Autism authorities share 'spectrum' perspectives in Aiken County

Apr. 19--Autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's assessment, directly affects one out of every 54 children in America today, leading to an estimate of 3,165 people with the diagnosis in Aiken County.

April is World Autism Month, and several local adults accepted the chance this week to share some guidance and thoughts from the past few decades of dealing with "a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication," as autism is described by Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization.

Tracy Maroney, an Aiken County resident, said her son Colby, 8, is "one of the more social and vocal autistic kids."

She added, "He likes to talk about what he likes to talk about. That's our experience. He's more tuned in to others."

Kids with autism, in general, are "a little different," but Colby has the advantage of brothers who help him be more social. "We call him an old soul. He'd rather talk to adults than kids. Having brothers makes him more social."

His school is another huge resource in his favor, she said, referring to Lad 'n Lassie Christian Montessori School, in North Augusta. "They definitely work with his needs. He's not big on sitting and listening to books, so they made him like a school gardener, so he goes out every day and feeds the animals, and they set up a garden. They work with him one-on-one, where he's at."

"Hands-on stuff" is hugely important, and Colby is particularly fond of getting his hands -- and the rest of his frame -- onto the horses at Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs, just north of Aiken. "It's kind of like his little niche that he can excel in, and have something that's just for him," Maroney said.

A representative of the South Carolina Autism Society noted that some people refer to the conditions in question as ASD -- autism spectrum disorder -- and people with the conditions are sometimes described as being "on the spectrum."

One of the most experienced local parents, in terms of dealing with the spectrum, is Linda Cooler, an Aiken resident who has a background in elementary education and has amassed a variety of resources in support of her 29-year-old autistic son, Carl-Morgan. She described herself as her son's voice.

"It's a hard row to hoe, and it's a hard disability to understand, but with age and time and years comes understanding and many blessings, and I would do it over again in a minute -- every bit of it, the ups and downs and arounds and arounds and the many, many years on my knees."

She recommended Autism Speaks as an excellent source of help, and mentioned that the organization is offering help for families that are dealing with autism and have been hit particularly hard by the tsunami of coronavirus-related trouble rolling through the country.

Cooler also recommended a trio of books: "There's a Boy in There," written by an autistic adult (and answering "all the questions that we have as mothers as to why they do all that weird stuff"); "Facing Autism: Giving Parents Reason for Hope and Guidance for Help," by a mother speaking from years of experience; and "Teaching Developmentally Disabled Children: The Me Book," by a clinical psychologist and professor in the field of applied behavior analysis.

Looking back at her path over the past quarter-century, Cooler recalled making progress through contact with seven fields in particular: cognitive behavior therapy, applied behavior analysis, speech pathology, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy, auditory integration therapy and cranial sacral therapy.

"My faith in God moved mountains for Carl-Morgan, enabling him to have some of the best therapies available at that time for autism," she said. "All of these therapies ... were exhausting to both of us but were part of the autism puzzle pieces Carl-Morgan needed to progress, and he did. He is God's ambassador."

Navy retiree Amanda Johnson, an Aiken resident, has a 10-year-old son, Dominik, with autism.

"Routine is everything," she said, referring to Dominik's preference for a predictable schedule.

"When school was kind of put on hold, there was a little bit of drama involved, because you have to make a new routine. There's a little bit of roughness at first when something changes. My son is very, very interested in times and his schedule."

Johnson gave high praise to South Carolina's BabyNet program, described in promotional material as the state's "interagency early intervention system for infants and toddlers under 3 years of age with developmental delays, or who have conditions associated with developmental delays.

As for Dominik's opinions, she added, he holds waffle fries from Chick-fil-A as one of the best things in life.

"His favorite character of all time is Sonic the Hedgehog," she added, acknowledging Mickey Mouse and Pac-Man as big hitters from earlier years.

She also offered a thought on the idea of "appearances as confirmation," writing that "folks are always ready with assumptions and maybe they should be more interested in acceptance."

She added, "We never know what someone else may be going through, and maybe we all as a people should remember what we were taught as children ... never judge a book by its cover. This rings true with more than just autism."

The RECing Crew, based in North Augusta and serving both sides of the Savannah River, is a huge resource in the life of Ellis Waters, a 16-year-old autistic student (and computer buff) at Aiken Scholars Academy.

"They offer every kind of support not only for Ellis, but for our family as well," said Bella Waters, 17, Ellis' sister. "It's nice to know these people are going through the same struggles that you are on a daily basis; and they understand, and they are really good at helping you through it."

Crissy Waters, the mom of the house, has a background in home health and occupational therapy, and gives a thumbs-up review to the Child Find program in place in South Carolina, described by one school district as offering "free screenings for hearing, vision, speech and developmental skills for children ages 3 to 21." She recalled, "That was a really big resource, because it opens doors to support systems and public-school help and advocates and things like that -- things people won't normally know about."

Another advocate, Aiken resident Mike Epps, is a local teacher with a background in Special Olympics basketball -- a situation that involves "quite a few autistic kids."

"Autistic kids are welcome in any Special Olympics event," he said, noting that local options including bowling, swimming, bocce, basketball, cheerleading and equestrian sports, and power-lifting is in the process of being established. "It's starting to get where kids have to start picking and choosing."

He also offered some general guidance about relating to children with autism.

"They each learn different and take patience. Just take the time to get to know the kids. They're just like any other kids. You just have to find out what are good things to do with them and what are not good things to do with them."

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