Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Lauryn Clark, now 3, was diagnosed in January 2024 with Level Three Moderate to Severe Autism (Restricted Repetitive Behavior) at two-years-old. April was Lauryn’s birthday month and Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month.
Lauryn’s parents wanted to share their story about their daughter to shine a light on autism and why it’s important to not shy away from a developmental diagnosis, especially in the Black community. Autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nothing is wrong with my child
When Lauryn’s parents Jeronia, 28, and Khayree Clark, 29, discovered her diagnosis, everything started to make sense.
The Clarks said they had speculated Lauryn was autistic due to early signs such as not keeping eye contact, flapping of the arms, spinning in circles, not focusing well, and her difficulty transitioning from one thing to the next.
“When you think about autism, as a parent, you instantly think ‘what did I do wrong’, or ‘what could I have changed for her not to have autism’, but ultimately when you come to terms with it, it’s not anything you necessarily could have done differently,” Jeronia said.
For Jeronia, she said the diagnosis was a “sense of relief” because there wasn’t any speculation anymore about what was going on with Lauryn.
“I don’t say anything is wrong with her, I say she’s special, but it’s a good relief because I know what she needs even if she can’t communicate verbally,” Jeronia explained.
She also had a feeling due to her background in social work and working in early childhood settings. At 18 months, she was noticing Lauryn wasn’t hitting certain milestones and her pediatrician at the time was questioning her speech and communication skills.
“Lauryn is fascinated with certain things like she loves tags, stickers, and any bright color like red or pink, she gravitates towards it,” she said. “She wasn’t necessarily playing with her toys and going to other options.”
“Everything started to make sense in terms of her behaviors matching up to the behaviors of a child on the spectrum,” said Khayree, who added that he had very little knowledge of autism and how it works, so it gave him more reason to do his research.
“I felt like she would honestly be fine, but I knew it would be a hard road for her, but she has the support so even on that note, I wasn’t worried, but more curious about it,” he said.
Ultimately, the Clarks didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so they set an appointment with Lauryn’s pediatrician to observe her in July 2023.
The pediatrician observed Lauryn, played with her on the floor, and noticed some of the early signs Jeronia was speculating. The pediatrician asked Jeronia if she had thought about autism, to which Jeronia said she had speculations, but didn’t want to assume.
This prompted the pediatrician to put a referral in for Lauryn with the Marcus Autism Center, however, she was put on a waitlist, which could’ve taken anywhere between six to nine months.
While they were waiting to be able to schedule the evaluation, Jeronia went through an online company called “As You Are” and received Lauryn’s evaluation on paper for the first time.
Fast forward to January, the Clarks wanted to test her again in-person and went to Intown Pediatric Behavioral Wellness to have Lauryn evaluated.
What it takes to be a parent
Doctor of Education and Black entrepreneur who focuses on underserved communities, Marlon W. Gray said it’s extremely important for parents to consider therapy for their autistic children.
“Early intervention is often key as it has long-term implications on speech and communication development, social skills development, and behavior,” Gray said. “Barriers to early intervention is often key as it has long-term implications on speech and communication development, social skills development, and behavior.”
Lauryn started speech therapy September 2023 and is currently receiving occupational therapy as well, according to the Clarks.
Speech and occupational therapy are going well for Lauryn, they said.
“We’re just waiting to start Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, but we’re waiting for insurance to go through,” she said. “We tried applying for disability, but we didn’t get it because we make too much.”
Additionally, the Clarks were advised to apply for Katie Beckett, which is a form of Medicaid that doesn’t focus on income but based on the diagnosis/disability of the individual, so right now, it’s a waiting game.
Jeronia said one of the challenges they have faced is with Lauryn in public trying to find ways to keep her engaged. They use a tablet to keep her engaged, but if she happens to grab hold of something and they take it away, Jeronia said it turns into a tantrum. One Sunday afternoon while playing with fake fish and water at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Lauryn had a fit when her parents attempted to move her on to the next thing.
“Everything is a tantrum when transitioning to different things, so we always have to be mindful of that,” Jeronia said.
When Lauryn is having an episode or throwing a tantrum, Jeronia said she calms down with deep compression hugs.
“She likes to be held tight and it helps her calm down. I normally pick her up, hold her, and kiss her to ensure she is getting the nurturing she needs,” Jeronia said.
As parents, Jeronia and Khayree have learned so much from having two kids and discovering various ways to help Lauryn’s development.
“Both kids can give you very different experiences,” Khayree said. “They both offer different kinds of interactions, and you can’t treat one the same as the other, but not let them feel like one is getting more attention or love than the other.”
Khayree also said he learned through Lauryn’s growing development, patience is key.
“As long as she is constantly exposed to her therapy and exposed to social experiences and knows that she is learning at her pace then she will be okay,” he said.
For advice to other parents, Jeronia says to not shy away from your child being diagnosed with something like ADHD, Autism, or any other type of diagnosis. She also said early prevention is best.
“Do it as early as possible, the earlier, the better,” she said. “She’s three now, so when she turns 13, she can function. I’ve seen where there’s individuals that were diagnosed with autism at a young age and by high school and college, they are thriving.”
She also said to not tell people something is wrong with your child and to advocate for them.
“Nothing is wrong with them. They just need special attention and additional services, that’s okay,” she said. “Don’t shy away from getting your children the services they need and don’t be scared of a diagnosis, if you don’t advocate for them, no one else will.”
As far as advice to other parents who may have an autistic child and trying to figure things out, the Clarks said to be patient and be an advocate for your child.
Khayree said it’s not the end of the world for your little one if they are diagnosed with Autism.
“It’s a lifetime thing and as a parent, you just be there for every step of the way for your little one. No one knows your child like you, so always go with your gut,” he said.
Lastly, he said to be patient and kind to your child and yourself because “it will be challenging”.
“Always remember it’s out of love and wanting the best for them,” he said.
Additionally, Jeronia said she’s planning to run a 5k in October hosted by Georgia Autism and wants to plan one for April 2025 in order to continue raising awareness for autism and to continue to do research.
Dear Lauryn
Lauryn turned three on Tuesday, April 23 and her parents took her to the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, where they have a sensory experience for kids.
Her interests are bubbles and music, Jeronia said.
“She sings and dances all day, and she also likes to play with sensory driven things like sand or water,” Jeronia said. “She likes many things with lights and movement.”
Lauryn is also a picky eater, according to her parents. Her food selection is “slim” and consists of chicken nuggets, fries, chicken pot pies, spaghetti, BBQ Lays Chips, green beans, and carrots. She also eats Gerber toddler foods as well.
She also has a one-year-old brother Kairo, who adores his big sister.
If Lauryn was to read these years from now, her parents want to give her a message.
Jeronia said to Lauryn no matter what diagnosis is attached to her, she is loved, a blessing, and can do and be anything her heart desires. She also shouts out Lauryn’s teachers Keiana Jones and Quovadis Thomas for playing such a huge role in Lauryn’s growth.
“Lauryn you are a blessing, and we love you. You’re everything we could have hoped for, you’re bubbly, affectionate, and I love my hugs, I love my kisses,” Jeronia said. “You can be a little aggressive sometimes, but that’s okay, I want you to know that you are loved. No matter how old you are, just know you are worth it.”
Khayree said he wished he was able to communicate better with Lauryn when she was younger and he knows he gave Lauryn a hard time at times, but he was learning to not only be a parent, but a parent to a child that’s on the spectrum.
“A lot of trial and error, but I don’t ever want you to think you are not loved; you were the one that made me a father,” he said. “I remember when you were first born and how you were always calm in my arms. I was the first heartbeat you heard, so understand I love you and you are beautifully and wonderfully made.”
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