- Omar and Nelda Velasquez welcomed their first child - Esteban.
- Esteban was diagnosed with autism at the age of 9.
- His journey has become Nelda's journey.
- Nelda worries about Esteban's future.
The Center for Disease Control said about one in 36 children are diagnosed with Autism.
As KRIS 6 News observes Autism Awareness Month, we share the story of one local family's journey.
Nelda and Omar Velasquez were expecting their first child. All was well in the pregnancy – nothing that they were concerned about.
Their son, Esteban, was born. As he grew, they began to see a difference in their son, like not liking crowds, speech delays, and being a bit fussier. As new parents they brushed it off.
“Looking back now there were many signs but as a new parent we missed a lot of the signs. Because he did meet a lot of the milestones on time. I looked past it,” Velasquez said.
Those signs were later discovered as signs of autism.
Esteban was tested at the age of four but wasn’t diagnosed until he was when the Velasquez’s journey began.
“To receive an autism diagnosis is very lonely. Because people don’t really understand it unless you’re living it,” Nelda Velasquez said.
She said she put her family in a protective bubble for fear of judgment from others.
Esteban is a visual learn but his mom said, as he’s grown, he has found ways to cope. Especially with his hobbies like wrestling and everything Texas.
The journey for anyone with disabilities isn’t easy.
Dustin Cronan is the founder of starting “Creating Connections Piece by Peace," a group that aims to remove the stigma against those with disabilities.
"To understand if you see something different or something that's not normal – that having autism or any kind of intellectual disability could be the reason,” he said.
While there is hope for some, Cronan knows every person’s journey is different.
“There's not really that many who do have kids or have, like I do. There are parents who worry about them,” Cronan said.
That includes parents like Nelda.
"To be honest with you, his future is uncertain,” Nelda said.
She said parents should continue to advocate and support their children - no matter what age.
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