a long road

I lived in nearby Franklin NC, and they didn't have any psychologists or psychiatrists or even counselors in person I could go to when I had postpartum and when our son started showing signs of autism at age 2...I am glad in GA they are starting to push for better mental healthcare.

I couldn’t thank you enough for what you have done for the autism community and their families!!! We are forever grateful!!!

The wording of this report is extremely outdated. I also think it's worth discussing the controversy around ABA.

🙏🏼 thank you for your hard work now thousand can benefit

I’m crying every single day because of my son the doctor said my son has an autism my life is so changed since I hear it crying everyday day I can’t see him he’s going through with it’s so hard for me .

Yes it's time we all help those with autism all over the country

Government is rarely the answer, but we should do everything we can to make it better!

umm just so you ABA is quite controversial and a lot of autistic people are against it.

Good to see you Not giving up with my son he’s nonverbal hopefully one day I’ll see him talking too actually he started saying few words

I have hope! My son is non-verbal but otherwise meeting all his milestones.

I have a son with autism and he is nonverbal for any parent who decides to get rid of their child because of that reason is a piece of shit

Im in the Uk and have an autistic son, I was fortunate for him to be diagnosed. Which did take yrs of waiting, due to the waiting list but support from local council and his school helped to move him to a school for autistic children where its benefited him a lot. He's 10yrs old and still has his behaviours, but he is able to function an grow in an environment where it's better suited to his needs. His previous mainstream school did try but was not the best place for his learning. Tuition also helped him, to push forward also.

My daughter’s pediatrician said her son Oliver was normal the whole time he was seeing him. He was eventually tested and he was high on the spectrum.

My son was non verbal until 5 years old and was completely mainstreamed by 1st grade. Gratefully we lived in CA and were able to get help. When we moved to Florida when he was in 2nd grade it was a nightmare! We ended up moving back to Washington. He graduated with honors in 3 areas. Top 10 GPA in his graduating class. He went to college and is now a CNC machinist. All this thanks to state funded programs! We need Federal recognition of ASD and related disorders! So many children never get the help they deserve. I loved seeing Ava's story! ❤

How inspirational.. You are truly being one of my favorite quotes by Ghandi `Be the change you want to see in the world `

I wonder how much different the world would be if everyone had access to high quality mental health services to whatever degree they need.

Like me I have autism too and my autisum will also give me terex and that makes me grunt quite alot and I'm so happy that other people have autism like me and some people like me have a disability and a type of way to communicate with you like me I speak scientifically sometimes not and because of my disability I get bullied because of the way I act ofcourse I don't care if I get bullied because of a strong independent person and no person can take it away from me and some people like me have to deal with it like me I always make a friend or foe and enemy it ain't my problem because of my disability I get bullied I still look out for others because I have a kind heart ❤ and a shout out to everyone that struggle with being anxious sad angry do what I do the 4,7,8 breath and what you do is you breath in for 4seconds and hold it for 7seconds and breathe out for 8seconds. And never let people force you to be they want you to be you can be anything you want to be like me I always want to be a firefighter but I won't be able to make it on the team so I'm going to try hard to be anything I want to be so please look out for others and be kind like I say sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me or you so don't let yourself get bullied so just speak to someone you trust and let them help you so take this advice and share this with others and always spread kindness and if you bully people just apologise and get advice to be kind like I do but I'm not a bully I'm a someone who helps people and give good advice

Gives me hope & keeping faith.

a great thing to remember is that autism is a very diverse thing.

I’m an autistic adult who has been traumatized by Devereux I was in til 17 and I’m 25 and still working out my traumas I didn’t deserve but received from them.

My son is 5 and still on a waitlist for ABA. Its heartbreaking knowing weve been waiting for 4years to get assistance. No one answers my emails or does anything until i call. They forget us constantly.

Thank you Ava and mom

God bless you sweetheart 🤘🏼🤘🏼🙏🏽⚡️✨✨ Thank you 🙌🏼

truly uplifting and inspiring story❤

Beautiful! Thank you for your determination. Government spends $$$ so foolishly. Shame on them for taking 7 years to do the right things for our children.

What a beautiful and impactful story 🥲

Diagnosed at 42. Watch out for something called ehler's danlos .... a painful connective tissue and joint disorder. A lot of us have it and it is usually overlooked until too late. We hurt a lot.

Canada is supposed to have great health care.. and here I am paying out of pocket for my son's therapies because the wait time is Years to get anything, which only covers part of one year of therapy. Then you're on your own. We are LUCKY, legit lucky, to be in the situation we're in now where we can kind of afford it. People are out here with decent jobs, both parents working, and it's still unaffordable for them. Yes these therapists should get paid, but the government should be doing more.

I have autism, but I don’t see it as a burden. I know there are pitfalls in our society but the only thing we can do is make them understand our experiences and the good we do.

The cries out the blue thinking that she's def is how I used to feel of my daughter!!! She's grown so much!!! ABA is play therapy is ABA therapy and although she doesn't have the diagnosis yet I fight even harder in advocacy and in home treatment♥️♥️♥️🙏🙏🙏 #KeepingDash

My daughter is 4 today for the first time I sobbed and sobbed because I can’t believe she still isn’t talking my hearts broken , she babies all kinds of sounds an she just doesn’t communicate she has no skills but started feeding herself, though thank god an I’m finally going to have the school district help with services. I’m just a mess I don’t know anyone who understands what this is like I’m just so upset I don’t know what to do 😭

Thank you Ava and mom🎉

I have seen some amazing people young and old with disabilities. And I will always advocate for them to have a chance at life . I have loved some amazing beautiful people with disabilities. And they are happy and living a full life . Having disabled children is not a reason to have a abortion I won't give up on these wonderful people.

Great work!

This is what my little brother needed... he's nearly 40 now... back in the 80s-90s high functioning autistic kids like him didn't get any help most of the time... in fact he wasn't even acknowledged as autistic. They thought he might have been as a child and then decided he wasn't ... cuz he was too high functioning i guess. He got aggressive and impossible to handle as a teenager. They diagnosed him as bipolar and then later on as schizo-affective... and maybe he does have those things, but I now know he's also got to be autistic. its heartbreaking to think maybe he coulda been helped earlier on in life like this... and the system just let him fall right through the cracks. as an adult now he refuses any attempts people make to help. we bent over backwards trying.

Awesome! We are learning a lot more everyday and I think with good treatment kids can really progress!

I won’t give up thank you AVA!

ABA when done right is okay... But floor time is even better! Occupational therapy is so vital too!! Insurance companies need to be held accountable and actually cover these services. It would even save money long term in addition to improving quality of life