My Motivation to Create the System

Autism is the nation’s fastest-growing developmental disorder. Each year 1 in 150 children will be diagnosed with autism. There are almost 1.5 million cases of autism in the United States alone, with 3 children being diagnosed per hour (Autism Speaks, 2007).

Most people have a friend or family member living with autism and I am no exception. I have a 13 year old cousin named Lorena who is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. She is the second eldest of 13 cousins all under the age of 16. We are a close knit family who celebrate all the holidays and many birthdays together. I would often see Lorena at these celebrations and when she turned 7 years old I began to notice how difficult it was for her to interact with her other young cousins.

Watching her at these family gatherings sparked a desire in me to help her find a way to cope with her autism. I thought that if she could learn to read and spell it would create a shared bond with her cousins, help her to better communicate her thoughts and wishes and help her to participate more fully in the world around her.