Overcoming challenges

The feeling of uncertainty can storm down a parent when their child receives a diagnosis, but when Dr. Claudia Garcia knew two of her children were under the autism spectrum, she was determined to find all resources available for them to overcome the challenges of the disorder.

April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors, social and cognitive impairments, as well as communication difficulties. The color blue is used to show support for people with autism.

Brothers Alejandro, 7, and Patricio Calleros, 5, were diagnosed with autism at an early age. However, Alejandro’s diagnosis surprised his parents when his fraternal twin brother Sebastian had no indication of being in the spectrum.

Garcia, a Brownsville resident, said she suspected Alejandro’s condition at an early age and was able to start therapy when he was only 2 years old. Her medical background as an obstetrician/gynecologist helped her recognize the symptoms early, even if it was tough at first.

“I could tell,  as a parent, obviously, you don’t want to, but the signs were there at an early age,” Garcia said. “I knew that the sooner that you can recognize some characteristics, if you can start early intervention, the better for the kids.”

Both children have been in therapy for more than four years at the Moody Clinic, located at 1901 E. 22nd St. in Brownsville.

Jessica Cuevas, executive director of and a speech pathologist at the Moody Clinic, said the clinic serves about 80 patients a month and offers speech and language therapy as well as physical and occupational therapy for children with developmental disabilities.

Moody Clinic Speech Pathologist Denise R. Garcia has a certificate of Clinic Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists and has been providing therapy for both children for about a year.

She explained Alejandro is categorized with high-functioning autism. He can communicate but his functioning skills are of a 5-year-old, socially and languagewise.

The speech pathologist started the 30-minute session reinforcing Alejandro’s ability to identify the names of his family members by showing him pictures of them on an iPad.

“Sometimes, children with autism have a much harder time telling or giving those responses, so I feel it’s very important to target that with them,” Denise R. Garcia said.

She also targeted Alejandro’s skill of producing long sentences and helped him with social behavior, such as keeping his hands to himself.

Unlike his brother, Patricio started therapy when he was around 3½ years old, also at the Moody Clinic.

He has a moderate level of autism, and the goal is for him to speak like a 5-year-old, since he is currently at a 2-year-old level.

Throughout the session, Patricio showed his interest in doing activities with an iPhone instead of the traditional paper cards.

“This generation of kids is obsessed with tablets and, unfortunately, they are learning that way and, so, therapy has to change a little to incorporate the tablet,” Denise R. Garcia said. 

Despite the communication and social challenges, the brothers are an example of how children in the autism spectrum experience the world in a different way, but they feel just as everyone else, their mother said.

“One of the misconceptions of the kids with autism is that they don’t have empathy,” she said. “The fact that they don’t show their feelings doesn’t mean that they don’t have them.”

Moreover, Claudia Garcia said the Lower Rio Grande Valley lacks specialists and that limits the options of different types of therapy for her children, which is why advocating for autism is important.

In observance of Autism Awareness Month, UTRGV will host an event at noon Tuesday on the Student Union lawn on the Brownsville campus. The American Medical Student Association chapter in the Rio Grande Valley, Student Accessibility Services, the Rehab South Club at UTRGV and the Moody Clinic will be at the event.

An information fair for autism, mental health and disabilities will take place at the event, along with a water paint balloon toss fundraiser for the Moody Clinic.