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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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?
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Heather Bensch knew her daughter was different since infancy. Twenty years later, SPARK told her it had discovered why.
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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.
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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?
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John Graham knew that autism affects everyone differently. He recently learned from SPARK just how different his own autism is.
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Since her diagnosis, Vonda better understands how she interacts with the world, interacts with her husband and mother, and how she mothers her three sons.
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Camryn did not fit the stereotype of someone with autism. Did that delay her diagnosis?
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