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NWI mother whose son has autism aims to open first applied behavior analysis clinic in Gary

Times - 9/3/2021

Sep. 4—GARY — It takes a village to raise a child.

As a mother to three sons, having a village in her family has helped Jaunesia Davis tremendously, especially after her son DeYaire was diagnosed with nonverbal autism when he was 3 years old.

DeYaire, who is now 7, was the first child to be diagnosed with autism in Davis' family, she said.

"We had to work together to really help him become the successful person he is today," Davis said.

After the diagnosis, Davis formed the nonprofit We Are The Village, Inc., which also is a 501(c)(3), to provide a village to parents like herself.

"I was a parent who was left with really no questions answered, and it bothered me that I had to go outside of the city, outside of Gary, to get resources for my son," Davis said. "So I decided to bring them to Gary myself with the help of my family."

Now, Davis is getting ready to open the first applied behavior analysis clinic in Gary, which will offer on-site speech, occupational and physical therapy at 3706 Hayes St. She hopes to open the clinic at the end of this month.

Davis recently received a $10,000 grant from the Gary Micro-Enterprise Initiative program through First Financial Bank for the project.

Currently, she runs We Are The Village, at 4030 W. Fifth Ave., which she said is the only childcare center with special education in Gary.

When DeYaire was first diagnosed with autism, Davis said she was scared and nervous and recalled neither she, nor her family, knew what to do.

She never lost hope, however, and DeYaire is now reading and writing with a full vocabulary, Davis said.

"He had been receiving therapy since he was 3 months because I had noticed issues," she said of DeYaire. "I noticed that he wasn't developing as fast as my oldest had, so I had started getting him therapy quite early."

Davis later added: "I tell my son all the time, 'God has blessed me with a little boy who has potential to change a whole city.'"

Davis said she feels blessed to help parents who are in a similar situation she was a couple of years ago when her son was diagnosed with autism.

"I want families to know that there is hope, and they do have help," Davis said. "You are not alone. You are not the only person. You can talk to me. You can call us. You can reach out. We are here to help. You do have help. ... You don't have to do this alone."

This weekend, We Are The Village is hosting its inaugural lemonade stand and car wash fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Gary Middle College, 4030 W. Fifth Ave. in Gary.

For more information, visit www.wearethevillageinc.com.

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