OUR STORY : Around here we spread awareness about Luca and autism every day, every month, every year. Autism is not a dirty word over here. Luca is Autistic and autism is his superpower some days and some days it is not. Some days it is amazing to see how his brain works and some days it breaks my heart to see him struggle. But every day we own it and couldn’t be more proud of him. With spreading awareness our goal is for the rest of the world to accept him, children and adults like him, and do the same. As a mother I will NEVER stop fighting for my children. I want, I hope for Autism Acceptance. If you see a person flapping their arms in excitement or using a technological device to communicate think about my Luca. If you see someone in public frustrated and having a meltdown or wearing noise cancelling headphones in public think about my Luca. The amazing boy who loves all animals; especially bears, lions and tigers and penne with butter and nutella. The boy who is full of emotion and love. The boy who has taught us that love needs no words. I tell him, “Luca, I love you buddy”. Luca comes over and gives me a kiss, that’s how he tells me he loves me. His love is much too big to be confined within three simple words. His love is much too big for words alone. He’s “labeled” as nonverbal, but he hears you. Just because Luca can’t speak like you or I doesn’t mean he can't communicate. And just because he can’t answer you in a way that you understand, doesn’t mean he doesn’t hear you or understand you. Think about how he has opened your eyes and shared with you his superpower of autism. Don’t be alarmed, afraid, don’t judge because we sense that. If you see a stranger like my son I hope you will give them a reassuring smile or even say hello. Start conversations with those who come off as ignorant. Make them aware. Awareness turns into Acceptance and that’s all I can ask for. Luca may be different but he is not less 💙

LUCA’S PROGRESS: Luca primarily communicates with his AAC device, it is such a blessing to finally know what he wants. He also has started saying many, many words. We love hearing his little voice. He loves music and singing to the beat of his own drum. LOVES ANIMALS! He knows all his colors, letters and pretty much every animal. He correlates colors with animals. I can say, “Luca what color is this” (I point to yellow). He looks at me and roars, and I know he is roaring like the yellow lion. He can count to 10 and will use his fingers to show you the numbers. He can follow directions; Luca throw away your trash, Luca pick that cup up please and give to Mommy. He knows his name and how to spell it and has mastered making the letter L. He knows who he is, he knows his family. Luca is Caca, Dad is Daddy, Mom is Bapa and Giuliana is G. He loves school and we couldn’t be more thankful for the amazing team he has pushing and rooting for him to succeed. Luca is the most amazing little boy and I am beyond blessed that he‘s mine!