We invite you to meet eight-year-old Ava Bullard and her mother, Anna Bullard. In this video, Ms. Bullard describes her feelings upon learning Ava has autism. When Ava received her diagnosis at age two, Ms. Bullard was told her little girl would never be able to speak – even to say the word “mama.”
“I felt like I didn’t know Ava and Ava didn’t know me,” Ms. Bullard said.
Her search for scientifically proven treatment led Ms. Bullard to Early Autism Project, whose therapists began providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to Ava when she was two years old. Ava’s mother saw improvement within two weeks. Today, Ava is a third-grader in a general education classroom in Lyons, Ga., who no longer requires intensive treatment. She participates in one ABA session a week to practice social skills.
Ms. Bullard is a powerful advocate for families of children who have autism. “Ava’s Law,” which requires insurance companies to pay for “evidence-based treatment,” such as ABA was considered by the Georgia Legislature and passed by the Georgia Legislature in 2015.
