Jan Curtis

Autism Light #397 is Jan Curtis. 

Jan M. Curtis was a special education teacher in the Lexington School District 1 in Lexington, South Carolina. Jan Curtis was born on June 25, 1959, and passed away on March 3, 2015. Jan leaves a legacy of service to her students with autism. She is survived by her husband Bob Curtis; her son Eric (Amanda) Curtis, her daughter Sarah (Justin) Curtis Wolford, grandaughters, Kendall Marie and Olivia Rose Wolford; and her brother, Lonnie Brooks Munich, II.  Her funeral service was held on March 7, 2015, at Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Jan Curtis will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today

In her obituary it was said of Jan Curtis, "She loved teaching and volunteering with Special Olymics. She never saw a child as special needs, she just saw a child (Legacy.com Obituary for Jan Curtis)."

Jan Curtis graduated from Columbia College in South Carolina. She went on to earn her Master's in Autism from the University of South Carolina.

Gifts in memory of Jan Curtis may be given to the South Carolina Autism Society. You may also leave tributes to Jan on the Shives Funeral Home Website.

Jan Curtis is representative of the dedicated educators who invest their lives in teaching children with autism. Our thoughts are with Jan Curtis' family and the South Carolina autism community who will feel her absence. It is hoped that in Jan's memory young people will be encouraged to go into autism education and shine a light for autism like she did.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Kim Stagliano

Autism Light #396 is Kim Stagliano.
Happy Mother's Day!

Kim Stagliano is an Autism Mother from Fairfield City, Connecticut. Kim and her husband Mark have three daughters, Mia (age 20), Gianna (age 18), and Bella (age 14), who all have autism. Kim Stagliano is an Autism Light for her dedication as an autism mother, advocate, writer, and for being the managing editor of the popular Age of Autism Website.

Kim Stagliano with daughters Mia, Gianna, and Bella

Kim Stagliano graduated from Boston College in 1985, the same year that Autism Light #86  Doug Flutie graduated from Boston College. According to her Twitter Account @KimStagliano, Kim is a Howard Stern fan, muscle car lover, does Shito-Ryu Karate, and is a Matayoshi Weapons student.

The following is a video where Kim Stagliano talks about her three daughters.

Age of Autism: Kim Stagliano started her role as the Managing Editor of Age of Autism, which is the first Daily Web Newspaper of the Autism Epidemic, in 2007. As Managing Editor, Kim Stagliano is responsible for all daily content, technical work advertising, organization, layout and leads a team that helps with comment moderation.

The following is a video featuring Kim Stagliano that celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Generation Rescue and the work of its founder JB Handley.

Kim has extensive writing experience at online websites that include: Age of Autism , Huffington Post , Debutante Ball, Dallas Morning News Moms Blog , and The Autism File. Kim also speaks at national autism conferences and has appeared on Good Morning America (with the kids!), ABC News, Fox News, The Chicago Tribune, The National Catholic Register, and on blogs around the world (Bio on KimStagliano.com).

Several of her blog posts have gained national attention, including a recent one she did for the Washington Post called "My Three Daughters are Autistic. I Despise Autism Awareness Month". In this article, Kim says:

I dread April, which has been designated as Autism Awareness Month. As mom to three young women with autism – ages 20, 18 and 14 – I eat, sleep and live autism every day. My youngest daughter, Bella, can’t speak a word and was abused on a school bus, leading to a criminal case. My oldest, Mia, had hundreds of grand mal seizures a year from ages 6 to 10. My middle child is wracked with anxiety. For all three, I have to cut their food, tend to their monthly feminine needs, and bathe them. They will need that daily living assistance forever; when I die, a stranger will have to do those things for them. That is why I bristle at the festive tone of April, the suggestion that the circumstances of my daughters’ existences are to be celebrated. For me, this should be a month of solemn acknowledgement and education about a global crisis (Orange You Glad It's April).

Author: Kim Stagliano is the other of the following three books.

• ALL I CAN HANDLE:  In November, 2010, Kim Stagliano's first autism book ALL I CAN HANDLE: I'm No Mother Theresa (A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism) was published. More information on ALL I CAN HANDLE is available on her website. Her first autism book is filled with humor and Jenny McCarthy wrote the introduction. 
• House of Cards: In January, 2012, Kim Stagliano's book House of Cards was published. More information on House of Cards is available on her website. 
• 101 Tips for the Parents of Girls with Autism: In April, 2014, the most recent book that Kim Stagliano co-wrote along with Tony Lyons was published called 101 Tips for Parents of Girls with Autism.

Faith:  A look at Kim Stagliano's past experience with special education catechism classes in the Catholic Church can be found in the article by Joseph Pronechen called Special Needs, Sanctifying Deeds - Catechizing the Developmentally Disabled that appeared in the National Catholic Register on October 16, 2009.

Advice to Mothers: Kim Stagliano shared this word of encouragement with Autism Light for autism mothers on Mother's Day, "You are NOT alone - we are a close family even when we differ on cause. Autism Moms will always reach out to help one another because we understand the 'walk'."

Treatment Ideas: Autism Light asked Kim Stagliano what treatments for autism may have helped her family over the years and she said that the most important thing is diet. Kim has her daughters on a gluten free diet. Also, she suggests speech that has an OT and sensory component as having the potential to be helpful.

Passions: Kim Stagliano shared with Autism Light her three most important passions about autism advocacy. They are as follows:

1. Safety for all - no matter how old.
2. Prevention - we can't continue at this rate.
3. Treatment to help with aggression, seizures and other aspects of autism that alienate and are life threatening. 

Social Media: You can follow Kim Stagliano and her work as an author and editor on the following pages.

• Facebook Page for All I Can Handle I'm No Mother Theresa
• Facebook Page for Age of Autism
• Twitter for Age of Autism @AgeofAutism
• Twitter for Kim Stagliano @KimStagliano

Special thanks to Kim Stagliano for being an Autism Light. Kim is representative of the dedicated autism mothers who we salute on this Mother's Day 2015. She is also part of a smaller group of autism mothers who have multiple children on the autism spectrum. We wish Kim Stagliano all the best in her role as an autism mother, advocate, and writer. We expect to continue to hear good things in the future about the difference she is making and the light she shines for autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photos: Photos in this post are used with permission of Kim Stagliano.

Pope Francis

Autism Light #366 is Pope Francis.

Pope Francis was born with the name Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Argentina and he is the current head of the Catholic Church, holding the title of the Bishop of Rome. He has developed a reputation as a leader who genuinely cares about those who are less fortunate and have special needs. Pope Francis is an Autism Light for his outreach to those with autism in his role as the faith leader of over 1.2 billion worldwide members of the Catholic Church. Under his leadership the Vatican's health care office held the Catholic Church's first ever global gathering on autism on November 20-22, 2014. As part of this conference Pope Francis spoke about autism and met directly with persons with autism and their parents and doctors.

Michele Arbogast, a mother of a child with autism who works for Autism Speaks in New York, said about Pope Francis, "Pope Francis has changed the dynamics. He reaches out to those in need. Words from the Holy Father will reach the smallest villages, touch hearts, change minds and help people to volunteer and help other families (Religion News, November 21, 2014)."

Here is a video of Pope Francis speaking at the International Conference of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers which had as its theme this year, "The Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Animating Hope".  Pope Francis spoke to participants at the Persons with Autism Conference on Saturday, November 22, 2014.

The medical conference on autism sponsored by the Catholic Church that Pope Francis spoke at is said by organizers to be "the biggest medical conference of its kind on autism, gathering more than 650 experts from 57 countries (ABC News, November 18, 2014)." Thanks to technology the Pope's words will be heard throughout world and reach people around the world, having an especially influential impact on those who are part of the Catholic Church.

The Rev. P. Augusto Chenci of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers said that the reason Pope Francis spoke directly to those with autism at the conference was to "help break the isolation, and in many cases the stigma, that surrounds people affected by autism spectrum disorders (ABC News, November 18, 2014)."

The following are just two examples of some testimonies that were shared on Twitter about the positive impact Pope Francis is having in the lives of those with autism and their families.

I'm becoming a huge fan of Pope Francis #autism... http://t.co/CH75W5bnbP
— Anne Jovanovic (@ajrahming) November 22, 2014

Dear @Pontifex My 3 girls w AUTISM received Sacraments. Thank U 4 recognizing their DISABILITY. pic.twitter.com/cZPDpqLyKT
— Kim Rossi Stagliano (@KimStagliano) November 19, 2014

Social Media: You can follow Pope Francis on the following social media.

• Facebook Page for Pope Francis
• Google+ Community for Pope Francis
• Twitter @Pontifex
• Wikipedia Page for Pope Francis

Special thanks to Pope Francis for all he is doing to raise awareness of autism in the Catholic Church around the world. His respectful treatment of individuals with autism is shining a light that those with autism can find a home in a faith community.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo of Pope Francis is from Wikipedia Commons.

Karen Jackson

Autism Light #106 is Karen Jackson.

Gray Puryear, Vice-President with Karen Jackson, President (Faith Inclusion Network)

Karen Jackson is from Norfolk, Virginia. She is a band director for a private K-8 school and is the mother of three children, including a daughter Samantha who has autism. Karen Jackson is also the Founder and Director of the Faith Inclusion Network. Karen Jackson is an Autism Light because of her leadership of the Faith Inclusion Network and her advocacy for faith opportunities for autistic people.


Karen Jackson founded the Faith Inclusion Network in 2008. Karen Jackson and her family go to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk, Virginia, where she serves as a Parish Advocate. The board of directors of the Faith Inclusion Network represent a variety of different faith communities. Karen was inspired to start the Faith Inclusion Network (FIN) by her daughter Samantha who has autism and continues to strive to successfully work out her faith as a teenager in the Catholic Church. The hope since FIN's conception is to bring together experienced people and inclusive churches to help families integrate their disabled members into a faith community of their choice.


As the President and Founder of the Faith Inclusion Network, Karen Jackson is instrumental in helping to develop and accomplish the mission and goals of the 501c3 organization. The Faith Inclusion Network provides support for people with disabilities to be integrated into faith communities in the South Hamptons Road, Virginia area. According to their website, their mission is "helping faith communities to develop inclusive ministries for people with disabilities and helping families affected by disability to find welcoming and accessible places to worship in South Hampton Roads, Virginia."

The Faith Inclusion Network (FIN) website has several helpful sections. There are sections about FIN's mission and history, resources, a listing of participating faith communities divided by geographical area, and stories. One of the practical resources featured on the website is a link to a detailed publication on faith based ministry with disabled persons called Dimensions of Faith. For more information on the Faith Inclusion Network and the resources they provide visit their website at www.faithinclusionnetwork.org.

One of Karen Jackson's stories of a time when her autistic daughter Samantha taught her about God was featured on a blog at Beliefnet written by Amy Julia Becker. In the story Karen Jackson explains how an occasion when Samantha said sincerely and clearly that "God is Great" taught her a valuable spiritual lesson. She says this about that incident:

But then I got a wonderful little moment from God, a few well chosen words from my daughter who speaks so seldom. I had to agree. God is great. And I realized once again that I am blessed to be a part of Samantha's world and blessed to be reminded of some of the simplest lessons. God is great and God is good. And I thank God for the many blessings in my life...especially for the one wrapped up in the special package of my beautiful daughter Samantha (Source).

Special thanks to Karen Jackson for helping diverse faith communities to be inviting to people with autism. Perhaps this type of network will be duplicated in other parts of the Nation and World. If you are interested in discussing the Faith Inclusion Network with Karen Jackson email her at Faithinclusionnetwork@gmail.com.


Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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Photo: The photos in this post are used with permission of Karen Jackson of Faith Inclusion Network.

St. Peter Roman Catholic Church

Autism Light #89 is St. Peter Roman Catholic Church.

St. Peter Roman Catholic Church is located at 350 Fair Street in Warwick, Rhode Island.  The church was established in 1933 and the present pastor of the church is Rev. Roger C. Cagne. St. Peter Roman Catholic Church is an Autism Light because they have a special autism program that helps Catholic individuals with autism in Rhode Island to experience the Sacraments.

History: In the Fall of 2008, St. Peters began the program of offering Autism & the Sacraments as part of their Faith Formation offerings. The program is part of several like it in the Catholic Church, but it is the first of its kind in the state of Rhode Island. In March of 2009 an article was written by the Associated Press on this unique autism program by the church. More information on this successful and ongoing program can be found on their website at http://stpeterswarwick.com/autism-program/.

Program:  As part of the program, children meet every two weeks to learn about their faith. To develop the program volunteers were used that come from the Catholic faith but who also have professional experience in working with autistic students outside of the church.Anyone interested in having their child enroll should call Margaret Andreozzi, who is the elementary faith formation coordinator.  Her number is 401/461-5691. There is a waiting list to get into the program.

Mass: 3 Masses (worship services) are celebrated with the families in the Autism & the Sacraments program.  These Masses have been led by the church's pastor, Rev. Roger Cagne. Some of the changes he makes to these special Masses is the hour-long liturgy is shortened to 15 minutes, by skipping music, making prayers optional, and having only a brief message. Rev. Roger Cagne said about this program, "The whole point is Jesus is totally inclusive. He directs his followers to do the same (Source)."

Social Media:  You can follow St. Peters Church on their Facebook page.

For more information on St. Peters Church visit their website at http://stpeterswarwick.com. Special thanks to St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Warwick, Rhode Island for helping those with autism to be able to participate in the Catholic religious faith.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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This Autism Light post went into syndication at Autisable.