We don’t typically publish op-ed from outside sources, but this is a worthy exception. But this piece from a mother of a child with Autism is a nice change of pace. It gives hope to parents just discovering that their own children face the condition and opens eyes to the resources available in our own community.

Here’s the piece from Jennifer Adams-Tucker:

What is Autism? After having three children diagnosed with this disability, I discovered I was among an increasing number of parents in Kentucky and around the world struggling to understand what this meant for our children and how to reverse the symptoms.

When D.J., my oldest son turned 1, I was expecting him to develop like our oldest daughter Sydney. She appeared to have no developmental delays and was doing well in school. Six months later, and with little communication, I expressed my concerns to his pediatrician. Upon having him evaluated at the Weiskoff Center for the evaluation of children in Louisville, we received the diagnosis of Autism.

Autism is a disability usually visible before a child’s third birthday. Most parents notice delays in their children’s development, which leads to an evaluation. Symptoms can include, but are not limited to difficulties in verbal communication, a lack of socialization, and a little or no eye contact. Autism encompasses a very broad range and some children are given milder diagnosis, such as Aspersers Syndrome, where no delay in language is noticed, or Pervasive development disorder (PDD-NOS), which describes variations of developmental delays and basic functioning.

As a parent this diagnosis was shocking. I asked the evaluators what we had done wrong or if this could have been prevented. The therapists explained the cause(s) are unknown but continued with possible gloomy outcomes, such as the chance for no communication skills and severe retardation. Devastated, I turned to my husband who was holding D.J. and his reply was “That’s okay, he’s still our boy”. As the months passed this phrase would keep me afloat as I dealt with the diagnosis and adapted to living with a disabled child.

Read the rest after the jump…

Although the exact cause(s) of Autism are still unknown, several theories exist. One involves genetics. In a typical childhood evaluation, doctors often request to study individuals for chromosome abnormalities. Another theory is the MMR vaccine, given at the age of 1 and again between ages 4-5 to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella. An article written by Andrew Wakefield in the British journal “The Lancet” suggested a linkage between the MMR vaccination and Autism, explaining a possible connection but not solid proof the vaccination causes Autism. Since Autism has been given a much broader definition, the cases have increased dramatically. Studies show about 1 in 166 children will be diagnosed with Autism and boys are 3 to 4 times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. Before the broadening of the Autism spectrum, children were viewed as “strange” or “odd”.

D.J. would make very little eye contact with us and humming sounds all throughout the day. After receiving a diagnosis, we presented our concerns to his primary care doctor and referred us to First Steps of Kentucky, a statewide early intervention program which assists families with developmental disabilities up until the age of three. This was also the case for our twins Danyelle and Dominique which were given the same diagnosis a year later. The symptoms were not the same; however there were significant delays in social and communicative behavior. Our oldest daughter Sydney was never diagnosed with Autism.

The most difficult notion to accept is “my child is not normal”. Darryl Sr. and I were often frustrated with the lack of communication we had with our youngest three children. The kids are evaluated constantly and continue to have therapy several days a week. Sydney adjusted well to her brothers and sister’s condition, often educating others on Autism. D.J., now age 6, has developed basic communication skills and maintains eye contact. He is in First Grade in a multiple disabilities classroom at Laurkuf Elementary. Danyelle, which has always shown less symptoms is in Kindergarten in the self-contained classroom at Blake Elementary and has begun to communicate as well. Dominique also attends Blake Elementary and is in the same classroom; however, he has yet to verbally communicate on a consistent basis but has increased his non verbal communication skills. D.J., Danyelle, and Dominique’s previous classroom was taught by Tara Patterson at Dawson Orman Preschool where all children began to show tremendous progress. These classes were developed specifically for children with disabilities.

Several resources are available to families affected by Autism in Kentucky. In addition to First Steps of Kentucky, FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment) and ASK (Autism Society of Kentuckiana) are non-profit organizations that provide education, advocacy, and support to families dealing with Autism. The STAR program at the University of Louisville has been developed specifically for children with Autism and their families and provides therapy and treatment plans for children. After the age of 3, Kentucky will allow children with disabilities to attend head start before kindergarten in order to support developmentally delayed children and assist with further development.

As a parent of children with Autism, it is a gratifying feeling to know Autism awareness is increasing and programs are available to potentially improve the lives of children with disabilities. Children with Autism are able to be successful in life, but awareness and early intervention is the key.

For more information, the Weiskoff Center for evaluation of children can be reached at 502-852-5331.

Full disclosure: Jennifer is an employee of Humana, working as a Data Analyst on the Network Research and Configuration Team.