Press Releases

The Autism Community in Action (TACA) is proud to announce the appointment of Tyler Larsen, Mark Ontiveros, and Jessica Postil to TACA’s Autism Ambassadors Group. Established in 2010, the mission of this group of business and philanthropic leaders is to garner support and increase awareness for TACA and autism.

Larsen is the offensive lineman for the Washington Football Team of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Miami Dolphins in 2014, the Washington Football Team in 2015, and the Carolina Panthers from 2016 -2020. Married with three children, he and his wife Samantha are on the road to recovery with their oldest son who was diagnosed with autism in October 2019. Larsen wishes to bring more awareness to autism and wants others to know that there is hope after diagnosis. He wants to help other fathers find a way to be active in their child’s autism journey.

Ontiveros is the founder of Audio Images, an award-winning company for their excellence in high-quality audio/visual technology, automation, and integration for Orange County homes and businesses. It’s his love of creating experiences and inspiring memories that has skyrocketed Audio Images to the pinnacles of the audio/visual industry. Ontiveros is also an active community leader as the founder of Feed the Streets, an avid supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and now excited to support TACA.

Postil is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Autism Spectrum Consultants, Inc. (ASC). For nearly 30 years she has worked with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She specializes in the assessment and treatment for all ages of individuals on the spectrum, with specific training and education in emergency behavioral interventions with children exhibiting severe behavior problems. Postil is a published author and a recognized key-note speaker at national and international conferences. As a strong supporter of TACA, she has volunteered her time leading multiple autism educational seminars for the TACA community.

Now entering more than 20 years of service, TACA, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., has transformed into a national organization with 32 chapters in the United States. This year the organization is launching two new initiatives to address critical needs which are: (1) Recent studies indicate that annually 50,000 adults in our country age out of the system, leaving them without the resources to achieve their individual levels of independence. TACA has launched an Adult Services Program to address the needs of individuals ages 18 and older diagnosed with autism. (2) The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) most recent report states that 1 in 54 children has autism. TACA is creating Newly Diagnosed Parent Seminars which will provide free virtual training sessions every two months and will ship TACA’s Autism Journey Guide to families just receiving an autism diagnosis for their child.