A Mother's Push for Answers Leads to Autism Diagnoses
What do you do when you think your child might have autism, but others don't? How one mother's push for answers led to two diagnoses.
Learn MoreTopic: SPARK family stories
Since 2016, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the U.S. have joined SPARK. Many have shared their autism and research journeys with us. These family stories are about everyday life, triumphs, challenges, and why finding answers through SPARK’s autism research is important.
Browse Topics A-Z
The Struggle to Identify Autism in Girls: Sarah’s Story
Sarah had many classic signs of autism, but no one suspected it in the quiet girl who never made a fuss. Why did she have to wait until adulthood to get a diagnosis?
Learn More
Bobby Durbin Finds Community, Challenges Expectations
Bobby’s family included him in everything since childhood, helping others to understand his autism. Now 35, he’s a big part of his community.
Learn More
An Autism Diagnosis in Middle Age Answers Decades of Questions
LaVell Juricich spent almost six decades trying to fit in and wondering why she didn’t. When she was 58, she got the answer: she has autism. Now she hopes that research will help others on the spectrum to be who they are.
Learn More
An Autistic Pianist and the Quest to Communicate
Milosz Gasior may struggle to speak, but when he sits at the piano, he communicates effortlessly, in musical notes. Learn about the melodic world of this 20-year-old in SPARK.
Learn More
Parenting in a Pandemic: A Journey to Autism Diagnosis and Advocacy
In the early months of the pandemic, Marc and Cristina noticed that something was different about their baby. How would they find their way to an autism diagnosis and services?
Learn More
Neurodiversity: Mary Lipiec’s Journey
Mary Lipiec got a letter asking her to join an autism study called SPARK. But first, she had one question: Were they looking for a cure?
Learn More
Finding Answers for a Daughter’s Autism through Research
Heather Bensch knew her daughter was different since infancy. Twenty years later, SPARK told her it had discovered why.
Learn More
“Half My Childhood is Gone”: Growing up with Autism and Epilepsy
Seizures took away some of Abigail’s childhood memories. As a young adult, she discovered the reason for both her epilepsy and autism. Her journey to help others with similar conditions led her to two research studies.
Learn More
The Long, Long Road to Autism Diagnoses
A SPARK family had early suspicions that their children might have autism, but that did not lead to early diagnoses. Why was their journey so long?
Learn More
Radio Waves: The Autism Journey of John Graham
John Graham knew that autism affects everyone differently. He recently learned from SPARK just how different his own autism is.
Learn More