Dear parents: Through these lines, I want to send you a hug full of admiration, respect, and love. May God continue to bless every step you take in this daily work, a path where we learn every day, face challenges, and celebrate victories that often go unnoticed by others, but which for us…

Today I want to raise an uncomfortable but urgent point of reflection, both from my role as director of LICA and from my perspective as a mother. In spaces of political advocacy, in legislation, and in human rights groups, the term "caregiving mothers" or "caregiving families" has gained immense traction, especially now within the context of…

Juan José recently turned 28. The daily grind sometimes makes us forget how time flies, especially when so much of our energy as parents is focused on supporting the life journey of a child with autism. Unlike his sister and brother, who have already started their own families…

Being a mother and a pediatrician has taught me that love and science are not at odds, but rather complement each other when it comes to understanding life in its most authentic form. I became a mother after receiving my pediatrician degree. So I was already very familiar with the developmental stages of…

For many people, getting a driver's license is a step toward independence and freedom. But for those on the autism spectrum, the path can present unique challenges and a series of obstacles that go beyond simply controlling a vehicle. This is the case of a young man who, with perseverance,…

The first time I heard this question, I didn't know how to answer, not because autism is a mystery to me, but because having a sibling with autism is—in my case—just like having a sibling, plain and simple. Those who have siblings will surely understand me better. Siblinghood is…

I remember very well, when I participated in the workshops and training hours, in the II International Autism Conference held in the city of Manizales (Colombia), in 2014: I was surprised to see that 95% of the participants were women, who were largely mothers and other professionals. As information…

It has been a few years since we traveled by plane as a family. We were excited about the vacation we had planned and for which we had anticipated our son Juan José, a 20-year-old young man with autism. Everything was going very well until, for reasons we still don't understand, something bothered him emotionally and he couldn't...

From my experience as a psychologist, I have had the opportunity to share and interact with young people on the autism spectrum, where each one of them, from their way of being, shows me various perspectives of thinking, feeling and acting. Respecting each other's differences, creating a relationship of equality, in which we strengthen each other. This has been…

One of the biggest fears we had in the face of autism was schooling; because we know that a large part of the progress made in its process is in a correct school inclusion. His preschool stage was done by the hand of a kindergarten, which, although it did not have established adaptation processes...