What started as an online resource for Valley parents with children on the autism spectrum, eventually became much more.

"Since he was little, I would see signs and would say it's a tick, and would constantly think it's autism,” RGV Autism in my Life member Arely Lara Hernandez said.

Hernandez moved to the Valley from Tamaulipas in 2018 hoping to find resources that would help her son, Daniel, who has special needs.

Doctors diagnosed him with autism, feeling alone, she looked for Facebook groups to join for support, but she never received a response because her requests were in Spanish. That’s when her son’s daycare told her about Autismo en mi Vida - RGV Autism in my Life.

"I joined the group, and would always ask questions if their children acted like mine and thank God this group did respond because they also speak Spanish,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez says that after her second son was diagnosed, she felt more comfortable talking to members of the group instead of her friends or family.

“To know that they speak Spanish and that I can express myself in my language is an assurance that they will help me because they understand me,” Hernandez said.

Like Hernandez says, finding support and resources in a language you understand is difficult. Now, there is a new local nonprofit organization offering parents with children on the autism spectrum resources in both languages.

"We founded the group for that need that many people like myself feel there is information in English,” RGV Autism in my Life administrator Aida Garcia said.

RGV Autism in my Life started as a Facebook group in 2018.

As parents joined, they saw the need to expand and offer more resources to parents.

One of the members who helps with workshops donated her nonprofit, which never came to fruition.

Once paperwork was finalized, it gained official status.

"If you just received a diagnostic, know that you are not alone, there are other parents who are going through the same thing, and we are here to help you,” Garcia said.

The nonprofit is based in Brownsville but helps Valley parents find resources, provides workshops and teaches them their legal rights that will protect their children in both languages.