Rosie Lasca joins the Parent Empowerment Project with experience in nonprofit organization and community projects dedicated to assisting parents of children with special needs. Ms Lasca oversees the PEP squad team to ensure that all families receive the best quality service and assistance in finding resolutions, solutions and services that best fit the client’s needs.

As the parent of a 10-year-old boy with autism, Ms Lasca has advocated for services from various entities by navigating the Regional Center system, school districts, as well as agencies such as In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). Ms Lasca has used the knowledge accumulated from her own personal and family experience of advocating to help other families obtain services and resolve issues across a gamut of agencies.

Ms Lasca has a degree in Communication and a minor in Disability Studies from UCLA. She has helped conduct research projects studying the communication of children with autism that focused on echolalia. Ms Lasca’s research argues that nonverbal children with autism use echolalia as a form of functional language. Her research introduces a new perspective on the communication abilities of children with autism. Additionally, Ms Lasca is an experienced business owner with strong business skills.