2012 Pulitzer finalist | Feature Photography

Joseph Gutierrez watches cartoons on the television in his living room. Joseph has been diagnosed with mental retardation (MR) even though his mother Maria Gutierrez badly wants an autism diagnosis. She said, “I believe if I have a diagnosis it would help me understand the way he is and how I can help him.”   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Maria Gutierrez attempts to calm her son, Joseph, in their dinning room in Sanger, CA. Gutierrez badly wants an autism diagnosis, but the school ruled it out because he likes being around people.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Joseph Gutierrez, faces the fence in his back yard. Practically mute, 13-year-old Joseph is obsessed with the garage-door opener and the car locks. He paces the back yard. He bites and pinches and shoves. To his mother, it all fits with what she was reading online Ñ before it got too costly to keep her Internet service. Joseph does not have the diagnoses of autism.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Erin DuRousseau, 10, sits with a laundry basket on her head next to her dog, Oreo, in Gardena, Ca. According to her mother, Erin often puts the laundry basket on her head and walk around the apartment.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Precious Young, left, patiently reaches up to her daughter Erin DuRousseau, as she jumps up and down saying “bacon, bacon, bacon.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Precious Young, right, holds onto her daughter, Erin DuRousseau’s, arm in Compton. Erin, who is autistic, needs to use the restroom and does not understand why the door is locked. She is trying to push the door open.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Precious Young takes her daughter, Erin DuRousseau, grocery shopping in Gardena. Erin is excited as she opens a box of cookies and eats them in the store. Precious said, “I let my kids be themselves where ever they go, because this is a learning experience for me to see how they are going to behave so that I know how to work with them.”   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jonah Funk, 13, walks into class at Hesby Oaks Span School, in Encino. His mother Stacie says, “He loves school. He is in a typical school in full inclusion. He is in sixth grade. He loves to be with the kids. He loves to learn.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Michelle May, BII (behavior intervention implementation) center, works to calm down Jonah Funk in his fully integrated classroom at Hesby Oaks Span School, in Encino, as teacher Sarabeth Rothfeld looks on.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jonah’s hands are scared from years of his self injurious behavior Ð biting. For his mother Stacie, Jonah’s self injurious behavior is a major reason why she is such a strong advocate for her son. Stacie says “The day I accepted my son’s hand biting as normal behavior for him - is the day I consider I have failed as a mother.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Emily Rodas, 8, center, and Bailey Funk, right, 5, dance and play together next to Jonah Funk, 13, left, in Encino. Stacie says, “Jonah likes to be with the kids in what ever they are doing weather he can do it or not he wants to try.”   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jonah Funk hugs his mother Stacie Funk in their home in Encino. Stacie is delighted because the hug is unprompted. Stacie says, “Jonah looks like a big teddy bear. You see him doing some of his behaviors, but underneath that he is such a sweet kid. There is an innocents about him that is pretty amazing.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Loren Funk, left, reads and sings to his son, Jonah Funk, before bedtime. Loren says, “I love you Jonah.” and Jonah replies, “I love you.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

While sitting in the waiting room of the dental office, Jese Castillo, 11, looks out the window in South Los Angeles. His mother says he often looks up to the sky.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Elizabeth Castillo, center, takes her son Jese Castillo’s, 11, left, and her daughter Kimberly Castillo, 10, right, for a walk to the store in South Los Angeles. Elizabeth enjoys taking her children for walks and getting out of the small apartment. Elizabeth worries that Jese seems to have no sense of danger. While in public, she holds onto his backpack tightly.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jese Castillo is strapped down to a board and placed on top of the dental chair prior to a dental exam and a teeth cleaning. Jese is autistic and at age 11, he has gingivitis and needs his teeth cleaned 3 times a year.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jese Castillo sits on his father Victor Castillo’s shoulders, in the back yard of their small apartment in South Los Angeles. It is Jese’ eleventh birthday. It had been Victor’s wish that he would hear his son Jese say the world “Papa.” Today, at age 11, he can say eight words, according to his motherÕs count. They include cookies, chocolate, shoes, pizza, Burger King and Ñ as of last year, when he made his father cry Ñ Papa.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A woman attempts to comfort Elizabeth Castillo, middle. Elizabeth holds on to her son Jese Castillo’s, 11, right, hand just before his fifth grade graduation from Trinity Street Elementary School, in the South Los Angeles area of Los Angeles. According to Elizabeth, she over heard someone making fun of her autistic son just before his graduation.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jese Castillo covers his eyes as he plays during his 11th birthday party in his back yard. During his 10th birthday party he mostly stayed by himself. This year he played with his siblings and cousins. The photo, shot by the LA Times’ Francine Orr, was a 2012 Pulitzer finalist in feature photography.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)