Threshold Center for Autism fills in the gaps

Teena Willard knew her son was different, and the world did too. In public he was faced with rejection, mocking, critical stares and misunderstanding. His mother wanted help for him, but 40 years ago there just wasn’t anywhere to turn for a family with an autistic child. Doctors told her to give up and put him away. But that wasn’t an option for the mother of seven.

The last straw, what she said really gave her the nerve to stand up for autism, and create a place for her son in the world, was the cruelty she experienced from fellow parents. Willard thought she’d found a place for her little boy, a fancy nursery school to attend that might be able to work through his special needs. He’d been accepted, finally. A week later she got a call that he could no longer join their school, because nearly every parent said if he were there, their child wouldn’t be. The normally sweet, unassuming mother had a fire lit under her in that instant.

“She’s small but she’s mighty,” her daughter Judy Dennis said.

“You get tough,” Willard said.

Threshold is born

To learn more about the Threshold Center for Autism, visit threshold-center.org or call 407-671-7060. Threshold also has its own medical and dental clinics, which are open to anyone, but are safe and welcoming for clients with autism.

She joined a group of seven other mothers whose children were dealing with similar issues — Ben Willard, now 47, has severe autism, didn’t speak and had extreme behavioral problems — and she knew she was where she belonged. Soon after, she began offering a school atmosphere at her home, teaching Ben and several other autistic children. But she knew more families needed help, and she wanted her son to go to an actual school. That’s when the Threshold Center for Autism was born.

“We call her the mother of autism,” said Kathy Pierson, public relations representative for the organization.

“We want the children that no one else wants,” Willard said.

Today, it’s grown from a little class in her home to a nonprofit organization with five group homes with around-the-clock care, an academy with students from Seminole and Orange counties, and an adult program for those who have aged out of the school system. Its Winter Park home base also has a clinic and dental office open to anyone, but that are safe and welcoming for clients with autism.

Threshold takes on clients many can’t or are afraid to deal with. Winter Park resident Denise Cortez said she was desperate when she found Threshold. Her son was 3 years old. He wasn’t talking and would have what she calls “meltdowns” frequently. He’d throw chairs and destroy anything in sight.

Cortez walked into Threshold many times in tears, and Willard was always there to assure her that everything would be OK.

“She’s probably the most compassionate woman I’ve ever met; Teena took me under her wing like a daughter,” Cortez said. “It was very safe. They educated us, they comforted us, they became our family.”

Her first big goal for her son while at Threshold was to hear him learn to talk.

“I just want him to say ‘Mommy I love you,’” Cortez said.

By the time he was 5, she could proudly say not only that he was telling her he loved her, but that he also had a “smart mouth.” It’s a favorite success story of everyone at Threshold. No one could contain their laughter when, after she was complaining about his sass, he stubbornly said, “Be quiet, mommy!”

Brandon Cortez is now 21, a high school graduate with a girlfriend. He’s also mastered the art of sarcasm and still gives his mom a hard time.

Those stories are abundant at Threshold. At their academy, many students are taught one-on-one all day. The largest groups they have per staff member are five students. Three generations of Willard’s family work at Threshold, and that family atmosphere and love can be felt in every room.

“I don’t think they’ll ever realize the impact they made in our lives,” Cortez said.

“One person can make a difference,” said Jim Dennis, her son-in-law and Threshold’s executive director. “That just sums her up.”