The destruction of people’s physical and mental health from trauma, heartbreak and loss have been frequent story themes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re happy that Mellisa’s story has a very different outcome.  

In the years before the pandemic, Mellissa had managed to keep moving forward despite the hardships she had experienced in childhood including physical and emotional abuse. Her teen years included stays in foster homes, a misdiagnosis of her mental health issues and wrongly prescribed medication. These contributed to years of emotional and behavioral struggles.  Eventually she temporarily lost custody of her children.   

By 2020 she was married, had regained custody of her two children, and she and her husband had two more children together. Mellisa was trying to make sure her children’s childhood was better than hers had been, but she was still faced daily struggles with depression, fear, and anxiety. She depended on her husband to do everything from cooking to shopping to taking the kids to school. After her previous experience, she no longer trusted medical professionals or any prescribed medicine to help with her struggles.  

Mellisa’s outlook began to change when her 8-year-old son received a diagnosis of autism from the local regional center. She had not been aware of autism before, but soon realized that the associated behaviors were ones she recognized in herself. She soon had her own referral to the regional center resulting in her own autism diagnosis, and additional resources.   

The regional center brought in Easterseals Coordinated Life Services to support Mellisa with her journey to emotional stability and an improved quality of life for herself, her son and the rest of their family.   

Her Easterseals Community Support Specialist, Gia, was a supporter and advocate whose encouragement, praise and cheerleading was invaluable in assisting Mellisa with getting her life back on track. Since Mellisa was uncomfortable with video calls, they had long phone appointments during the pandemic where they worked to lift Mellisa out of her depression, help her overcome her fears, and tackle her anxiety.  

“Through our conversations together, I coached and mentored her to advocate for herself,” said Gia. “Rather than giving up on treatments because of a previous bad experience, Mellisa developed the courage to speak up for herself to ensure the care she was receiving had a positive impact.”   

Gia also encouraged Mellisa to accept input, consider different options, and supported her with her decision-making. In the process, they reduced her difficulties with communication and developed a relationship based on trust, where Mellisa learned to accept praise and support.  

“In many ways, Mellisa is no different from the women I have worked with in my previous role as a marriage family therapist,” added Gia. “She just needed the courage to focus on her own self-care, change things up in her life and advocate for her and her son’s needs.”  

With Gia’s support, Mellisa secured her son an Individualized Education Program (IEP) at school, and developed a new relationship with a therapist that has empowered her and helped her find her voice. Setting aside the mental health stigmas that can be part of her Hispanic culture; she made the decision to try taking a new medication, which added to the transformation of her life. She now goes to the gym, maintains her therapy and has a better relationship with everyone in her life.  

Reflecting on her experience with Gia, and how their bond helped turn her life around, Mellisa commented that, “She helped me feel like I had an advocate” adding, “we need more people who give us warmth and treat us as actual human begins and not just as a ‘case’.”   

Mellissa now focuses on paying it forward, looking to add her voice to the movement to end the stigma around mental illness and increase available resources to benefit and transform the lives of others. 

Check out the video of Mellisa and Gia’s reunion at The Broad art museum in Downtown Los Angeles, a place they talked about visiting  after the pandemic! When The Broad heard Mellisa’s story, they provided VIP tickets so she and Gia could see all the museum’s fabulous exhibits in style!

We’re very excited to share the news of our Autism Awareness Month partnership with recording artist and influencer Claire Khodara!

Claire is a singer/songwriter with an international career spanning over 15 years. She has also added entrepreneur and business owner to her resume, but she is first and foremost a mother of three (all under age 5!) and an autism advocate.

Her new album, Modern Lullaby, is an outpouring of Claire’s love as a mother. It features her family’s favorite iconic cover songs from today’s hits, which can be enjoyed at bedtime by children and parents alike.

Claire’s son Winston was diagnosed with Autism at age 2 and ever since she has been a passionate advocate for the autism community. Modern Lullaby is launching this summer for families to enjoy and as a platform for autism advocacy and awareness.

The album’s first single, a cover of Beyonce’s “Halo”, will be released this Friday, April 29 on all major streaming platforms, followed by the full album release on Friday, June 3.

As part of her album launch, she is donating all streaming proceeds to Easterseals Southern California to support the essential services and on-the-ground support we provide for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities— an honor to her eldest son and a cause that is particularly dear to Claire’s heart.

You can pre-save “Halo” from your preferred streaming service, and learn more about Easterseals Autism Therapy Services.

This April, Easterseals is celebrating Autism Acceptance Month with events, stories and celebrations to increase understanding, acceptance and support for autism and autistic individuals, developing a kinder, more inclusive world of full acceptance.

Partnership with Blippi for Special Episode, Webpage, Watch Party and Panel

Blippi is a live action, educational children’s show for kids ages 2-6 years old. Through singing, dancing, and exploring, Blippi helps children understand the world around them by going on all kinds of learning adventures, from museums to wildlife parks. His contagious curiosity and love of learning through play has taught millions of kids how to count, colors, letters, and much more.

Blippi and Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) partnered to create a special episode, Blippi Meets Hans the Robot, to celebrate how kids learn in different ways. In the episode, Blippi and ESSC’s therapy robot, Hans, explore some of the different ways people can play, eat and dance during a visit to ESSC’s Autism Therapy and Disability Services Center in Irvine. This episode is available on April 2 on  Blippi’s YouTube Channel, which has 15 million subscribers.

ESSC is supplementing the episode with story and coloring booklets that can be downloaded from their website.  In addition, everyone is invited to join a virtual Blippi watch party followed by a panel featuring  ESSC Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Paula Pompa Craven, Therapy Supervisor Michele Dew, VP of Research Dr. Amin Lotfizadeh, a family who participates with ESSC’s services, and Katelynn Heil General Manager from Moonbug Entertainment (the company that owns Blippi) on April 7 at 5:30 pm PST.

Autism Stories of Success

Stories about individuals with autism who experience personal growth and increased confidence and independence will be shared throughout the month. 

Nine-year-old Adan had the story of his journey with our Autism Therapy team presented in the April e-newsletter. His five-year process of development with behavioral interventionists and his family, ultimately resulted in Adan having clearer communication and greater independence.

Easterseals Ambassador Aaron Likens was featured on Fox 11’s morning news program, Good Day LA, for his role as a professional Indycar Flagman, including for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach April 8-10, 2022, and his work as an autism advocate, speaker and author.

Please keep your eyes out for more Stories of Success and events celebrating Autism Acceptance Month.