Mohar Family Gives Back

When Cristal Mohar first enrolled her 8-year-old son Ryan in the Marcus Autism Center Severe Behavior Day Treatment Program, she thought she would spend the day getting odd tasks finished. As a busy mom, she was looking forward to sitting in the parent resource center, catching up with her sewing or watching DVDs on her laptop.

But as soon as she was introduced to the atmosphere of care at Marcus Autism Center, she knew she had to be involved. Each day while Ryan was in treatment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cristal volunteered, often providing administrative support duties for the development staff. She said it was her way of giving back and encouraging other parents to get involved.

“For me, it was the best feeling ever, knowing I was giving back. I enjoyed getting to know the staff here, seeing their hard work and how much they cared,” Cristal said.

Nathan Call, Ph.D., Director of the Behavior Treatment Clinics, said while Ryan’s mother was volunteering, her son was busy making progress with his behavior issues.

 “After only about two weeks at Marcus Autism Center, Ryan’s screaming incidents decreased from more than 200 times an hour to about 38 times an hour,” Dr. Call said.

Cristel said Ryan is continuing to improve at home.

“Marcus Autism Center was such a blessing. It was really life-changing for our family, and volunteering was therapeutic and healing for me.”