Autism Awareness
The Krause Auto Group family is proud to share our journey. The month of April is Autism Awareness Month, a time of year that is very near and dear to our family of dealerships. We commit a portion of each sale in April to go to a scholarship to The Lionheart School, an accredited non-profit school for children with autism that offers a personalized and specialized learning environment, collaborative therapies and supported social interactions. And throughout the year, anyone can donate to the Autism Society of America, specifically the Georgia chapter, or they can donate to The Lionheart School directly through this link.
The Krause Auto Group is thrilled to be involved in giving this life-changing opportunity to a child! Our personal journey began in 2014 when I started to notice that our one-year-old son was no longer babbling. I researched what a speech delay could mean and kept coming across articles talking about the red flags pointing towards autism.
I then realized that his reduced eye contact, constant spinning and rare response to his name indicated autism. He was still very young, but the more research I did, the more I was convinced. I got him on a waiting list to have him evaluated — he was officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at 14 months old. Little did I know, my husband and I were about to embark on a challenging but rewarding journey.
Early intervention was paramount to our son's success. Our son is now seven years old and could not be more loving, sweet and intelligent — he is just full of joy. He has worked so hard in all of his therapies over the last six years, and it has made a tremendous impact. This road was not without difficulties, but the best things in life can't come about without hard work.
Fast forward a few years later to when our now youngest son also began showing signs of autism. We were better prepared for immediate evaluation and therapies. Our youngest son was then diagnosed with autism at 18 months old.
We love spreading autism awareness — we hope that someday everyone will realize how amazing people on the autistic spectrum truly are!
- M. & A. Krause