Autism discussions have captured the nation's attention, but what about the families affected?

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) - Kailey Lowdermilk and Jess Mulvey are moms to autistic children and specialists in neurodivergent care at Grand Valley Behavior in Grand Junction. In a time where autism causes and prevention are dominating the national conversation, these mothers feel the voices of autistic families are getting lost in the panic.

"The way [autism] it's being labeled is just a disease that needs to be fixed, and a disease that needs to be cured," says Jess, Grand Valley Behavior's CEO. "But there's so many aspects of autism that are good, that are strengths."

Grand Valley Clinical Manager Kailey Lowdermilk adds, "I don't like when the focus of the conversation of autism is everything that is wrong or everything that's hard for them. Because autism is so much more than just