Stories

When Mayte Ruiz's son Nick was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Auditory Processing Disorder, she felt like her world had turned upside down. "I was overwhelmed, upset, scared," says Mayte. "I felt helpless. I didn't know if Nick was going to be able to make any progress."

So when Nick's doctor suggested speech therapy at Central Coast Language and Learning Center, Mayte immediately called to schedule an initial evaluation. "It wasn't until that moment at the evaluation that I realized just how different Nick was … I felt like a bad mother."

Unsure whether or not speech therapy would help her son, Mayte overcame feelings of apprehension and vulnerability to bring her son back to CCLLC to start a tailored therapy program. And soon, she began seeing tangible progress in her son's ability to complete verbal sentences, read and write. "When he was able to write his book reports, it was a sense of relief," says Mayte. "We would read line by line slowly, and I could see him understanding. The relief of him making those connections was enough to make me giggle or cry. It was magic. It felt magical."

Magic that came after weeks and months of hard work, from both Nick and Mayte. "Mayte was truly invested in being part of Nick's team," says Maria, Nick's speech-language pathologist at CCLLC. "Mayte made sure Nick stayed on top of his speech homework. She had my back and made my job a lot easier when it came to supporting his language skills in the home setting."

Maria worked with Nick and Mayte for four years until Nick had met all his goals. "Maria took this kid who couldn't build a sentence and found a formula that Nick could follow, memorize and practice," says Mayte. "We did a lot of repetitive work. We would advance two steps, go back one. Maria was committed to helping Nick. She worked hard, and was flexible and so patient. She saw how stubborn and challenging Nick could be. She was incredibly dedicated to her craft."

So with Maria's guidance, Nick's willingness to learn, and her own hard work and dedication for her son's wellbeing, Mayte no longer feels like her world is turned upside down. But she continues to empathize with parents who find themselves in similar situations with their child. Her advice? "Find the people who can provide the knowledge, the therapy, the support. Be assertive. The beginning is hard, the journey is not straight, it zigzags. Never compare your child to another. Know you are not alone, even when it feels like you are. There will be times you feel so lonely, and not understood. It gets better, but you have to work hard. Don't be afraid to ask for help. There was no manual explaining step-by-step what to do, how to search for help. I found help from schools, other moms, websites, pediatricians. I asked questions, a lot of questions. If your child is struggling, ask for help. You are your child's best advocate."