By Heidi Baumgartner

For the Auburn Reporter

Nadia Diaz walked out of the library and down the hallway to her classroom with purpose.

But not just any classroom.

This is a local elementary school classroom where she volunteers on every day off from school she has. Diaz, 18, comes at the teacher’s invitation specifically to interact with young students who are on the autism spectrum.

“She’s really good,” said Lori Sheehan, a Lake View Elementary School teacher. “Nadia knows the language to use to communicate with my students.”

Diaz knows each student’s likes, interests, dislikes, triggers and sensory attractions. She knows their language. She grew up interpreting the language and behaviors of autism.

Diaz learned firsthand about autism in her household from her brother, Brandon, who is 15 months younger. She is now a senior at Auburn Adventist Academy; he is now a junior at a local high school and one of Sheehan’s former students.

Previously, Sheehan asked Diaz to draw and illustrate an animal that most reminded her of her brother. Diaz chose a chameleon and drew multi-colored autism awareness puzzle pieces into the body. This artwork is now the classroom logo. The original artwork hangs on the classroom wall. It is also silk-screen printed onto team T-shirts for the classroom.

But this particular day, Diaz didn’t come to work with children. She came to talk with parents whose children are in grades kindergarten, first and second. This was her first time to speak and share her experience with Lake View parents in a joint parent-teacher resource meeting in the school’s library.

Diaz eloquently shared, with no notes, stutters or nervous stops, what it’s like to grow up with an autistic sibling.

“Children with autism are special and part of a puzzle that is unique,” Diaz said. “These children are so amazing, and showing how spectacular they are will show everyone else that autism is not a bad thing, but a beautiful thing.”

Her words connected. Following her 10-minute speech, parents shared their experiences, laughed and cried together, celebrated wins, tracked developmental progress, and indicated how they drew courage and reassurance from what Diaz had shared. These parents will likely be on the same or a similar learning journey at home and at school until their children are 21.

Diaz sat on the sidelines with her mother, Lori Diaz, and her grandmother, Tricia Caldwell, for the remainder of the parent meeting. All three women actively listened so they could better interact with parents in one-on-one conversations.

Why? Because the Diaz family knows the importance of a team supporting a family as they raise a child with autism.

Heidi Baumgartner is communication director for Seventh-day Adventist Church in Western Washington.