North Texas

World Autism Awareness Day is Tuesday, April 2

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day -- a day set aside to increase the understanding and acceptance of autism.

Over the last few months, NBC 5 has produced a number of stories bringing awareness to autism. You'll find a selection of those stories below.

TCU Family Finds Victories While Living With Autism

To be a member of the Texas Christian University family, you need to take care of one another, and likely, wear a lot of purple. Mark Cohen does all those things. As TCU's associate athletics director for athletics communications, he oversees communications for TCU's 21 sports. Mark has been part of the TCU family for 15 years, along with his wife, Sarah, and their three boys. Two of their three sons, Adam and Steven, are living with that diagnosis: autism spectrum disorder. Click here to read more.

The Cohen family says TCU, its faculty and students have embraced them as they've raised their three boys, two of whom have autism spectrum disorder. They said victories with autism sometimes come in smaller packages -- but they’re just as meaningful.

Research Offers Hope for Autism Spectrum Disorder

In the Sillan family’s backyard, 5-year-old Blake and his little sister, Eloise, share the joys of being siblings. “They laugh, they joke, they giggle, they’re best friends and biggest enemies at the same time,” said their mother, Amy Sillan (who is an NBC 5 employee), while sitting next to their father, Pete Sillan, in their Southlake home. Amy and Pete appreciate those complexities because their two children didn’t always connect. Since birth, they said Blake was a unique child, but later came delayed motor skills, lack of speech, fixations and repetition and meltdowns. Just before his third birthday, Blake was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. A short time later, the Sillans learned about a research study underway at Duke University where cord blood cells were used to try to repair damaged brain areas. Blake was approved to join the study and four months after Blake's first treatment his parents said they saw a significant difference in their son. Click here to read more.

Duke University is completing the second phase of a medical trial that researches if cord blood (banked at birth) can help reduce the negative effects of autism spectrum disorder. A North Texas family is in the trial and they say their son has changed for the better since the treatment.

Courageous Kid: Amelia Morrow

Amelia Morrow is an officer for her Southlake 4-H group, the Texas Wranglers. Now 15-years-old, it wasn't until she was five when she first started speaking. At 3-years-old, she was diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Since then, 4-H and equine therapy have helped her accomplish a lot, including becoming elected council delegate for her 4-H club and being the Tarrant County 4-H historian and reporter. Click here to read more on this story.

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'Dream Park' for Children With All Abilities Set to Open in Fort Worth

Dreams are about to come true for parents across North Texas as construction workers put the finishing touches on the new Dream Park in Fort Worth. The new playground, which will be housed at Fort Worth’s Trinity Park, is designed to accommodate all children with a special emphasis on children with special needs. It's set to open April 15. Click here to read more.

Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the Dream Park, designed with equipment to make sure children with special needs can enjoy a playground with other children.

Child With Autism Meets Santa for the First Time

A North Texas family is opening up about a trip to see Santa they say they’ll never forget. "You appreciate it so much because he wasn’t supposed to do it, he wasn’t supposed to be here, he wasn’t even supposed to survive," Misty Wolf said. Wolf’s 6-year-old son Matthew was born 24-weeks premature and is both blind and autistic. Matthew has had a growing interest in Santa, and went with his family to see Santa earlier this month at the Fort Worth Cabela’s. Click here to read more.

Matthew was born 24-weeks premature and is both blind and autistic. But despite his disabilities, he has a growing interest in Santa and went with his family to see Santa earlier this month.

Grand Prairie Officers Undergo Department's First Autism Training

The 20-plus members of one of the Grand Prairie Police Department's academy classes are among the very first law enforcement officers in all of North Texas to undergo autism awareness training. Click here to read more.

The 20-plus members of the Grand Prairie Police Department’s police academy class eight are among the very first law enforcement officers in all of North Texas to undergo autism awareness training.

Woman is 1st Openly Autistic Person to Practice Law in Florida

At 3-years-old Haley Moss was diagnosed with autism and doctors thought she may never be able to work a minimum wage job or live on her own. Last month, she became the first openly autistic person to be admitted to the Florida Bar. Not only did the Parkland, Florida-native graduate from the University of Miami School of Law and pass the Florida Bar, but she has also published multiple books, lives independently and works at a top law firm in Miami. Click here to read more.

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