Autism Awareness Month

When you walk into Miss Garret’s classroom* on any given day, you’ll see twenty-four squirming, chattering second graders. They sit in table groups, six groups of four. She’ll keep their attention throughout the day by incorporating movement and song into every lesson. Some of her students are going to be academic superstars by the time they graduate, and some will not, but at the moment her concern is teaching them to read and write and add and subtract, among other things. She worries about all of her students, the ones from broken homes and the ones with both parents in the same home and the ones with no parents of their own at all. She provides mid-morning snacks to make sure they are getting at least some good thing to eat. As her eyes scan the room, they rest on Joey, and she must admit he worries her more than most.

Joey is seven, like all of her students, and she thinks he is able to learn, but Joey has trouble connecting. He doesn’t connect well with Miss Garret, and he is like an opposing magnet with his classmates. He likes all of his pencils lined up and all of the books straight on the room’s shelves and nobody’s coat can touch his on its hook. If any of those things are not exactly right, to his mind, then Miss Garret cannot reach him at all and the whole day will threaten to deteriorate into a thunderstorm of chaos. Miss Garret uses eye contact and proximity to keep her little friends on task, but those strategies she learned in Teacher College don’t work with Joey; he won’t meet her eyes, and he doesn’t like to be touched. But if she can keep him on task, he is always quickly finished and his work is always correct.

Our make-believe friend Joey has autism. Autism is a disease that affects 1 in 68 children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is more prevalent in boys than in girls. The disorder is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. These can vary in degree, child to child. Some children become adults who are able to function well in the community while some never learn to speak at all. Children with autism might also have intellectual challenges, but some are very skilled in one or more areas, like math or music. Symptoms are usually first seen when a child is 2-3 years old.

There is no one cause of autism. Scientists have identified gene changes, or mutations, as one cause. The environment in which the young infant and toddler develops also seems to play a role. Scientists are also researching how the immune system may influence a child’s risk.

Autism Speaks supports research for early detection. According to their website, “One of the most important things you can do as a parent or caregiver is to learn the early signs of autism and become familiar with the typical developmental milestones that your child should be reaching.” Check out their website for a list of “red flags” if you are concerned about your child! On April 2 every year, you can join a fundraising/awareness walk in many cities around the country, and it will be awareness and research that helps us move forward as we battle this disease. If there wasn’t a walk in your city this year, consider partnering with Autism Speaks to bring one to your area!

If you are in the Scranton/W-B area, consider participating in the Parents Loving Children through Autism Foundation’s annual walk this week! Their website has all the information!

Miss Garret’s is not an actual classroom, but it could be.