- December 15, 2025
Kathleen Davis hopes to start a support group for parents of autistic children to focus on problem-solving rather than complaining.
When Joseph Davis was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, doctors told his mother, Kathleen, that he would never speak.
“They told me he would never speak or show affection,” Kathleen Davis, an Ormond Beach resident, said. “Then we got him into therapy and Tomoka Elementary was just wonderful with him. He was talking by the time he was 3 years old.”
Now 5 years old, Joseph talks in complete sentences and Kathleen Davis credits it to his teachers over the last two years.
“He’s had an exceptional amount of progress,” Kathleen Davis said. “I promote it to the teachers at Tomoka Elementary. The teachers are wonderful there. His actual grade point level of education is at 1.8, which is almost second grade for reading and writing. And he’s only going into kindergarten.”
Positive advancements like the one Kathleen Davis experienced with her son inspired her to start a support group for parents of autistic children.
“I had been asked by several people if I had known of one,” Kathleen Davis said. “A lot of the ones I went to were very negative. And I’m not that type of person. I like to take problems and try to find a solution, not just harp on what’s wrong. And I wanted to include the children.”
The group started about a year ago and had five meetings before it dwindled out. Now Kathleen Davis wants to revive the group and expand it to include speakers. She hopes to get enough moms and dads involved so she can discuss topics like the new Blue Jay Academy, a school for autism children, and communication issues.
“For my son the struggle is with focus and the ability to sit still for two minutes,” Kathleen Davis said. “It’s kind of obsession type things. He’ll obsess over something he wants until he can finally get to it. It also makes him very intelligent. When he can’t express what he wants he has a meltdown and starts throwing things. Communication is one of our biggest obstacles.”
Davis said she found peace in getting involved with other autism groups. She is the resource fair coordinator for Autism Speaks, involved in Surfers for Autism and helps the Blue Jay Academy raise money for their school. She hopes reviving her group will give parents of autistic children a place to feel that same peace.
“Stay calm,” Kathleen Davis said. “You really have to remember it is trial and error. What works for me isn’t going to work for them.”
Anyone interested in joining Kathleen Davis’ support group can email her at [email protected].
