Soy Alejandra Cruz los últimos años trabaje en entidades bancarias y compañías afines, sentía que mi vida estaba realizada; hace 8 años llego a mi vida mi hijo Alejandro y mi vida cambio positivamente, cuando él cumplió tres años llego a nuestra vida, la palabra autismo y con ellas iniciamos un camino doloroso, difícil de comprender, con muchas dudas y temores de lo que podía esperarle a futuro y a nosotros. El paso de los años nos ayudó a soltar un poco los temores, a tener la mente abierta y ver que mi hijo finalmente a sus 7 años recibió el diagnostico de Síndrome de Asperger, despertó en mi corazón el deseo de brindar más información a las personas que como yo desconocen la condición.

Manu For Inclusion foundation  llegó a mi vida como un canal de esperanza, para apoyar a las familias que como yo han vivido este diagnóstico con mucho desconocimiento y necesitan una luz en el camino para ser parte del cambio.

I am Alejandra Cruz. The last few years I have worked in banks and financial companies. At that time, I thought that my life was fulfilled, but 8 years ago my son Alejandro came into my life and my life changed positively.  When he turned three years old, a new word, Autism, came into our lives, and with this diagnosis, we began a painful and very complex path. We found ourselves with many doubts and fears because we didn’t know what to expect in the future with this diagnosis. Over time, we released our fears and became open-minded. Finally, when my son was 7 years old, the doctors diagnosed him with Asperger’s Syndrome. At that moment, the diagnosis woke me up and created a desire in my heart to provide information and awareness to people who are unaware of this disorder.

Manu For Inclusion came into my life as a beacon of hope because Manu For Inclusion Foundation supports and empowers families like mine because we did not know much about this diagnosis. We needed the knowledge and hope along the way to be part of the change.

M.S, BCBA, earned a BS in Psychology at Florida International University, where she was introduced to the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She earned her M.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in ABA from Kaplan University. Taylor began working as an autism therapist while working on her undergraduate degree in 2011. Taylor has worked with a multitude of children from the age of 18 months to young adults with varying diagnoses, particularly individuals with autism. Taylor worked for the Early Steps program in Broward County where she worked 1:1 with the children, provided parent training and education, and conducted initial intake assessments. After working her way through the ABA ladder (autism therapist, BCaBA, and BCBA) for other companies, in 2020 she decided to open her own practice, Taylor Thompson, LLC, which focuses on providing private ABA services and training to students who are working to obtain their BCBA certification.

I am an artist, an entrepreneur, a licensed life coach and a neurodivergent woman.

I was born and raised in my beautiful Bogota, Colombia, and came to the United States of America when I was twenty years old. I studied business administration at Marshall University, where I got my bachelor’s degree. In 2014, I realized I was an artist, and have studied my craft in classes at the Boca Raton Museum, and with Argentinian artist Pablo Contrisciani. Currently, I am dedicated to making art from recyclable materials, and to creating a new, eco-friendly white canvas. I named my art studio Evolution Art Space because I am constantly learning in this university of life, motherhood and partnership.

While I am an artist, I am also an activist for inclusion for neurodiverse people. My husband Ivan Bou and I welcomed our son Manuel Andres Bou Venegas in 2012. Two years and ten months later, Manu was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Today, I have a lovable, intelligent, happy and brave little boy. I am grateful to all the therapists who have worked with Manu over the years. I believe that love creates love.

My personal mission is to help create a more inclusive culture for my Manu and any other neurodivergent person. This was the passion that prompted me to form the Manu for Inclusion Foundation in 2018. The Foundation offers scholarships and support to families of children with atypical diagnoses or behaviors who seek inclusion within their own communities.

I have moved forward through many obstacles in life with the power of personal development, faith in our higher power, therapy, wellness programs, and by belonging to communities that center health.