Short Steps - Long Vision, Paso corto, Vista Larga - Pitbull

When I made the decision to take charge of my non-verbal autistic child’s life and fight for his future, I truly believed in the promises I was told: "only therapy," "gold standard," "scientific research," "peer-reviewed," "doctor recommended." Like so many others, I was conditioned to accept these words as gospel. I trusted them completely, falling for the false hopes, the empty promises, and the lies.

When those promises come from people who stand to benefit financially from our autistic children, I can almost understand it, after all, they need to sell themselves and their services to make a living. But when it comes from other parents, parents who have autistic children themselves, parents who lie, deceive, and mislead other parents, convincing me to try something like ABA, FC, RPM, S2C because “it’s working” when it clearly wasn’t, well, that’s something entirely different. It’s not just hurtful. It’s downright disgusting.

The autism journey with my child felt like a never-ending battle: useless 'therapy' after useless 'therapy', useless doctors, countless hours spent searching for answers, and sacrifices made on every front. The emotional and financial strain was overwhelming, and we were chasing empty promises and false hopes.

There was no shortage of doubt, and at times it seemed like we were moving in circles. But through it all, I kept my eyes on the long vision—the belief that these small steps, though hard and painful, would lead to something greater. Blood, sweat, and tears were shed, but I never gave up. And now, seeing my child thrive against all odds, it's the most rewarding feeling. Happiness.

Short Steps, Long Vision. Every little stride, no matter how small, added up to something amazing. I’m filled with gratitude for the strength to keep going and for the incredible progress he’s made. Thank God for the reminder that patience and persistence always pay off.

Paso corto, Vista larga. No matter the struggle, the vision you hold in your heart is worth every step.

Short Steps, Long Vision. Every small effort you make today builds the foundation for the greatness you’ll achieve tomorrow. Keep moving forward, with patience and purpose. ~Dalia Shkedy

My inspiring and amazing autistic non-verbal son, Ethan

Visual Communication Analysis at Alternative Teaching Strategy Center

[daliashkedy]

When I made the decision to take charge of my non-verbal autistic child’s life and fight for his future, I truly believed in the promises I was told: "only therapy, " "gold standard, " "scientific research, " "peer-reviewed, " "doctor recommended." Like so many others, I was conditioned to accept these words as gospel. I trusted them completely, falling for the false hopes, the empty promises, and the lies.

When those promises come from people who stand to benefit financially from our autistic children, I can almost understand it, after all, they need to sell themselves and their services to make a living. But when it comes from other parents, parents who have autistic children themselves, parents who lie, deceive, and mislead other parents, convincing me to try something because “it’s working” when it clearly wasn’t, well, that’s something entirely different. It’s not just hurtful. It’s downright disgusting.

The autism journey with my child felt like a never-ending battle: useless 'therapy' after useless 'therapy', countless hours spent searching for answers, and sacrifices made on every front. The emotional and financial strain was overwhelming, and we were chasing empty promises and false hopes.

There was no shortage of doubt, and at times it seemed like we were moving in circles. But through it all, I kept my eyes on the long vision—the belief that these small steps, though hard and painful, would lead to something greater. Blood, sweat, and tears were shed, but I never gave up. And now, seeing my child thriving, against all odds, it's the most rewarding feeling. Happiness.

Short Steps, Long Vision. Every little stride, no matter how small, added up to something amazing. I’m filled with gratitude for the strength to keep going, and for the incredible progress he’s made. Thank God for the reminder that patience and persistence always pay off.

Paso corto, Vista larga. No matter the struggle, the vision you hold in your heart is worth every step.

Short Steps, Long Vision. Every small effort you make today builds the foundation for the greatness you’ll achieve tomorrow. Keep moving forward, with patience and purpose. ~Dalia Shkedy

My inspiring and amazing autistic non-verbal son, Ethan -


Visual Communication Analysis at Alternative Teaching Strategy Center