Gavin's Story

Our son Gavin was not diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder until he turned three, despite having shown signs of autism since infancy.  We had very few answers, and minimal support, from various doctors, Early Intervention programs, and local school systems.  We were very excited when we had the opportunity to enroll Gavin in the SOARS-B clinical trial at the Seaver Autism Center at Mount Sinai.

Since enrolling in the study at age four, Gavin has gained another family at the Seaver Autism Center, filled with amazing clinicians and coordinators who are dedicated to compassionate care and improving the lives of those affected by autism.  Gavin received thorough assessments, regular monitoring, and most importantly, the ability to participate in significant research to advance the state of understanding for a very complex and multifaceted disorder.

My husband and I are not teachers, therapists, or researchers, and our best hope for contributing towards the understanding of autism is by participating in studies such as SOARS-B and the Autism Sisters Project.  More research is needed to understand autism and how to best integrate those on the spectrum into our very complex society.  So this is our way of contributing – our hope is that future generations will face fewer challenges as a result of our participation and the critical research that is done at Seaver.

-Lori and Dejay