Firefly Autism dedicated to ensuring Coloradans with autism reach their full potential

Firefly Autism President and CEO Dr. Amanda Kelly has been working with people with autism for two decades.

"When I was in my teens, one of my neighbors, her son got diagnosed," recalls Kelly. "It was kind of a 'what's that' kind of a moment. I ended up working with him, and he was the most amazing brain you could ever imagine."

That experience in her home country of Ireland led her 4,000 miles across the Atlantic to Colorado.

During your time working with autism, has it ever been talked about as much as it's being talked about now?" asked CBS Colorado's Michael Spencer.

"No. Never. It's never been talked about as much as it's being talked about right now. And to be honest with you, I welcome the opportunity to be able to educate and provide resources and understanding," Kelly said.

Firefly's headquarters are in Lakewood where they work with 30 individuals ages 3-21. In total, Firefly works with around 350 families every year.

One of Firefly's objectives is to advocate for people with autism and their families.

"These families are in pain," says Kelly. "I think what we want at a state level is for people to understand more about the needs of this population who are maybe lost in conversations and maybe not part of the larger conversations about resources that are needed.

She stressed the need for more day treatment and residential options, and more job opportunities for adults with autism.

"There's a huge lack of day treatment providers in Colorado -- so after someone turns 21, what happens? We don't have many individuals who have workplace opportunities. There's a lot of lacking in the workforce."

"I really want to see more acceptance and understanding. More ability to ask for accommodations, and that comes with education."

She also highlights the need for more resources for people with higher support needs.

"We have learners who graduate from here who don't fit into day treatment programs or residential programs because they are so unique. We are not able to do all the things unfortunately. There are really unique learners in Colorado who are being left behind," she said.

Kelly and her staff conduct research at Firefly, and just finished a project exploring food preferences.

"A lot of autistic learners have really strong food sensitivities and often times don't eat many fruits and vegetables. What our research will show is that yes, if you have learners grow their own fruits and vegetables they are far more likely to try and taste those fruits and vegetables."

In addition to the research being doing at Firefly, Kelly is hoping that more research will be done at other levels as well.

"More research is important. There are so many possibilities to understand where autism really does come from, what the differences are across the spectrum," she said.

"We have way more questions than we do answers at the moment."

You can donate to Firefly Autism through Colorado Gives Day this year.