As a young mother, Ramona Puget dreaded hearing the diagnosis a specialist in Fresno gave her 3-year-old son: autism. She was prepared for it, expected it even, but that didn’t ease the fear she felt after having it confirmed. It was the diagnosis, however, that got her where she is today, serving as director and president of the Autism Society Affiliate-Kern Autism Network for the past 14 years, helping families create better outcomes for children on the autism spectrum.

Rewind to 1995, Ramona and her husband both noticed her second eldest son, Dominic, wasn’t reaching his milestones on time. To Ramona, some of Dominic’s behaviors seemed different, and she was on a quest to rule out any sort of disability. With resources scarce in Bakersfield in the 90s, it took a while to get someone to assess him. But when a specialist in Fresno took a closer look, he confirmed that Dominic was on the autism spectrum, and a second opinion from a specialist at UCLA gave the same diagnosis.

“I needed to find a way to better understand his needs and help him,” Ramona said of her son.

Ramona started her journey by getting informed. She studied the history, pathology and medical information on autism. But that wasn’t enough. Ramona decided to enroll in college and pursue a degree in psychology from California State University, Bakersfield. This, she thought, would help her to better advocate for her son while simultaneously continuing her personal education of autism.

First Ramona attended conferences and trainings and traveled outside of California to meet top experts in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Then, she was hired by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools to run an Autism After-School Program aimed at helping other children with autism gain skills through supplemental instruction. At the same time, Ramona joined the Kern Autism Network – a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that provides support, awareness, information and education related to autism to families, professionals and the public throughout Kern County - and became a Certified Autism Specialist, an advocate on a credentialed level.

“The goal is to be a resource for any family impacted with autism at a local level,” Ramona explained. “That is why awareness projects, events and exposure of the organization is crucial for families and the community to know that there is a resource here locally to help.”

With Ramona’s role at the Kern Autism Network, she hopes to unite the community in recognition of autism, right misconceptions about the disorder and help local families who live with a diagnosis thrive.

“If I can help another parent through the process that brought me to where I am at today, then I have done all that matters,” she said.

When Ramona’s fourth child was diagnosed with autism, her work became even more meaningful to her.

“See, having two sons with autism, in varying degrees from each other, has helped me to see that life is not perfect but my children are everything. My goal is to empower parents to be strong through this process and to understand that life will have many ups and downs with autism but like everything else, we must continue to do all that we can.”

The Autism Society Affiliate Chapter – Kern Autism Network (KAN), a non-profit organization of parents, grandparents, professionals, and other individuals that have an interest in autism, will host its 3rd Annual Racing for Autism Awareness on Saturday, April 29, at Bakersfield Speedway from 10:30AM to 1:00PM (NEW TIME).

   This fundraising event gives children with autism a chance to see, touch, sit in, and sign their own race car.  They can even put their handprints on the cars that will be racing that night.  To register your child and for a complete list of upcoming activities, please visit www.kernautism.org.    

About Ramona:

Ramona Puget is a graduate of California State University, Bakersfield, with a B.S. in Psychology and a credential as a Certified Autism Specialist. She is the President/Directorof the local Autism Society-Kern Autism Network, a Chapter Affiliate of the National Autism Society of America. Ramona is a current active member involved in COPAA-The Council of Parents, Attorneys and Advocates and the CIT-Crisis Intervention Team for disabilities for the city of Kern. She has four children, two who have a diagnosis of Autism. She has served on the Kern Regional Center-Board of Directors and chaired the local Kern Autism Regional Taskforce, for The California Senate Select Committee on Autism & Related Disorders, under Senator Ashburn, and the UCLA Kern Child & Adolescent Fellowship Advisory Committee. She is active in many local organizations with an emphasis in child development, mental health, disability policy and state regulations.