Bluesprig director highlights autism support, early diagnosis

Karina Massey of Bluesprig says autism looks different for every child and early therapy makes a difference.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, a time dedicated to increasing understanding, encouraging early diagnosis and promoting inclusive support for those with autism and their families.

Karina Massey, Clinical Director at Bluesprig, says the month is important because it brings attention to the many unknowns surrounding autism.

“To people who are not exposed to autism daily, to how they can better support the community, how can they better understand what autism really is and how it affects children diagnosed with it and their families,” she said.

She says autism is not one-size-fits-all, and this month helps people understand that.

“Autism is a broad spectrum, and I really want people to understand it affects everyone differently,” she said. “Whoever is diagnosed with autism is going to be different from one another. So, they’re going to have different needs, they’re going to have different skills, different strengths. We want people to know and to learn about what that looks like, and be patient and understanding, and learn how they can better support someone with autism.”

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of children with autism, but thanks to the advancement of technology and medicine, Massey says things are improving.

“Before, there were just not a lot of resources out there for children with autism,” she said. “Now, there is just a lot more research, a lot more support. There are more companies like we do, recognizing early signs of autism and targeting that from early intervention, so we can better help our individuals to be ready for that transition to a less restricted environment, to a more independent life.”

Massey says ABA therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis) is especially beneficial because it helps those with autism learn new skills and reduce challenging behaviors.

“It’s individualized, it’s focused on that one person, and it’s going to look different to each one of them,” she said. “So, that’s the beauty of ABA, that it’s just focused on the strengths of the individual and what they need at that time.”