In Grace’s bedroom in New York, her mother has placed several Bible verses on display.
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” says one, a passage from Matthew.
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession,” reads another, from Deuteronomy.
These are important messages for any child to hear, but they have special meaning for Grace, who has autism and is nonverbal, and her mother, Janet Paduano Cardillo.