When Julie Hornok’s daughter, Lizzie, was diagnosed at the age of two, she was extremely limited by autism. She had no language, no understanding of danger, threw hours-long tantrums, engaged in repetitive and self-injurious behaviors, and would not respond to her name. Slowly, step-by-step, through over a decade and a half of therapy, Lizzie is now thriving in the midst of autism.
At nineteen years old, Lizzie lives independently at college, drives, and enjoys participating in a sorority. Most importantly, Lizzie enthusiastically engages with family and friends and strives to better the world with her different thinking.
With Lizzie’s permission, Julie advocates for families living with autism by sharing the hilarious, hard, and heartwarming moments inside their journey. Their story brings hope to parents with kids on the spectrum and inspiration to anyone who has ever felt life has given them more than they can handle.
