PHOENIX — The Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, or SARRC, is a critical lifeline for Arizona families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The agency offers a place to start for families with an initial diagnosis, making the search for help and support easier for those who may feel overwhelmed.
This is one of many reasons ABC15 is partnering with SARRC for Operation Santa Claus.
It's also why ABC15's Kaley O'Kelley is sharing why an Autism diagnosis doesn't have to turn lives upside down.
"When your 6-year-old is sobbing on the edge of the bed and turns to you to say, 'mom, life's too hard. I want it to be over.'...Like, how do you cope with that? How do you understand what suicide is at 6 years old?"
Paige Allgood was in the middle of a career change when she was hired as an executive assistant at SARRC.
Back then, this mother of three had no idea how much she would need help from the very place that hired her until her own son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Allgood tells ABC15, "If it weren't for SARRC, I don't know where I would be."
Allgood was exactly where she needed to be.
"About 45 to 50 days into my job there my middle son, Alex, had started Kindergarten," Allgood said. "I started getting phone calls home the first week of school about challenging behaviors. They would say like, you know, 'Alex was acting out.' I was never the parent that who would say, 'not my kid' but it didn't make sense."
He was diagnosed with ADHD at first, but Alex's behavior continued to become more challenging in the classroom, and Alex was kicked out of school.
"When you, you raise a kid and you get to 5, and you have no challenges whatsoever. And then all of a sudden, you're like, my, my kid is lashing out. And he's running off. And he's, you know, threatening to hurt himself."
What did make sense?
Her co-workers, right there at SARRC providing guidance and pointing her to several resources, for the entire family!
"How do you make sure that when you have other kids bedtime is not a nightmare, right?"
Scientists have not found a cause and although there is no hereditary evidence, there is a higher risk if another sibling is on the autism spectrum and that's something Allgood is watching for with her toddler sharing she knows personally how lucky we all are to have SARRC here in the Valley.
She hopes others will see that too.
"You never want anything to be wrong with your child, with your baby," Allgood said. "But at the same time, if you sense as a mom something may not be right. The only way to make sure they're successful is to get help. Ask for help!"
