Franz joined our PEPE in 2023 at the age of 3, beginning his adaptation period to the group. From the start, the missionary-educator noticed that Franz’s behavior was different from that of the other children: he didn’t follow instructions, didn’t respond to his name, became easily irritated, showed signs of aggression, avoided eye contact, didn’t speak, isolated himself, and was hypersensitive to noise. All these signs indicated a possible autism spectrum disorder.
Because of these observations, the missionary-educator, who is also a psychologist and director, decided to hold a multidisciplinary meeting with the mother to inform her of the potential diagnosis. They provided her with contact information for specialized institutions that could evaluate her son. At the end of the meeting, the mother felt encouraged, and they prayed for her family. The parents followed the advice and decided to get an evaluation, which confirmed a diagnosis of Level 1 Autism. After this process, Franz began attending private therapy.
Seeing the significant changes and the care Franz was receiving, the parents decided to enroll him in PEPE again. After a few months, we can already see great progress: Franz has many cognitive skills, knows the alphabet, recognizes vowels and numbers, has expanded his vocabulary, communicates better with everyone, and is even writing his own name.
However, in the past two months, the family went through a critical situation that affected Franz’s behavior, presenting us with new challenges at PEPE to continue working hard for his well-being. The missionary-educator has also been working with the entire group of students, teaching them how to treat their classmate, respect him, and help him integrate. God has greatly blessed little Franz, and we are certain that God has a very special purpose for his life and his family.
“…Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26
Mary Luz Fonseca
National Coordinator of PEPE BOLIVIA
Translated by Victor Baptista
