A look into a family facing autism

Autism is a developmental disorder affecting one in every 110 families in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control, and the families are the ones who understand the daily challenges that these children face.

A mother of a child with autism is not just a caretaker and guardian; she is a caregiver. One woman who embodies this commitment is Felicia Rozansky, of Felicia’s Fabulous Cookies. The mother of three--Daniel, Eric and Isabelle--never anticipated her life would take the turns it has, but she keeps calm and positively moves forward.

A mother’s perspective

Felicia moved with her husband Steve to North Bellmore and they began a family. The couple was blessed with their eldest son Daniel and then again, with their second son Eric. However, before Eric reached one years old, Felicia knew he was not meeting important developmental milestones.

The resources she needed were not readily available and Eric was not officially diagnosed with autism until he was four years old. “It was very different back then,” she said. “No one talked about it.” But Felicia was talking. She became a stay-at-home mother and advocate for her son who needed speech therapy, occupational therapy and special education classes. She also went back to school and received a master’s degree in special education from Hofstra University.

“He didn’t talk until he was four years old,” said Felicia. “There is no map. You don’t know how it’s going to turn out.”

Today, Eric attends classes through the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services. He is on student council and is the co-founder of Students Against Destructive Decisions. He is also taking honors Spanish.

“He feels good about himself,” said Felicia. “He knows, ‘I’m different and different doesn’t mean less.”

While Felicia raised Eric to accept himself for who he is, she is still trying to share this message with others.

“Don’t tolerate him, accept him,” said Felicia. “I want to make the community aware and understand what autism is because it’s all around . . .stop being afraid to label.”

A younger sister’s viewpoint