Jeff Neal: Here's hoping a series on autism opens some eyes

Commonwealth Journal - 12/12/2021

Dec. 11—I met Jason last January — a sweet 11-year-old boy with big hazel eyes and a beaming smile.

Jason is the oldest child of my fiancee, Mechelle Davis.

Like most 21st Century gadget kids, Jason loves his iPad and his mom's phone. He sits with his younger brother and sister and watches cartoons — his favorite is Tom and Jerry.

In a lot of ways he's a typical big brother. "Be quiet," he will say pointing his finger, when his younger siblings get a little unruly.

And boy can he eat. He can put away more pizza than I can — and that's saying quite a bit.

But Jason is also different. At the age of 3, he was "pre-diagnosed" with autism — a developmental disorder that causes issues with communication, social, verbal, and motor skills. At the age of 6, that diagnosis was medically confirmed.

The autism spectrum is truly that — its effects vary from person to person. No two people with autism have the same symptoms. Symptoms generally appear in the early stage of childhood before the age of 3. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe.

Jason is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. He can do some one-step tasks — he helps his mom by making his own bed and tossing his dirty clothes in the washer, for example. In the 11 months or so since I've known him, Jason's vocabulary and ability to construct sentences have improved tremendously, thanks to the fine work of people like Michael Coldiron, Jason's therapist at Total Pediatrics, and special education teacher Jenna McFarland and the staff at Southern Elementary, where Jason is a fifth-grader in a self-contained classroom.

Contrary to what folks might believe, autistic people can most certainly show affection. Jason has grown to be my buddy. When I walk in Mechelle's house, Jason is the first one to greet me — and usually looks to see if my youngest daughter, Caroline, is with me.

He laughs, he cries, he cuddles and he's quick to say, "I love you."

I never really knew much about autism until Jason came into my life. I've seen the pure joy he can bring into a day — but I've also seen Mechelle struggle with getting him the assistance he needs. Battling with Medicaid is a weekly task, it seems. It's sad to see a frustrated mom haggle over her special-needs child's medical care — but it's a reality.

Today we begin a series of stories about people and their daily struggles — people with autism, or folks with loved ones who are on the spectrum.

I am hoping these stories will be eye-opening for those of you unaware of the challenges these special people and their loved ones face.

I know meeting Jason and having he, his mother and his siblings included in my family has certainly educated me— and also made me blessed beyond belief.

JEFF NEAL is the Editor of the Commonwealth Journal. Reach him at jneal@somerset-kentucky.com.

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