"As a baby around two to four months old, [she was] cooing and watching my mouth in attempts to repeat my words, as all babies do during that normal stage in development. She made all the normal baby noises and played, laughed, and looked at people right in the eyes... In 2001, at the age of two, Selena stopped responding to her name..."So begins the story of Diana Trevino-Wilson, a mother of four, whose youngest child, a daughter named Selena - after the famous Tejano singer - was diagnosed with autism.
A pediatrician monitored Selena's development, her hearing test was normal. At home, the toddler continued to play, read, sing, color, and engage in "all the normal things a parent does to teach their child", her mom explains. She recalled that the diagnosis came around the age of four-and-a-half to five, as Selena was placed "somewhere in the [autism] spectrum..."
"The diagnosis was devastating. Not because I knew what autism was, because not even medicine could tell me everything about autism, but because every parent wishes for their child to be 'normal', healthy and happy."
Like any other mom facing such a serious situation, when Diana learned about the diagnosis she began researching and reading everything she could about the condition; books, magazines and going online, "looking for anything I could find and [spending] more time reading than sleeping", she explains. She also enrolled her daughter in a therapy class, and later in school, "but realized how little we all knew about this thing called autism; parents and professionals alike."
Diana had enrolled in a community college but left it after learning about her daughter's diagnosis. "My degree took second place to learning about and understanding autism and what I needed to do to help my daughter."
After finding that the local school didn't have an appropriate classroom for her daughter, she started homeschooling Selena. Diana, who had studied graphic arts while enrolled in community college and had worked as a freelance artist, remembered Fabil, a character she had created in 1990, and started making posters with Fabil for Selena's room. "I needed to teach her everything, from brushing her teeth to the concepts of morning, noon and night and yesterday, today and tomorrow", and so she started drawing these concepts by using Fabil as the main character.
"I've always enjoyed unique and one-of-a-kind designs, and from that Fabil was born", says Diana, who also has a talent for poetry. >> Add your comments
After Fabil's success in helping Selena learn important concepts that facilitated her ability to live in the modern world, Diana found her calling in wanting to help other families with autistic children. So she created 'Fabil Teaches', in which this special character appears in three different sets of colorful flashcards to help children understand prepositions, tenses, pronouns and feelings. With 24 cards in each set, they are available to parents and professionals at Diana's website, dianaoriginals.com.
Since starting down this road to help other families in similar straits, Diana has given card sets to families with children who have learning disabilities, receiving a lot of positive feedback as the families feel Fabil is entertaining and helpful, she explains.
"The parents have appreciated the simplicity of the cards as well as the colorful designs. I very much welcome special requests for cards knowing that what may be appropriate for my daughter at the moment, could be too advanced or not advanced enough, for another child. As my part in helping the world, I sent some card sets to a Christian organization that helps the homeless in Mexico. I thought it would be a good way to teach those children the English language."
(The article continues below the photogallery)
Diana has been actively communicating with parents of children with autism, who seek her out for support, guidance and insight. She answers questions about how she teaches certain academic subjects to her daughter, or how she handles difficult situations in teaching autistic children. "I am learning that each child or person with autism is unique. My greatest desire would be to be able to share with others the many accomplishments we have experienced, in hopes that they would also share in the happiness that comes from the achievements", she explains.
"I firmly believe that the good in our lives comes from the good we give to others. God and prayer have been the source of our family's strength through this journey."
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Lili Vasquez 03/2/10 @ 8:43PM
Tengo un hijo que tiene la misma problema. Creo que la problema es que le gente no estan cuidando los hijos con sus corazones. Ahora mi hijo tiene 13 anos y el parace casi normal. Nececitamos agarar nos hijos and ponemos mucho mas atencion entre ellos. Era muy grande cuando lo tuvo y el estaba duriendo conmigo and estaba abrazando a el mucho. Hoy el es mas social porque no lo sigue la manera que vivir mucha gente-poniendo los ninos en otro lugares para dormir. You no sabia que le va a tener esta problema, pero de chiquito estab siempre con el, y el estaba criada con mucha amour pero muy estrico tambien por se puede hacer todo que lo puede.