By Jennifer Hartman

Her path began here at the University, an alumna of the month honored for her selfless acts and advocacy in the community. Faced with hardships in life, Michele Lumia Iallonardi’s fondest memory was graduating with honors in 1998 with a dual degree in elementary education and sociology. Now she is a wife and mother with three sons, Jackson, 6, and Bennett and Luca, twin 4-year-olds.

Iallonardi became passionately driven as an autism advocate after her three sons were diagnosed with the disability within a year. She quit her teaching job so she can be readily available to them.

“My children changed the way I look at the world,” Iallonardi said in a recent interview. “I never thought about beyond people with disabilities or protecting the rights of people with disabilities. My boys are incredible. I have a completely different perspective on life.”

Iallonardi now focuses on her sons’ disabilities-writing and working for children with special needs. “I am a huge advocate of inclusion. I feel that it is the right of all children to have the same opportunities,” she said.

Iallonardi describes her son Jackson as a hard-working and happy kid. Jackson’s autism is global, which means it affects every area of his development-socially, physically and mentally. Jackson uses a DynaVox to communicate more effectively. DynaVox is an alternative communication device that enables users to expand their skills. The device turns thoughts into speech, which improves social interaction, self-confidence, academic and self-sufficiency among its users. Users can generate speech using keyboards or hands free options, like mouse sticks and head sticks. DynaVox allows users to fully participate in school, work and social settings.

“Jackson can say words, but it is still difficult for him to communicate with his peers without the DynaVox. He uses it to talk with his friends, participate in circle time and read aloud,” Iallonardi said.

Iallonardi’s son Luca was diagnosed with autism at 15 months old and re-evaluated at 2-and-a-half years old. He is currently in the process of being de-classified as autistic. The school district will be evaluating Luca, giving him the same evaluations-education, psychological and speech. Luca is an example of a child who is 100 percent recovered from autism.

“He is a typical kid like his peers, very smart,” Iallonardi said of her son.

Bennett, Luca’s twin, also diagnosed at 15 months old, has made remarkable progress and is doing great academically.

“His social skills are still somewhat behind, but he is making improvements every day,” Iallonardi said.

Bennett goes to a regular preschool with a shadow to help encourage him to attend, participate and play with other kids. Bennett is still considered to be on the spectrum of autism.

Actress Jenny McCarthy’s son, Evan, was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old. Extensive research helped McCarthy find treatments for her son. Today her son is five and able to communicate completely. McCarthy has written a book based on her experience, “Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism.”

Not all children with autism are able to make leaps like Evan. Some parents have worked longer and harder without success, trying the exact same method.

Groups advocating more research money call autism “the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics last week stressed the importance of screening every child twice for autism by the age of two.

Fourteen years ago, only one in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. It is now reported by federal health authorities to affect one child in every 150, and is three times more common among boys than girls. Symptoms typically appear before age three and can include delayed speech, resistance to changes in daily routines and severe difficulties in socializing with other children.

In the 1990s, the autism umbrella expanded and is now shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions, known as “autism spectrum disorders.”

Iallonardi’s writing is therapeutic for her and enriches the lives of those living with autism, giving them sources of hope and enlightenment. She has been writing for “The Autism Perspective” magazine, a not-for-profit organization, for more than two years. The magazine features inspirational stories, new therapies and treatments, personal accounts and advocacy advice.

Her work was recently published in the newest addition to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs.”

“My children have motivated me to write-90 percent of what I write is about them. My older son is a particular motivation, because of the degree of his autism and the struggles and successes he has had. Therapeutically I find writing to be helpful for me and I know that what I write is helpful to others as well. It feels good to share my experiences and help others,” Iallonardi said.

She currently works for the Long Island Spectrum Center, a treatment facility in Plainview. The center is equipped with doctors and specialists prepared to evaluate the cause of the neurological and biochemical dysfunctions at the foundation of childhood disorders such as ADD, ADHD, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, PDD and autism. Iallonardi’s sons, Jackson, Bennett and Luca all attend the facility. She also runs an online support group for parents who have three or more children on the spectrum.

Her eldest son, Jackson is featured in the documentary, “Autism Everyday”-a truthful, unvarnished portrayal of the daily challenges faced by families as they confront the heartbreak of autism with uncompromising hope and unconditional love.

As a mother of three children with autism, Iallonardi speaks avidly and passionately about the role of parenting. Her boys have given her new eyes. A quote by Albert Einstein holds a special place in Iallonardi’s heart: “There are two ways to live your life. One as if though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

“Because of my boys, that quote has so much meaning to me,” she said. “I know what miracles are-they are hearing first words, watching first steps, and seeing the miracles of my children every day. My children have shown me the true meaning of love, hope and joy.”

(Left to right) The Iallonardi family and Mickey Mouse (Michele Iallonardi)