Holly Young

Autism Light #463 is Holly Young. 

Holly Young is an autism mother, retired police officer, and business owner from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her 8 year old son Roman has autism. She retired after 16 years as a police officer to open a business called Puzzle Pieces in order to provide a place where parents of children with autism and special needs could find appropriate toys. Holly Young is also known for filing a federal lawsuit in 2012 against the failure of Ohio to provide ABA therapy for her son. Holly Young is an Autism Light because of the way in which she has helped provide resources and set the stage for legal precedent that will make a tremendous difference for autism families in Ohio and around the country.

Puzzle Pieces: Puzzle Pieces is a store opened by Holly Young so that parents and their children with autism would have a place they could go to see and touch toys geared for their special needs. Puzzle Pieces had their grand opening on March 24, 2018. The store is located at the address 11912 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio.

The following is a news story on the opening of Puzzle Pieces.



Holly Young experienced frustration when she couldn't find a place to acquire therapy toys geared for autism, so she went into retirement from being a police officer in order to open Puzzle Pieces. Puzzle Pieces is not merely a business but a resource for the autism community in Ohio born from the passion of an autism mother that discovered a need for it.

Holly Young said, "Picking out a toy for a child is hard. Picking out a toy for an atypical child with sensory needs is very hard, so hopefully this will help bridge that gap for parents (As quoted by Nicole Pelletiere, ABC News, March 21, 2018).



Groundbreaking Lawsuit in Ohio for ABA Therapy: Holly Young had to fight the State of Ohio over the lack of ABA Therapy for her son Roman. Roman began receiving services in 2011 through the Help Me Grow program in Ohio when he was age 2. When the state refused to provide ABA therapy and services ended in August 2012, she and her husband David filed a lawsuit in December of that year. In January 2013 Judge Michael Barrett ruled in their favor of the Young's forcing Ohio to provide ABA services (WBRC News, January 15, 2013). In 2014 they received a settlement of $142,000 for the time that Roman went without treatment and how that impacted his development (WLWTV.com, September 30, 2014). This case was inspirational and helpful in opening doors for countless other autism families by setting legal precedent regarding ABA therapy.

"Roman has paved the way for a lot of autistic children that are having the same problems we had. The United States Department of Education actually stepped in and said Ohio was not doing what they should be doing for children zero to three, Holly Young said (As quoted by Adrianne Kelly, WLWTV.com, September 30, 2014).

Social Media: You can follow Puzzle Pieces at the Facebook page for Puzzle Pieces.

Special thanks to Holly Young for being an Autism Light. She is an inspiration for her dedication as an autism mother, and her willingness to take action in the public arena that is making a practical difference for other autism families in Ohio. The climate for autism is improved for many by the faithfulness of mothers like Holly Young who see a need and do what they can to meet that need, even though it involves sacrifice. We wish Holly Young and her store Puzzle Pieces much success.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Rob Zink

Autism Light #440 is Rob Zink. 

Rob Zink is 45 years old and has served as a Police Officer for 17 years in the St. Paul (Minnesota) Police Department. His dedication to use his role as a police officer to help the autism community has earned him the nickname "Autism Cop". Rob Zink is also an Autism Father. Two of his three sons have autism. Rob Zink is an Autism Light for how he is making a difference in the autism community in St. Paul, Minnesota by fostering effective relationships and appropriate police responses to interactions with individuals with autism.

Autism Father: Rob Zink's 10 year old and 12 year old sons both have autism. Rob Zink told a parent at a community forum in December 2015 that, "This is very personal to me. Now I'm getting teary-eyed, but I never want to see an instance like what happened on the MTC happen to my sons. I give it my heart and I give it my promises as best as we can. We're not perfect, we're all going to make mistakes (City Pages, Rob Zink, St. Paul's 'autism cop' pushes an unconventional approach to policing, Susan Du, December 15, 2015)."

The following is a video of news story on Rob Zink's role in St. Paul as the Autism Cop.





CARE Project: Rob Zink created Cop Autism Response Education (CARE) Project.

CARE Project is part of a groundbreaking effort to ensure that police calls involving people with autism end safely. His first priority has been getting to know St. Paul families with autistic children and explaining how police respond to domestic violence calls - a not uncommon scenario involving those with an autism spectrum disorder. His second is helping police find quieter and gentler ways to defuse those calls (StarTribune, A St. Paul Police Officer is Leading Efforts to Ensure that Encounters with Autistic People End Safely, July 24, 2015). 

Cmdr. John Bandemer, who is the head of the Western District police command where Rob Zink serves said, "We have been seeing more calls relating to kids on the spectrum and Rob has kind of become our point person. We are grateful that Rob has an interest in this from his point of view as a father. That and his work with families can kind of close the circle for understanding (StarTribune, A St. Paul Police Officer is Leading Efforts to Ensure that Encounters with Autistic People End Safely, July 24, 2015)."

You can read stories of success within the CARE Project at the following online article: (StarTribune, A St. Paul Police Officer is Leading Efforts to Ensure that Encounters with Autistic People End Safely, July 24, 2015)

For more information on the CARE Project in the St. Paul Police Department email: SPPD-Autism@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

Special thanks to Rob Zink for being an Autism Light. We hope that programs like his CARE (Cops Autism Response Education) will be adopted in every corner of the world. Rob Zink's success in St. Paul is a shining light to help that happen.

If you enjoyed this article you may wish to read other posts at Autism Light with the Label of Police Officer.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Fred and Aly Harmon

Autism Lights #141 are Fred and Aly Harmon.

Thousands of thrift stores dot the landscape of both rural and urban cities across the world. They are a treasure for hearts that can find a second life for someone else's discarded goods, and they are a retail lifeline to those who are struggling to get by on a tight budget. Today's Autism Lights have started a thrift store that is all that and a business that can be a treasure and lifeline to those facing autism.

Today's Autism Light journey takes us to Amarillo, Texas, the home of Fred and Aly Harmon. Fred and Ally are the parents of 7 year old twin boys with autism named William and Luke. Fred Harmon is a police officer and army reservist and Aly manages the Lil' Treasures Shoppe, a thrift store in Amarillo, Texas.  The thrift store is much more than a family business to support the high cost of autism treatments. The Harmon's have focused on giving back to others in setting up the store to be a resource for the autism community. Fred and Aly Harmon are Autism Lights because of the way they are shining a light for autism in their family and community.

Thrift Store: The Lil' Treasures Thrift Store opened on October 1, 2011 and is located at 4021 S. Washington Street in Amarillo, Texas. A sign in the Lil' Treasures Thrift Store says, "Autism is not a sickness. It is not a illness. We just see the world differently."  Aly Harmon wrote this to Autism Light about her goals for the store in 2012:

I'm hoping that by the end of this year, our store will not only be a thrift store helping families purchase items at great prices, but a hub for families affected by autism to come and meet other parents, spouses, and children in their shoes. We want to be a resource for families who may have a new diagnosis or just have questions about it. We want to be a place for all levels of families to meet others and gain a better grasp of what Autism is for them. I hope to be able to employ teens and adults with Autism to learn basic work skills or simply feel like they belong.

Another service they are providing through the store for the autism community is they are creating safety kits for parents and grandparents to use on overnight visits that they plan to distribute.

Texas Panhandle Center: William and Luke have been receiving ABA therapy at the Texas Panhandle Center in Amarilla for the past two years. Here is a YouTube video about the story of Fred and Aly Harmon's family as they journey with autism.

Aly Harmon shared with Autism Light this advice to other parents of children with autism:

My advice or piece of wisdom for other parents, is to find Your Own Peace with Your Autism. We are at Peace with it. We are not trying to get rid of it, it is who the twins are and we love them for it. We work to teach them to be independent, social, and educated, but every day they remind me they are so perfect the way they are. They are brilliant, loving, and funny little boys. 

For more information on Fred and Aly Harmon read an article by John Mark Beilue of the Amarillo Globe-News. Special thanks to Fred and Aly Harmon for being Autism Lights that shine brightly through the entire outreach of the Lil' Treasures Thrift Store and a dedication to their twin sons with autism.  You are an inspiration to other parents struggling with autism of what can be built from a dream.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Brian Herritt

Autism Light #46 is Brian Herritt.

Brian Herritt and his son Brian

Brian Herritt is a police officer with the Palomar College Police Department in San Diego County, California.  His son Brian has autism. Besides being a police officer, Brian works for Autism Risk and Safety Management and keeps a busy schedule as a consultant/presenter for autism conferences and local groups related to either law enforcement and the autism community. His expertise as a presenter is how to improve relationships and build understanding between law enforcement and the autism community.

Morgan Cook wrote an article about Brian and said, "As an officer at the Palomar College Police department and the father of a severely autistic 8-year-old boy, Herritt has a special interest in filling what he sees as a significant gap in law enforcement training (Read Full Article)."

Brian Herritt trains fellow officers on autism awareness and how to relate to the unique needs of people with autism in the course of their jobs.  He also trains parents and people with autism about how to relate to law enforcement. Brian explains his training like this.

Not only do I go to cops and say this is what parents go through, I want to tell parents what cops go through. We are called in law enforcement, when people don't know what to do, and we are supposed to have an answer. The problem with autism is that cops don't know what to do (Read Full Article).

More information on the autism training that Brian provides can be found in the following online articles.

• North County Times Article by Morgan Cook
• Oregonian Article by Rebecca Woolington. 
• Autism Society of Washington Conference
• Notes on the Presentation
• Autistic Journalist Blog

To contact Autism Risk & Safety Management with questions about one of Brian Herritt's presentations you can use one of the following contacts.

• Autism Risk Management Website
• Brian Herritt's Email
• Phone: 951-553-4878

Brian Herritt is an Autism Light because of his leadership in providing helpful training to police officers, parents, and people with autism.  Thank you Brian Herritt.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism. 


Photo: Photo in this post used with permission of Brian Herritt.

This post went into syndication on Autisable.