Our Founder's Story

A Message from the Autism Education Network’s Founder,
Michele Waterman

As a mother of a three-year old with autism, I know firsthand the various challenges and heartaches parents experience when their child is diagnosed with autism. My own son's diagnosis and the events that followed have forever altered who I am and what I want to do with my life.

My son John is four years old. He was diagnosed December 11, 2002 at UCSF. I was lucky to have a few parents guide me before I knew what I was dealing with and what I was talking about.

In December 2002, John had about 25 word approximations. He had severe behavioral problems and was isolated in a world of self-stimulation and self-injury. Life was horrible. Plus he had night terrors 3 - 4 times per week, which kept me up a lot. To add insult to injury, I was pregnant with my daughter Alyssa, plus my husband was recovering from a traumatic brain injury and he could barely help me with John's special needs. He was in a motorcycle accident when I was seven months pregnant with Alyssa. Needless to say I felt helpless and my life seemed hopeless.

Today, John is doing quite well. He has about 230 words and uses three and four word phrases most of the time. He plays much more appropriately, tantrums less, and hits us and himself a lot less frequently. We are also addressing a gluten/casein-free diet and working on other biomedical interventions.

Our challenge right now is negotiating a free, appropriate, public education for John. As of John's third birthday, (5/9/03), we are paying for John's entire education plan, ($46,000 per year) as we disagree with our school district's IEP offer. Subsequently, we hired a special education attorney, and filed a request for a due process hearing. Unfortunately, our story is not unique. Every family that we have met thus far has a similar story and understands our frustration, heartache, and desperation.

After the legislative nightmares in California this summer related to AB1337 and AB780 and all of the issues with the reauthorization of IDEA, I knew we needed to create a network that could be proactive toward special education reform and respond swiftly when opposition was necessary. The Autism Education Network will use technology to enable every family with an a child with autism to have an opinion about special education and we can work together so that their rights aren't taken away.

Many children that receive early intensive, specialized behavioral interventions make incredible progress. That is why I am so passionate about educational interventions, and making sure that public agencies are accountable regardless of the budget crisis. There's a lot to do and I cannot do it alone.

So please join the Network today. Together, we can make a difference.

Yours Truly, Michele Waterman