Lauren Ratcliff was diagnosed with High Functioning  Autism at a time when it was not well understood. She was born on August 2, 1981 to Dian and Larry Ratcliff. She appeared on the surface to be healthy and meeting all of her developmental milestones, but her parents noticed that she was a bit different than other children. Lauren’s main symptoms included some sensory issues, poor emotional control issues, stemming when upset, and mild social issues. Lauren’s younger sister Lacey was born on August 19, 1984 and when Lacey grew into her toddler years Lacey was developing into a very social and happy child. 

When Lauren entered Kindergarten in the fall of 1986 her differences and strange developmental patterns were more obvious to her parents and everyone around her. As a nurse Dian knew that this was not a normal behavior pattern and consulted with the family pediatrician about Lauren’s strange symptoms. He did not feel like there was anything wrong with Lauren so she sought a second opinion with a doctor that she worked with who got Lauren referred for a two day evaulation at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio with a team of doctors who diagnosed her with a condition then known as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) in January of 1987. Like most parents of children with Autism Lauren’s parents faced issues with getting Lauren the help she needed including out of pocket medical and psychological services, dealing with school services, and people who oftentimes misunderstood the Ratcliff’s. Lauren was often punished unfairly for her severe emotional control issues and this has caused her great difficulty in educational and employment settings. She was also bullied by people of all ages who did not understand her Autism. She was later diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome when it was introduced into diagnostic literature.

Despite her issues she managed to earn a driver’s liscense while still in high school.  She still struggles with her emotional control issues. She earned her cosmetology liscense in 2002 and her bachelors degree in 2011. Lauren’s mission in life is to help others to understand what it feels like to live with an Autism spectrum disorder and Autism is nothing to be ashamed of. 

Lauren grew up in a Christian home and  believes that as Christians we should be able to understand how the Autistic mind works in order to help others with Autism.