2013 Community Resident in Action

Two-thousand-thirteen’s Community Resident in Action is Lourdes Flores. She is a true pioneer for autism awareness in Salt Lake City. When she noticed her oldest son acting irregular as a young boy, she searched everywhere to find answers. Due to Lourdes’ Hispanic heritage, pediatricians simply concluded her child was confused because of his bilingual immersion between English and Spanish. When her son turned four years old, he was finally diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder–one of five types of autism. Lourdes searched diligently for information on autism and its treatments but was isolated from English-only resources.

The struggles Lourdes faced inspired her to search for ways to inform her Latino community, where 1 out of every 125 children is on the autism spectrum. She knew there needed to be more information and support in Spanish. When Lourdes enrolled in the Westside Leadership Institute in 2009, she designed an autism conference in Spanish as her class project called, “Que es Autismo” (What is Autism). This was the first Spanish conference on autism in the State of Utah.. More than 120 people attended the conference on April 17, 2010. The following year, they held another conference adding support groups for parents as well as house visits. Through these efforts, they more than doubled the number of participants to 260 people. In 2012, Lourdes partnered with Utah State University and helped establish their “ABC’s of Autism” workshop curriculum in Spanish ensuring the translated curriculum was culturally appropriate. In return, Utah State donated the workshop and daycare for the children of all parents who attended. That year, the program increased again serving about 290 people.

Lourdes later formalized her project under the name, “Proyecto Autismo de Utah” (Utah Autism Project). The organization received nonprofit status in 2013, and now advocates for the community by partnering with providers to donate curriculum and workshops in Spanish.

One of the biggest challenges for families in the Latino community is the lack of strong support systems. It can be daunting to attend classes or workshops without help with childcare. Additionally, there are language and financial barriers to obtaining treatment and information on autism. Proyecto Autismo breaks down these barriers and provides resources to the community.

As the organization grows, Lourdes plans to expand the monthly support groups. Currently they are held in just one location, such as West Valley or Kearns. These support groups prove immensely beneficial to parents who need someone that can relate to their experiences with autism. Lourdes will continue hosting an annual conference and the six-week family program. She is hoping to create an extensive information booklet in Spanish to distribute to her community.

Lourdes had the courage to learn how she could make a difference. Because of organizations like Proyecto Autismo, more children are diagnosed with autism at younger ages, and can receive treatment earlier. Most importantly, Lourdes is the life-blood of Proyecto Autsimo. Lourdes manages almost every aspect of its existence by herself, all out of love and passion for helping parents, children, and communities understand and cope with autism.