Approximately one in 31 children in the United States has autism, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control. And while there are many reasons that number is on the rise — from updated diagnostic criteria to wider awareness — it’s time we fully recognize and more proactively advocate for our neighbors who are on the spectrum.
Here’s the truth: Everyone in the world faces their own kind of challenges in life — financial troubles, bad relationships, stressful jobs, you name it — that make it hard to achieve what they want in life. But when you have autism, or when you have a different kind of developmental disability, your challenges aren’t hidden from the world.
Struggling to rise above hardship is part of being human, and many kids and adults who are on the spectrum do overcome the barriers society has created for them. They succeed in school, launch influential careers, start families and lead communities. But for those with more significant needs — kids that might struggle with walking, speaking, and day-to-day tasks — solutions may be harder to access.
Florida currently ranks 49th out of 50 states for the amount of funding it provides to its citizens with special needs. Of the 400,000 individuals in need, only 50,000 qualify for assistance — and only 30,000 receive it. The remaining 20,000 are on a waiting list that can take up to six years or more to navigate — meaning that thousands of families are left to make it work on their own.
The world isn’t always a welcoming place. It’s full of noises and sensory inputs that can be painfully overstimulating; it’s full of people who don’t understand, and can be repelled by, unfamiliar symptoms like fidgeting or vocalizations. Even schools, playgrounds, libraries and other kid-friendly spaces aren’t always designed with the needs of children with autism in mind.
That’s why schools that are designed for special needs make a big difference. For parents who go through life explaining, defending and advocating for their child’s needs, being able to rely on someone else who understands and cares is an extraordinary relief. For children, school can be a safe “practice ground” for the real world where new experiences don’t have to be stressful.
That’s what makes Quest Kids Academy special. The team uses positive reinforcement to reduce or replace disruptive behaviors to gradually introduce new life skills that will help students communicate, socialize and navigate traditional learning or social environments. Since launching in 2009, Quest Kids Academy has served hundreds of children with autism or other developmental disabilities.
Quest Kids Therapy also strives to meet the growing need amongst family for services. We have been offering early-intervention Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy through Quest Kids Therapy for nearly thirty years. ABA is one of the only clinically proven methods to change behavior and we were one of the first providers in the region to offer it to families.
As the need for autism services grows, we’re investing in a renovated campus that will offer new learning and therapy spaces that reflect what we’ve always believed: All kids, of all abilities and needs, deserve to be accepted for who they are and encouraged to achieve their potential. Quest Kids Orlando will be a state-of-the-art education and therapy campus for the Central Florida community.
To learn more about the Quest Kids Orlando renovation project and/or how you can get involved with our mission, visit QuestInc.org.
John Gill is president and CEO at Quest, Inc., a local nonprofit organization that has been providing lifelong services for people with developmental disabilities. Since the humble beginnings of a single location serving eight individuals in 1962, Quest, Inc. now has over 20 locations, serving more than 500 individuals each day in Orlando and Tampa.
