Stories of Hope

Two years ago.

On Halloween, two years ago, my son, Leo was diagnosed with Autism. I woke up that morning fully expecting that my 3 year old would receive an Autism Diagnosis. But nothing can really prepare a parent for those words- for what those words mean for you and your child. For the fear that overcomes you in that moment. I wish I could revisit that moment- if only to alleviate some of that fear. I wish I could tell myself that although Leo has Autism, it will never be what defines him. That Autism, while challenging and frustrating, and at times painful, does not have to be scary.

My son dressed as a pilot that evening. We went trick-or-treating, and I watched as he squealed with delight seeing his bucket fill with his favorite assortment of candy. I beamed with pride seeing my boy bravely walk up to each new person on route to collect his goody; knowing just how difficult this was for him. I remember feeling relief that night walking from house to house with Leo among the crowd of other children. Relief, that even if only for this evening, he could, in a way, blend in. That for tonight, he was my little airline pilot; not the little boy with Autism, who was about to be propelled into a whole new world of constant assessments, and hours of therapy sessions. I've learned so much since that Halloween- about Autism, about how to help my child. I've learned that Leo certainly does not blend in, nor should I want or expect him to. He is special and unique in so many beautiful ways, and I will always be proud of him for that.

This year on Halloween, and each year after, I will think about the moment I was told my son has Autism, and the fear and sadness that swept over me. I will never allow those feelings to consume me again. Those emotions are real, and valid, but there is no room for them now in our lives. I will focus on Leo, and his incredible joy.

Ellie Fadden
Stafford, VA

Carbon Copy

Daniel was diagnosed with autism when he was three. My wife kept telling me there was something wrong with him, but I kept telling her that many of the traits he exhibited were the same as those I had exhibited as a child -- all except the language delay, that is. And it was this that convinced me that there was something wrong, which we need to look into.

When Daniel was diagnosed, I immediately -- and obsessively -- began researching autism. As I reported my findings to my wife and my brother, they each, independently, asked me if I didn't have autism. I thought that was ridiculous -- after all, I had spoken early. I had even started reading when I was about 2-1/2. But as I read more and more, I came to learn about Asperger's. The descriptions of Asperger's fit me exactly -- from my obsessions to my making lists (especially as a child) to my social and work problems. They also seemed to describe maternal grandfather. In other words, autism ran in my family.

We put Daniel in PPCD, and he seemed to do quite well. Daniel is now 6 and in a regular Kindergarten class -- accompanied, of course, by his entourage of specialists. Still, he loves school. He has had some problems in his after school program, but we are getting them educated about how to deal with Daniel.

For me, Daniel is a special gift. I have spent my life feeling like someone watching an alien species whose behaviors only sort of made sense, but not really. Daniel makes sense to me. He has given me the gift of having someone I can finally fully understand, and he had given me the gift of finally fully understanding myself and my place in the world.

Troy Camplin
Richardson, TX

Our Hero

Aiden was diagnosed with Autism at the early age of 3, although we knew before his 2nd birthday something was not right. Tantrums, lining up his toys in certain patters, loud sounds, not speaking and wanting to stay up late at night, those are just some of the things that he had to endure and suffer. We cried many times asking ourselves why did this have to happen to him or any child for that matter.

After countless visits to doctors who could never just give us a answer we found a place that specialized in autism, all the therapist and staff there were such a blessing to us, they worked with Aiden for over a year until they determined what we needed to know, we finally had an answer. Aiden's mommy and I (grandma) were not going to wait in getting him the help he needed so that he could at least try to live a close to normal live as he deserved.

Aiden was enrolled in school and was truly blessed with the most amazing teacher, aid and speech therapist he could ever have, that was just the start now he is in 1st grade, again blessed with more amazing educators, he spends most of his school day in a general educational classroom and does extremely well.

Aiden has gained so much confidence to do things, learn things and most importantly enjoy the things he had been missing out on. His accomplishments are just amazing, he can now speak, loves math and so much more. We know there will be so many more challenges as he grows and some will be undoubtedly hard but Aiden is remarkably perceptive, compassionate and so very kind we have no doubt he will get by not only because we will be there every step of the way but because God is always with him.

Through hard work on all our parts so many of the missing pieces were found and new connections were made, he is blessed and we love him exactly for who he is and what he will become.

Mary
Devine, TX

My son Nicholas

Eagle Scouts are an elite group.

Only about 7 percent of Boy Scouts made it to the top rank in 2013, according to
the Boy Scouts of America website. Scouts have to earn 21 merit badges, serve in
a troop leadership position, plan a community service project and then be
reviewed by a group of adults.

Nick belongs to the Franklin Park troop 158 has completed most of those requirements with an additional challenge. As a person with a disability, he has until he turns 21 rather than 18 (on
average, Scouts don't make it to Eagle until age 17. His service project was collecting plastic bags and turning them into lightweight plastic mats, which were distributed to homeless people through an organization named New Life for Old Bags. Nick started collecting plastic bags from stores, friends and family. He gathered close to 7,000. He created flyers on a computer and sent out emails to get volunteers. He led
those volunteers in cutting those bags, braiding strips into plastic yarn and then crocheting it into mats. Each mat can take several hours to complete. Then he had to write a report about it.

He became an Eagle Scout. He is having his Court of Honor on October 25, 2015.

.

Mary Rzepka
Elmwood Park, IL

A Russian Orphan Becomes a Nationally Recognized Special Needs Advocate

Kelsey, age 11, has been diagnosed with PDD which is on the autism spectrum. She was adopted from a Russian orphanage when she was 14 months old weighing less than 14 pounds. Alone, sick, starving and emaciated, her head had been shaved due to lice. When she was adopted, no one could predict whether she was ever going to be able to walk or talk.

Ten years later, Kelsey continues to amaze everyone and defy the odds. She is currently a 5th grade special education student who has won more than 35 pageant titles. Kelsey is one of the youngest children in the country to have received two awards from the Kohl's Kids Care Scholarship Program which recognizes young people who make a difference in their community. This summer she also received the gold president's volunteer service award with a congratulatory letter from President Obama. In addition, she has raised thousands of dollars to help children in need and their families.

Kelsey's pageant platform is "Special Needs Means Special Abilities" - - the importance of self-advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities". She believes that individuals with disabilities can achieve great things in life and make a tremendous positive difference in the lives of others. When she grows up, she wants to be a role model for others and start her own charitable foundation that will support children with special needs.

Recently, Kelsey competed in the Miss Georgia Elementary School Pageant where she won the prestigious National Pageantry Magazine Spirit Award. The Pageantry Magazine Spirit Award is awarded for promoting friendship, sportsmanship, and character development. It is awarded to individuals who, by their selfless actions and deeds, have a profound and positive influence in the lives of those they touch. Kelsey is a proud recipient of this award and understands she is one of the few individuals with developmental disabilities who have ever received this honor. If you would like to follow Kelsey's journey, her Facebook page is: Kelsey Norris - Special Needs Means Special Abilities.

Carol Norris
Bonaire, GA

When You're Smilin'. . .

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. —Mother Teresa

My beautiful 8 year old autistic grandson, Liam, continues to amaze me with his unique perspective on life. I want to share a story that was relayed to me recently that demonstrates why he is such a special boy with an amazing way of communicating his special observations on everyday life that so many of us overlook.

Liam and his family belong to a small neighborhood swimming pool where they spend the hot summer weekends with other residents in the area. Recently, Liam was lounging near the pool when one of the adults nearby began talking in a somewhat stern manner to another about some issue of importance to the man. As Liam casually listened to the man's diatribe he suddenly raised his hand as he no doubt was taught to do in school and said politely to the gentleman, "excuse me, excuse me". The man stopped in mid-conversation and recognizing the little interrupter said, "yes Liam, what is it?" Liam looked him in the eye and said, "are you happy?" The man, somewhat taken aback by the question, said in response, "why yes, I'm happy". Liam then said to the man, "then do this" as he took his little fingers and, forcing the edges of his mouth upward, demonstrated to the man what a big smile looked like on a happy person. You see, Liam is a naturally happy boy who believes that everyone should be happy like him and be able to share that happiness by using their smile as an expression of that feeling.

Isn't it a blessing that we are given this wonderful lesson of life from this special little guy who wants all of us to be happy in the way that he is.

So I will close with this thought from Liam: Are you happy? Then do this!

A Happy Grandpa
Decatur, IL

Every Child Matters

Kelsey, age 11, has been diagnosed with PDD which is on the autism spectrum. She was adopted from a Russian orphanage when she was 14 months old weighing less than 14 pounds. When she was adopted, no one could predict whether she was ever going to be able to walk or talk. Ten years later, Kelsey continues to amaze everyone and defy the odds. She is currently a 5th grade special education student who has received national recognition. She is a pageant queen with more than 35 titles and is active in gymnastics, dance, competitive swimming and cheerleading.

She won two prestigious community service awards this summer. In July, she received the gold President's Volunteer Service Award with a signed letter on White House stationary from President Barack Obama. She received this award for volunteering for over 100 hours during the past year to address some of the most pressing needs in the community, state and country.

In June, it was announced that she won the prestigious local community service award from the Kohl's Care National Scholarship Program. The program recognizes and rewards young volunteers (ages 6 - 18) who help make their communities a better place to live. Their actions must be above and beyond what is expected of a child his or her age.

Kelsey won these two awards for her work associated with her pageant platform "Special Needs Means Special Abilities" - - the importance of self-advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities". She believes that individuals with disabilities can achieve great things in life and make a tremendous positive difference in the lives of others. When she grows up, she wants to be a role model for others and start her own charitable foundation that will support children with special needs.

She is a shining example of the potential that exists for every special needs child and their ability to help others and make their communities a better place to live. Kelsey also represents the value of every child regardless of the circumstances of their birth and the right that each has to be adopted and loved.

Anonymous
Warner Robins, GA

My Life Matters

I am an 11 year old special education student who is on the autism spectrum. My mom found me in a Russian orphanage. I was alone, sick, starving and emaciated. My head had been shaved due to lice. The doctors told her that I was special needs and I may never be able to walk or even talk. She adopted me anyway because she loved me. She said the most heart breaking thing she ever saw in her life was "snack" time at the orphanage. She said that the ladies broke off small pieces of hard bread and gave them to each toddler to eat. The bigger male children ate their bread quickly and went after the other children's bread. They were able to take away the other much smaller children's bread and eat it themselves. These other kids were left sobbing and hungry. My mom said that, when I received my bread, I clutched it in my fist and curled up in the fetal position with the bread hidden under my body. When the bigger boys tried to take it away from me, they could not get to it. No matter how hard they pushed, pulled and kicked me, I would not let go of my food. After a while, they gave up and moved on to the next child. I have fought to survive and make a difference my whole life. I am active in gymnastics, dance, swim team and cheer team. I am also a pageant queen and have raised over $5,000 to help other children and families.

My only goal in life that I have not yet reached is to compete for Team USA at the Special Olympics World Games in gymnastics and swimming. Someday, I will be on that team. I will keep training daily and not give up. When I grow up, I want to start my own charitable foundation to help others. I realize that other people's lives sometimes depend upon who is willing to help them. My life matters and I want to help others.

Kelsey Norris
Bonaire, GA

Autistic Man Owns and Operates His Own Art Studio

As a small child, I would get lost in music to the point I wouldn’t respond to my own name. My parents knew I was a little different, but they didn’t know what it was. When started kindergarten, I would hang around the teachers more than I would children my own age. Without an official diagnosis, my parents did things to encourage me to try new things. I was given piano lessons and encouraged to draw. My parents were always very supportive of my special interests.

I wouldn’t officially be diagnosed on the autism spectrum until I was an adult. By this time, I had already graduated high school and college with honors and without any special learning services or IEP. Before being diagnosed, I had started my own business to produce the films and books I wanted to write. Without any outside financing, I had written, directed, produced, starred in, and edited my own TV show and movies. My last feature film was shown in Mumbai, India, where I won Best Experimental. I have also gotten my filmography on IMDB.

As an independent artist, I will sometimes get a negative review for being different. I don’t mind being different, especially when my fans are comparing me to J.D. Salinger or talking about how my illustrations for children's books belong in a museum for children's book art.. The joy for me as an artist with autism is when I have somebody tell me how important my work was to them. I have had high school students do class projects on my books and students in college write their final papers on my works. I get fan mail from people around the world telling me they wished they would have read my books earlier in life. It would have saved them a lot of heartache.

My goal in life now is to become an advocate for individuals with autism and to increase awareness about it in our society. I want to create a positive image of what autism can be.

Jack Gunthridge
Bowling Green, OH

Lorilea

Meet Lorilea...A sweet young lady with tons of creativity and imagination. She loves to draw and write short stories. She has a beautiful voice and is a wonderful singer. She also enjoys Karate. It helps with her self-confidence and strength to do better and try harder.

Lorilea was diagnosed with Autisim Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with PDD and ADHD at the age of 3. Before her diagnosis she displayed behaviors of a typical toddler and was learning to speak Spanish at an early age and then one day something changed as if a switch was flipped. Up until her diagnosis I was not aware of the symptoms of Autism. All I knew was that my sweet angel couldn't speak to me and tell me how she felt. I witnessed her bang her head against a wall in frustration because she couldn't tell me what was wrong or what I could do to help her. I was a young mother and in the beginning was in complete denial. But once Lorilea was enrolled in school her father and I were able to work with her teachers on how to help her cope with her meltdowns. She mimicked movie phrases as a means of communication with us.

As time went on Lorilea was also diagnosed with separation anxiety. But she continued to work hard and has showed great progress from the help at her school, her doctors and her family. In the fall she will begin 8th grade and has been able to move away from some of her therapy classes. I am hoping by high school she will begin inclusion classes. She continues to surprise me and I'm excited to see what the future holds for her.

But there is nothing more certain than this wonderful girl has my heart forever.

Brandi
Bedford, OH