ABOUT US

Being a parent of a child with autism can be a unique journey – one that only another autism parent can fully understand or relate to. Here is my autism journey…

I had my twins in 2015. They were both healthy and I was thrilled. Things were going well, except the sleepless nights caring for two babies. I was reading about the developmental milestones online and happy to see that my babies were on track. I noticed my son was falling behind when he was 12 months old and not babbling or trying say any words. My husband, my mom, friends were all on the same page: boys speak later than girls, so I should not worry. Then I noticed other signs of autism. He did not cry or smile as much or make eye contact when compared to his twin sister. “Well, every child is different, and they grow on their own pace” said my pediatrician on our well-child visit. I felt like I was paranoid and exaggerating things which were all normal to everyone else.

I just had this intuition that he had autism. I called the county’s autism line and scheduled an evaluation. I was told that he “may” have it. They started sending a play therapist just for 1 hour a week. I waited for an appointment for 4 months to get him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. He was officially diagnosed in May 2016.

I called many companies to secure a spot for ABA therapy and they all had a wait list anywhere from 3 months to a year. Finally, we signed up with one company, had an assessment and started receiving ABA. We had worked with quite a few therapists in this journey: some were great, some were good, and some did not have a clue about what they were doing.

My son had his first words in September 2018, right before his third birthday. He was rapidly catching up with his sister developmentally. Witnessing his progress and learning more about ABA sparked the idea of starting an ABA company to help other children and families who are just at the beginning of their journey in autism. Finally, at the age of 44, I felt like I found my cause in life: helping families and children with autism.

Arise Autism Center opened its doors in January 2020. It is a new company, new team, and I’m growing with them as a mother and a team leader. Nothing makes us happier than witnessing a child saying his/her first word or walking next to her mother in the grocery store, eating with a spoon, getting rid of diapers and so on! These may seem like small achievements to some, but to us they are huge! Every small step is one step closer to a better future for our children. One step closer to more independence and a transformed life. All this is possible because of ABA.

All my best,

Sebnem Aras