Over the past 25 years, I’ve built my career helping companies and organizations manage and navigate complex challenges. It’s what I do. I led corporate communications at Pimco during the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis, followed a few years later by the abrupt departure of founder Bill Gross.
Currently, I’m advising some of the world’s leading companies during the coronavirus crisis and economic carnage that’s ensued from it.
Despite whatever grit I’ve gained from my time in the corporate boardroom, nothing in life has really prepared me or my family for the journey of having a child on the autism spectrum.
About 1 in 59 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the most recent data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Autism is a massive societal issue, requiring coordinated long-term solutions. Since World Autism Awareness Month is in April, it’s important to shine a light on the needs of people with ASD, and to link arms as friends, neighbors, educators, service providers and employers to help each other. We must create solutions so our children can have meaningful lives as adult members of our community.
I know the issue well because my son Leo is on the autism spectrum.
All parents face a range of unexpected zigs and zags in raising their children. I’m ever mindful that whatever we’ve had to confront and navigate with our beautiful and amazing son, countless families are dealing with their own set of challenges with their children’s development, either due to physical or mental health issues.
Yet families of children with ASD contend with a unique and often heart-wrenching set of issues. Things that most parents of neurotypical children may take for granted become matters of existential angst:
- Can our child learn and develop academically and think critically?
- Will our child ever have a friend or meaningful peer relationships?
- Is there a hope that she or he will ever live independently and have a job?
- How can we help him live a fulfilling life and reach his full potential?
- Who will take care of her as an adult if something happens to us?
In my view, the answers to many of these questions lead back to the importance of high-quality childhood education and therapeutic intervention to create the best possible outcomes for children on the spectrum.
Many families enroll their children in the public school system, either in a mainstream setting with a school-assigned aide, or in a program specifically tailored for children with learning differences. For some, this can be the right decision.
Others, like us, seek out more specialized environments that exist solely for children with ASD. For a variety of reasons, few of these kinds of schools exist.
We are fortunate that Orange County is one of the most progressive and innovative communities in the country for families of children with ASD. From the recently opened Thompson Autism Center at CHOC Children’s to the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Santa Ana, we have several extraordinary integrated, multidisciplinary centers here. One of the most important and remarkable institutions in Orange County for children with ASD is New Vista School in Laguna Hills. It is the only school of its kind in Southern California, and we are better as a community because it exists.
New Vista serves approximately 85 students in middle and high school and provides them with individualized education in a safe environment to help them succeed. A core part of New Vista’s program focuses on social skills and executive functioning—areas that are often missing in even the best public education settings.
Having enrolled our son here this academic year, we can attest to the efficacy of this program. He is not merely getting by anymore; he is learning and thriving. New Vista’s ethos is to look at each child’s ability, rather than their disability.
We often say that our son has superpowers. He is now in a school environment that is harnessing and helping him unleash them in a way that helps him learn and grow as an individual. The school also has a career academy to support students after high school with job training, life skills development and college support.
More is needed to help autistic children succeed into adulthood, whether it’s public or private schools. Orange County’s corporate community can benefit from the talents and intellects of these kids. They are different, not less.
We will get through the coronavirus crisis and return to normal in the coming months. As we do, it is my fervent hope that we can come closer together as a community to help every child.
I encourage business executives, whether they have small or big companies, to connect with and embrace the superpowers of these youngsters to help them reach their full potential.
Editor’s Note: Dan Tarman is a senior managing director at Teneo, a CEO consulting and advisory firm. He was previously chief communications officer at eBay, and an executive vice president at Pimco. He is also on the national board of directors of Autism Speaks.
