Meet Deidre Price, a mother who birthed a movement out of her determination to get her son the support he needed following his autism diagnosis.
About 1 in 36 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Recent CDC research found that autism is more common in Black children than in other ethnic groups.
As Autism Awareness Month rolls on, stigmas and misunderstandings surrounding the disorder continue to impact adults and children from all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
Established in 2022, Jayce’s Journey Inc. was created out of Price’s vision and due diligence once her son Jayce was diagnosed with autism at two years old. Jayce is non-verbal and communicates through American Sign Language (ASL).
“At the time, I didn’t personally know very many people who were dealing with autism or any sort of special needs for the most part,” Price told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
The determined mother got Jayce, an aide specializing in the DIR Floortime therapy approach. Jayce’s aide accompanies him to school and regularly attends speech and occupational therapy sessions with him.
Price notes the tremendous improvements Jayce has made after recently starting biomedical treatment, an evidence-based holistic approach to testing and treating the underlying behavioral and psychological symptoms of autism.
With Jayce’s Journey,
Price is dedicated to supporting children and individuals with autism and/or developmental delays through early intervention services, education, and access to resources. She spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE about using her personal experience to fuel Jayce’s Journey.“I went through a really sad time because I was terrified of what this meant for him,” she explained. “I had absolutely no tools, no information, and no one to help me navigate this new life that we were suddenly faced with.”
“As I began to deal with it privately I started to see that autism was way more common than I had realized and unfortunately, the people who were dealing with it, especially people of color, weren’t talking about it,” she continued.
After realizing all the “stigmas and shame attached to disability,” Price took action.
“Early intervention is key when dealing with autism,” she said. “The longer you wait to acknowledge and seek help, the more of a disadvantage the child has because valuable time is lost.”
Price wasted no time setting an “aggressive therapy schedule” with Jayce to get her son the help he needs, building a supportive village, and inspiring other families to do the same.
“No doctor ever gave me a s
ingle tool to help me even know where to start,” Price revealed. “All of the information I received was from other parents experiencing the same struggles that Jayce and I were facing. We came together and built our own support system, and I wanted to take it further and share that with the world so that we can not only advocate for our children but also educate people around us as well.”With Jayce’s Journey, Price hopes to help raise awareness, educate the masses, and help break stigmas and misunderstandings about those living with autism.
“There’s many misconceptions when it comes to autism because oftentimes the individual deals with associated developmental delays,” Price explained.
“People think that a child with autism isn’t smart or can’t learn certain things when the truth is they just learn differently; and actually, because their minds work differently, they can, in many cases, absorb information in a way that a neurotypical person can’t.”
Price continued: “Their restricted interests can actually result in mastery in many instances. Yes, they can be socially awkward, but I’ve met some of the sweetest and most loving children on the spectrum because of their ability to feel so much more deeply.”
“People think once you get a diagnosis there’s no hope and it’s the end of the world but in reality, it’s a piece of paper that allows you to now demand resources that you’re by law entitled to. With hard work and dedication, we can overcome many obstacles that we’re faced with. Yes, it will be challenging; I never want to negate the fact that it’s a constant uphill battle, but it can be a beautiful journey if you embrace it and do the work.”
When it comes to biomedical treatment for autism, Price wants to make it clear that it’s not a “treatment” for autism; it just helps some of the common symptoms associated with the disability.
“Biomedicine is not a treatment for autism,” she said. “It’s a treatment for some of the common symptoms of autism.”
“90% of people with autism have gut issues,” Price explained. “Your gut is your second brain so treating your gut is like treating your brain.”
“A lot of their behaviors can be directly linked to their gut health, so it’s a way to address it from the inside out. When we receive the diagnosis, we’re told it’s a mental health disability and advised to do ABA [applied behavior analysis] therapy.”
Price also experienced doctors who overlooked or ignored necessary lifestyle changes impacting Jayce’s health.
“We found out that Jayce was highly sensitive to gluten, egg, dairy, and soy. Why didn’t any doctor ever look into this?” she quipped. “His diet was extremely restricted, and pretty much everything he ate had gluten or egg in it, so how much pain or discomfort was he living in every single day and I had no idea. We took it out of his diet and saw an immediate improvement in his eye contact and social engagement.”
Since the launch of Jayce’s Journey, Price has hosted a Sneaker Ball Gala that raised funds for autism awareness. But she has a goal of raising more funds to continue her movement.
“We want to raise the money to implement a few programs this year such as an essential relief program that gives financial support to families in need,” Price shared.
“In addition, we want to develop a mental health program that provides therapy services to caretakers of children with autism.”
There are also goals to develop a music program, a biomedicine treatment and consulting program with Dr. Netsy Mulugeta, and 1:1 consulting to help families explore a medical approach to treating the underlying symptoms of autism.
“We’re in the early stages of fundraising and can use all the support that we can get,” Price said.