Fighting for Autism brings in 1000

Titan's Birthday Bash pulled in about $1,000 last Saturday night. Dwayne smith wrestles under the Titan moniker and organized an event to raise funds and awareness for Autism. The event was considered a success."There was hardly any parking at all," Smith said. "It was wonderful. The crowd was pumped and very excited. I took a lot of pictures with kids on the autism spectrum."A few cast members from the Walking Dead hit show were also on hand and one of them, Josh Turner, is also a wrestler known as TKO..Smith's six year old son has been diagnosed as non-verbal autistic. Smith and his wife received the diagnosis about three years ago.Since then, smith has done research on his own to find ways to help his son and family.He has also organized events, such as Titan's Birthday Bash, held at the RCW building in Chatsworth, to bring attention to Autism, as well as work toward the goal of establishing centers for families to faccess therapies and skill sets for coping with Autism."Due to the overwhelming support in Whitfield and Murray counties, we've held meetings with local medical officials to discuss the possibility of opening a center for autism in this area. We hope to have much more information to share towards the end of this year."Autism is not uncommon but most people do not understand much about the disability and it can have many different behaviors.According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less.A diagnosis of ASD now includes several conditions that used to be diagnosed separately: autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger syndrome. These conditions are now all called autism spectrum disorder."There is no cure but sometimes medication can help with symptoms and therapies are useful as well. But there are many types of therapies and families who receive an autism diagnosis do not always have access to those therapies or the funds to pay for them.Smith is working toward a concept of Altism Centers that will be a sort of one-stop shopping."We would like to offer as much as we can and provide services at no cost when possibly," Smith said. Another wrestling match is scheduled for Aug. 12 at the Renegade Championship Wrestling building located on 2nd Avenue in Chatsworth. "2 Worlds Collide" will feature Mixed Martial Arts fighter Ace Anderson against Pro Wrestler Brent Banner, Smith's partner. The cage fight will also raise funds for Autism. Mixed Martial Arts is a large part of increasing awareness for Autism and is involved in a bit of therapy as well for those who fall under the Autism spectrum.For more information, www.fightingfor autism.com and the group is on Facebook as well.During last Saturday's match the stage was set for the upcoming cage match. Anderson's crew took on Smith and Banner, with Smith sustaining a hit from Lucille--the bat wrapped in barbed wire featured on The Walking Dead show. In the wrestling world, it's all about the hype and Smith is also trying to spin some of that attention on Autism.