Checkup Newsroom

Autism Awareness Month: A Superhero Was Born

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0500

For many families, autism isn’t something they first learned about in a headline or social media; it’s something they come to understand through their own child. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social skills, behaviors of repetitive nature, and causes difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. While every individual’s journey is unique, all people with autism share one thing in common that can feel nothing short of extraordinary: their resilience.

For one North Texas family, that resilience is embodied in their little boy, Gabriel “Thor” Munoz. Not because life has been easy, but because from the very beginning, he has faced it with a strength that is impossible to ignore.

The Origin Story: The Birth of a Superhero

It regularly takes 40 weeks for a baby to be born, but not for a superhero. For Thor, it only took 24 weeks and three days, weighing just one pound and seven ounces. His parents, Michael and Mary Munoz, stood by Thor’s side while he spent his first six months fighting, and winning, every battle his tiny body faced.

Thor encountered one of his hardest battles at just a few weeks old when he was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious gastrointestinal condition typically seen in premature infants. NEC left Thor with only a 2% chance of surviving corrective surgery. Despite the daunting odds, Michael and Mary chose to take the risk, clinging to that small window of hope for their son’s future.

On the day of the surgery, Cook Children’s surgeon Marty Knott, DO, Ph.D., arrived wearing a surgical cap covered in superheroes, including the well-known god of thunder, Thor. As soon as Michael and Mary saw the cap, they took it as a sign that their little boy was in the right hands.

Three years later, Dr. Knott and Thor’s family reunited to reflect on the profound bond they formed during those vulnerable early days. To honor Thor's journey, Dr. Knott presented the family with the surgical cap he wore during the life-saving procedure, a symbolic reminder that their child not only carries a superhero’s name, but he is also the true hero of his own story.

The Discovery: A Different Kind of Superpower

Arriving into the world prematurely wasn’t the only challenge Thor and his family would endure. As he kept growing, his family noticed irregular behaviors that concerned them, such as totally refusing solid foods and banging his head against hard surfaces. These behaviors disrupted his health and made it difficult for him to communicate with the world around him.

Seeking answers, his parents pushed for a medical evaluation. At just three years old, Thor was officially diagnosed with autism. For his family, this wasn't just a label; it was the key to unlocking the specialized help he needed.

His mother, Mary, said acting fast made all the difference. "To me, the earlier you diagnose, the more help you can get and the better the outcome," she said.

The Adaptation Process: A Superhero in Training

When Thor arrived at Cook Children’s, his symptoms were so complex that other applied behavior analysis (ABA) clinics had previously refused to treat him. However, the team at Child Study Center accepted the challenge, using ABA techniques to address his severe behavioral hurdles. Duy D. Le, MS, BCBA, Manager of Applied Behavior Analysis, explained that the program is designed to build essential life skills: "ABA therapy techniques can help decrease problem behavior, and increase desirable behavior, including tolerance of hygiene tasks... and expand the number of foods a child is willing to eat,” Le said. By breaking down these daunting tasks into small, rewarding steps, ABA therapy provided Thor with a structured roadmap to navigate a world that often felt overwhelming.

The specialized training focused on replacing Thor’s most difficult struggles with functional communication. Cheyenne Matson, the Lead Program Specialist for the Behavior Disorders Clinic at Child Study Center, who worked directly with Thor, noted that the program was visibly effective when Thor was given a way to be heard.

"When Thor started treatment, we introduced the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to teach Thor a functional form of communication rather than banging his head," Matson explained. As Thor learned to use images to express his needs, his head-banging diminished. This clinical expertise allowed Thor to move past his most severe symptoms, turning high-intensity struggles into a series of manageable victories.

Thor’s progress is now evidenced by milestones that once seemed out of reach. He has successfully transitioned to eating solid foods, adding six new foods to his diet, and his self-injurious behavior dropped to 0% by the end of his treatment. His parents note that while the journey is ongoing, the resilience he displays at Cook Children’s is truly heroic as he continues to bridge the gap between his inner world and the community around him.

The Power Source: Love and Braveness

Although Thor has proven to be a resilient child, he is a superhero with a unique source of power: the unwavering devotion of his loving parents. While Michael and Mary faced a maze of obstacles, they refused to let the search for answers exhaust their hope.

“You just have to keep fighting for what you know your kid needs,” Mary said. “There are people out there who truly care and want to help for the right reasons.”

Thor’s parents now hope to raise awareness and advocate not only for children diagnosed with ASD, but also for the caregivers walking a similar path in search of the right treatment for their children.

Raising Joy Podcast: Raising a Child With Autism With Bianka Soria-Olmos, D.O.

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:51:31 -0500

Listen to Episode 44 of the Raising Joy podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. The podcast is part of the JOY Campaign, which launched in April 2021 as a suicide prevention communication initiative, and aims to reach parents through honest conversations about the mental wellbeing of children and teens.

Being a pediatrician, Dr. Bianka Soria-Olmos knows how to identify the signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in her patients. When her own son was diagnosed, she learned the very personal challenges that come along with being a parent of a child with ASD. On this episode of Raising Joy, we talk to Dr. Soria-Olmos about how the diagnosis and how it has impacted her work as a doctor and as a mom.

Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.

New episodes of the Raising Joy podcast will be available each Tuesday. It is currently available on all major streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

About Cook Children's
Cook Children’s Health Care System embraces an inspiring Promise – to improve the health of every child through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, we’re proud of our long and rich tradition of serving our community. Our not-for-profit organization is comprised of nine companies, including our Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services Inc., Child Study Center and Health Foundation. With more than 60 primary, specialty and urgent care locations throughout Texas, families can access our top-ranked specialty programs and network of services to meet the unique needs of their child. For 100 years, we’ve worked to improve the health of children from across our primary service area of Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties. We combine the art of caring with leading technology and extraordinary collaboration to provide exceptional care for every child. This has earned Cook Children’s a strong, far-reaching reputation with patients traveling from around the country and the globe to receive life-saving pediatric care. For more information, visit cookchildrens.org.

A Pediatrician’s Guide to Understanding the Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Autism

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 11:14:09 -0500

Over the weekend, my heart was touched when I read a story about a mom named Alexa Bjornson sending her 7-year-old boy, Landon, alone on a flight from Las Vegas to Oregon to see his dad.

This would be stressful for any mom, but Alexa's son has high-functioning autism. She was worried about who would be sitting next to him on the flight and would they be tolerable of her son.

The story had such a happy ending because of a wonderful man named Ben Pedrazza, who even messaged Alexa with a photo of the two of them on the flight.

"He did ask if we were there yet several times but he was a great travel buddy," he wrote.

Isn't that awesome?

With this story in the news, I thought it would give us a chance to talk about autism. I often get asked about it in my office. Some parents want to know if their child should be tested or how they would know if their child has autism. So let's take a look at what pediatricians look for as far as the signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.

Not one single test can diagnose autism. This is not surprising given the complexities of the neurodevelopmental condition, some of those we do not understand fully. What is known is that the earlier it is diagnosed the earlier interventions can be started and the outcomes tend to be more positive.

So what do you look for? What are the signs?

The real answer is it can vary depending on the child, key to early diagnosis requires a partnership between the parent and the child’s doctor. Any concerns a parent has about development should be looked into further. In other cases, concerns may arise after standard developmental screening which occur at each well-child visit. Standard autism screening should occur between 18-24 months of age.

Autism, or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), is a neurodevelopmental condition that may include difficulties with social skills, behaviors of repetitive nature and difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. It’s estimated that 1 in 59 children are affected by autism in the United States today. ASD is a complex disorder that presents with varying degree symptoms ranging from mild to severe. There is no single cause, and at this time both genetic and environmental factors are thought to contribute. More importantly no reliable studies to date have shown a link between ASD and vaccines.

Some early signs include:

Delays in development like delayed babbling or cooing
Lack of social smile by age 6 months
No pointing or waving by age 12-14 months
No single words by age 15 months

Having a pediatrician recognize these signs is one of the reasons it’s important to keep your child up to date with well-child visits. The visits typically include questionnaires about development and this is an opportunity to identify any of these delays early.

Some children may have delays only in one area and no other difficulties. Standard screening tools exist to help your doctor identify other problems which may indicate autism as a possible diagnosis.

One of the most widely used screening tools is MCHAT-R (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revise). This checklist is a series of 20 yes/no questions. The scoring of this screening tool gives a low, medium or high risk for ASD. All children with medium/high risk results should have appropriate follow up which may include referral to a developmental pediatrician or a trained psychologist for formal ASD testing.

What if the screening is negative, but the parent has concerns?

A detailed history regarding the concerns also may lead to referral for further testing even if the screening is negative. The reason for this is because ASD has such a wide presentation of symptoms it may eventually be diagnosed when symptoms are more subtle.

Since every child with autism is different, the treatment recommendations will vary for every child depending on the difficulties they are having. The current evidence supports the following effective treatments for autism: ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), speech therapy, occupational therapy and treatment of any other co-existing condition of course.

We know early diagnosis leads to early intervention, which has been shown to improve behavior, skills and language development. Early intervention helps with the outcomes of children diagnosed with autism. It’s important to bring up any concerns to your child’s primary care provider as soon as you have any worries or concerns.

An early diagnosis may also start you on an incredible journey with a child as interesting and amazing as Landon.

For more on this Topic:

Get to know Bianka Soria-Olmos, D.O.

Dr. Soria-Olmos is a Cook Children's pediatrician in Haslet. She was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, so Cook Children's has always had a special place in her heart. She came to know Cook Children's when she was just a kid herself. She went to the medical center a number of times with her active younger brother, who needed care following several mishaps with broken bones. The visits inspired her to decide, "I want to be a Cook Children’s doctor one day."

In pursuit of her dream, Dr. Soria-Olmos attended Texas Christian University (TCU) for a degree in biology and to fulfill the pre-medical school requirements. After graduating from TCU, she chose to stay local and attended medical school at University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth. She completed part of her pediatric clerkship at Cook Children's, learning about pediatric medicine by attending rounds with pediatric hospitalists. It was then she knew she wanted to be a pediatrician.

She began her career with Cook Children's in 2014 as a pediatric hospitalist caring for sick children admitted to the hospital. Today, she works at Cook Children's primary care office in Haslet. Her special interests include child safety, child development and asthma.