When it comes to math practice at the GRACE Foundation of New York, an organization that provides programming for people on the autism spectrum, Anthony Lanza is offering a little assistance.

“I’m trying to help him get a better understanding of the topics that we’re covering,” Lanza said.

Lanza has a lot in common with these Staten Islanders. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old.

“I know what it’s like to have to need help and need guidance,” he told them.

After years of therapies and assistance, Lanza now visits The GRACE Foundation a couple of times a month to motivate others with similar challenges.

“We could still do the things that everybody else can do,” Lanza said to them. “We just look at things a different way.”

It was a long road. Lanza didn’t speak until he was almost 4 years old.

“I couldn’t control some of my behaviors at that time or just randomly snap out and throw fits,” Lanza said.

His family enrolled him at Eden II Programs, where he met their executive director Joanne Gerenser.

“Once he learned to talk, he flew,” Gerenser said. “That was really the biggest challenge.”

Years later, Lanza graduated from Monsignor Farrell High School, followed by the Stevens Institute of Technology. He works as a licensed funeral director at the family business. He’s also getting married next year.

“Just all the things he went through — to see where he is now is pretty amazing,” Michael Lanza, Anthony's father, said.

“Just because I have autism doesn’t mean I’m not capable as any other human being,” Anthony said.

Whether it’s working in the garden at The GRACE Foundation or just talking with others like him, Lanza hopes to share one message.

“Don’t let your disability hamper expectations that you put on yourself, because anything is possible,” he said.

For using his personal journey to inspire others with autism, Anthony Lanza is our New Yorker of the Week.