Morgan Gonzales was a guest on the All About Kingfisher show for an upcoming episode and took the time to speak on Autism, Speech Therapy, and Building a Business.
Morgan grew up on a farm in Vici, Oklahoma, “middle of nowhere,” she jokes, where GPS doesn’t even pronounce the name right. She was raised with cattle, pigs, and horses, and she still lives the country life with her family just north of Enid. In fact, her bio says she’s raising “free-range chickens and kids.” If you’ve seen her kids running barefoot outside with the dogs and chickens, you’d get it.
Interestingly, Morgan didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur; in fact, she was warned against it in grad school. But after five years working in the field, she realized she could build something on her own. “If you don’t like the business side of things,” she says, “it’s not for you.” But Morgan jumped in and learned everything from accounts receivable to running a full therapy clinic.
April is Autism Awareness Month, Morgan’s unexpected specialty: working with autistic children. In grad school, she fell in love with this work, and while her career took her through acute care and other experiences, she’s now come full circle.
What is autism?
Autism, she explains, is a neurodevelopmental disorder, something you’re born with, not something you catch or develop later. Often, signs start to show around age 2 or 3, when social and language demands increase. That’s when red flags like delayed language, limited social interaction, or unusual play behaviors start to appear.
One topic that stood out was how autism presents differently in girls. Morgan revealed something deeply personal: she herself was diagnosed just last year with Level 1 Autism and ADHD. Girls often mask their symptoms by imitating others or characters from shows, which can delay diagnosis. She shared a college story where she unknowingly mimicked a UK accent after working with a British lab partner, something that now makes a lot more sense in hindsight.
Asperger’s, once considered separate, is now part of the autism spectrum. What used to be described as “high functioning” or socially awkward is simply recognized today as a different point on the spectrum.
Why early intervention matters:
Some parents fear labeling their child, Morgan says. But getting a diagnosis can open doors to valuable resources: developmental services, financial assistance, and support for daily needs like diapers or nutrition. More importantly, it helps caregivers better understand their child, not as “bad” or difficult, but as overwhelmed and needing different support. “We want to avoid that gap from growing,” she says. “What looks like a small delay at two can be a huge delay by kindergarten if we don’t step in early.”
Morgan’s story is a powerful reminder that labels don’t limit us—they inform us. Whether it’s a parent noticing early signs in their child or an adult discovering a piece of their identity later in life, understanding autism means opening doors, not closing them. And with people like Morgan leading the way, those doors are opening wider every day. Stay tuned to catch the full conversation on the All About Kingfisher Show, you’ll be able to watch it on YouTube, Facebook, allaboutkingfisher.com, or listen to it on any of your favorite podcast apps.
