ORANGE GROVE, Texas — A six-year-old girl was recently diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. Her parents didn't even know about the disorder until she started school.
That diagnosis opened the door for her to get help, and that has led to a total transformation in just a short time.
Alana Cortez's mother Valerie said she was a non-verbal child, but among her first words was the Pledge of Allegiance while attending kindergarten at Orange Grove Primary School.
That special moment was shared on social media by her proud parents.
"I had to meet her," Jim Wells County Constable Robert Vasquez said. "I had to say hi to her."
Vasquez was among those who took notice on social media.
"Seeing that this little six-year-old was actually doing this after being a non-verbal, I just thought out of anything she could have recited, her doing the Pledge of Allegiance," Vasquez said. "Being a veteran, a military veteran myself, I just thought man, this is really awesome."
"Every day, I mean, every day she has something good. She always brings something new home, every day," Alana's father Steven Cortez said. "It's awesome to see her grow from last year to this year and become more independent for herself."
In Alana's story there is one common denominator: her teachers.
"We wanted to do the best that we could for her, as we try to do for all of our students," Orange Grove Primary School Principal Lynn Perez said.
Working with a team of educators and specialists, in the short span of a few months Alana has blossomed.
"And we're just excited about the growth that Lany is showing, and where she is now. And that comes about with home and school working together," Perez said.
"Total difference from last year though, like the teachers would have to treat her like a baby, rock her just to calm her down to sooth her," Valerie Cortez said. "Now she just enjoys coming to school so it's a total difference."
"I used to not understand what autism was, and probably a year and half, two years ago I wouldn't have -- it would not have meant anything to me seeing that video -- but now, I'm understanding more about autism," Vasquez said.