What we stand for

We’re on a mission to empower parents and educators with the tools they need to truly understand, connect with, and support autistic children and young adults. Our approach revolves around the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) method, a groundbreaking caregiver-adult-based approach that taps into the power of dynamic intelligence, developed by the brilliant Dr. Steven Gutstein.

As the pioneering bilingual initiative in both North and South Carolina, we’re all about supporting families and professionals in any way we can. We host engaging monthly conferences and workshops packed with valuable insights, and we’re always cooking up fun activities in sensory-friendly spaces. The best part? Every single dollar we raise goes straight towards connecting families and children with the life-changing resources they need to thrive and shine.

Our Story

We had moved to Philadelphia 6 months before my little one was born. All my family and friends were back in Ecuador. I was feeling excited yet anxious about the arrival of my first child in a foreign country. When my son arrived, he brought so much joy to my heart. For his first 12 months, he was a very “calm” baby with an established routine. During that time, I stayed home with my little guy. We went to music classes, story time at the library where he listened to tales and songs, played at the park, and indoor playgrounds where he could explore in a contained space. Slowly, I got to know other moms who became a small “mom tribe.”

When my little one turned 12 months old, doubts started creeping in. I noticed something different about my son, even though the pediatrician assured me his development was completely normal so far. My little guy had a social smile – he would beam at other people, or when I sang to him, he’d follow me with his gaze and smile back. He loved playing peekaboo and could crawl but wasn’t walking yet.

As I met other kids his age, I realized they were saying meaningful words or trying to communicate with their parents using their index finger, but my son wasn’t doing that. They were walking or in the process, while my little guy still wasn’t. Something that caught my attention was how he’d get engrossed with the same toy over and over.

I tried teaching him to wave hello in so many ways, but my little one just wasn’t interested and wouldn’t do it. This made me think I was doing a terrible job as a mom since I was the one with him 24/7. Many of my friends tried reassuring me, “Don’t worry! Every child has their own pace,” “Relax, friend! He might just be a shy kid.”

I remember it was October, and there was a pumpkin fair with Halloween decorations. Several moms had told me it was a fun place for kids his age with lots of activities. Full of excitement, I planned our outing so my little guy could have a blast. But when we got there, he started crying inconsolably and didn’t want to go inside the open space filled with sensory stimuli. I got so upset that he didn’t want to join in after all my expectations. I even argued with my husband because I was trying to find a reason why my son couldn’t enjoy what all the other kids did.

My little one started daycare at 14 months. The teacher told me he didn’t seek out other kids to play with and would cry during transitions when they moved to another room or went outside. That news broke my heart. I’d go to work devastated, thinking my little guy wasn’t enjoying daycare and was only okay when with me. I was so weighed down and suffering that I spent all my time at work thinking about my son.

Many nights and days passed where I felt lost. I didn’t have my friends and family around. The pediatrician said it was just his age and that if I had doubts, I should get him evaluated by the county psychologists where we lived. So I called the county many times, and they told me early intervention started at 18 months. My son was 15 months old, and waiting 3 months felt eternal. I felt my anguish rising every day, and I tried to find “red flags” in all the activities we did on weekends or after daycare.

That’s when my journey through different evaluations began. At 18 months, they told me he had a developmental delay because I spoke Spanish to him and my husband spoke English. We worked with the speech therapist in person for about 3 months, and then BOOM! March 2020, COVID hit, and therapy went virtual. That was a fiasco…My little guy wasn’t interested in the computer. I chased him around the house with the laptop, and I was also pregnant with my daughter.

When my son turned 2 years and 9 months, he was evaluated in person and not diagnosed with autism. They told me he had a language delay, so they recommended speech therapy. But my mother’s instinct told me my little one needed something more! So in March, a psychologist evaluated him at his preschool. She told me to wait patiently for the evaluation results because my son would start receiving therapies when he turned 3 since she was the county psychologist where we lived, and the program was from ages 3 to 5.

As a family, we saw that my son had made great progress with his language and loved repeating words and 2-3 word phrases. He was happy at preschool, and to us, he was just a shy kid whose challenge was interacting with his peers. We traveled to Ecuador before my son turned 3, and that’s when I received the psychologist’s call. THE CALL that sounded like it would deliver bad news, as her first words after “hello” were, “Julian hasn’t stopped being Julian after this diagnosis!”

When I heard that Julian has autism, I felt like my world had ended. I was so afraid, with a 1-year-old baby and millions of fears piling up. Well, while we were in Ecuador, my little guy acted very differently. He was anxious, didn’t sleep well; I felt he was way too restless. I felt like the son I had imagined was gone.

That time was really difficult because I didn’t know how to handle the news that my son has autism. That’s when I decided to study autism extensively and meet autistic adults to understand how my little one’s brain works and how we could help him reach his full potential at home! And also, to help create an inclusive world that accepts all human brains are different but equally valuable.

Now, as I write this, I realize that instead of worrying so much about “red flags,” I could have enjoyed my time with my little one more. It’s true that every human being is unique and different. And all those sleepless nights thinking autism was “terrifying,” I should have listened more to professionals focused on the neurodiversity paradigm and seen that it’s not the end of the world! The only way to live inclusively and manageably with an autistic family member is by educating ourselves from up-to-date sources focused on family-centered interventions and professionals who are “neurodiversity-affirming.”