Gordon and Juli Liske are the founders of Heart for Autism,and first and foremost, the parents of 6½ year old Benjamin. Benjamin was diagnosed with severe autism and probable mental retardation by a multi-disciplinary team at the age of two. He was non-verbal, highly aggressive, socially withdrawn, had no eye-contact, and was consumed with abnormal self-stimulatory behavior.

At that time, the Liske’s lived in rural Eastern Kentucky and were faced with the financial and geographic challenges of obtaining comprehensive autism treatment in a remote location. They, like many other parents, were initially overwhelmed by the  confusing, and often conflicting, world of autism treatment available on the internet. They didn’t know where or how to begin helping their son; all they knew was that Benjamin’s behaviors were only getting worse and that the minimal state-funded early intervention services they now received seemed to be a waste of time.

That was when Juli and her husband set out to research, design, and implement their own intensive and comprehensive home behavioral program.

Today, Benjamin’s future is very bright. He is an academically and socially precocious first grader who is loving, curious, and inquisitive. In some regards, Benjamin could  be considered a “savant”, with surprisingly advanced talents in mathmatics, reading, spelling, art, and music; however, he has no remaining areas of cognitive deficit, as is commonly associated with savants. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, this week he smiles and says, "A music author!"