

It was very kind of his mother to reach out and let us know how life unfolded for Danny. We care deeply about the kids we work with. “I remember Danny well, and when his mother sent me an email, I was deeply touched and I shared it with the rest of the team here,” Chawarska says.

Early diagnosis and recommendations for intervention tailored specifically to Danny have been key to his success. She thanked Chawarska for listening to their concerns and helping them understand his needs. A diagnosis is not a sentence it’s a challenge.”Īfter her son was accepted into every college he applied to, Diaz emailed Katarzyna Chawarska, PhD, director of the Child Study Center’s NIH Autism Center of Excellence. “I didn’t used to be this pushy, but I knew my son needed these supports. “You need to be involved and sometimes, push for things,” she says. “Advocating for your child is not something you can leave for everybody else to take care of.”ĭiaz says that recommendations from the Yale Child Study Center, where Daniel was first seen at the age of 2½, paved the way for her son’s success, in part by equipping her to be a strong advocate for his needs. “Kids like Danny can grow up and be anything they want to be,” Diaz says.
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Though his story isn’t necessarily typical, it’s also not as rare as you might think, says his mother, Maria Diaz.Įxperts say that helping children with autism achieve their full potential depends on many factors: access to educational resources, understanding what the child’s needs are and the best ways to address them-and parental involvement. He is studying marine biology at Eckerd College in St. This past June, Daniel, who was diagnosed with autism more than 15 years ago, graduated from Fairfield Ludlowe High School in Fairfield, Conn. But it’s important to know what life can look when kids with autism have access to timely, comprehensive diagnostic and intervention services that can allow them to reach their full potential.ĭaniel Pollack, 18, is an example of how well things can turn out. When parents receive a diagnosis of autism for their child, the news may seem overwhelming and the future uncertain.
