|
|
|
Program catches lost children on autism spectrum
|
There are moments in every mother’s life that she never forgets.
One for Tina Robles was her son Dakota’s eighth birthday. She had sent
out invitations to everyone in her son’s class, careful to leave no one
out. She never heard from anyone and on the day of the party, no one
showed up. Not to be outdone, Robles regrouped.
 Tina Robles gives her son, Dakota, a kiss. Visit http://tinyurl.com/ya575g3 to help children with autism.
She made Dakota king for the day and took him to his favorite places.
They had a great time, she said, but a wistful note hangs in her voice.
Robles is used to handling crises. Her son, like many others on the
autism spectrum, is highly intelligent, but has social, emotional and
behavioral issues. The lack of understanding by his teachers and peers
about his disabilities makes living with the condition very difficult.
“To some degree I block it out or cry or talk to the people at my
church,” said Robles. The other thing she does is work as an advocate
for MUSC’s Project Rex to raise awareness of the needs of these
children and to raise money for resources, such as starting a new
school where teachers are trained to make these children feel safe and
appreciated. Dakota receives services from Project Rex, a MUSC program
for high-functioning children who have traits of autism but who don’t
have the full-blown, classic case.
The number of children in this category is much higher than most people
think, said Project Rex director Frampton Gwynette, M.D. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention reports a prevalence rate of 1 out
of 110 children having autism. For boys, it’s worse with a prevalence
of 1 in 70.
Of the children on the autism spectrum, only 36 percent fall into the
autistic category with its severe symptoms. The other children, with
conditions such as Asperger’s or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not
Otherwise Specified, fall on the mild end of the spectrum. Their
disabilities, though less obvious, can be just as serious, but most
services for children on the autism spectrum exist for those with
full-blown autism, Gwynette said.
Tired of seeing these children get lost in the shuffle, Frampton and others started Project Rex in 2008.
“At MUSC’s Institute of Psychiatry, we met these children every day,
but for a long time we had no treatment options that were custom-made
for them. In just two short years, we created a program that provides
not only treatment for children on the autism spectrum, but also
support and education for their families. We are finding that through
Project Rex, children are beginning to maximize their amazing
potential.”
These are the children that have their loved ones, teachers and even
doctors shaking their heads, puzzling over what they might have because
it’s not always clear-cut. Gwynette said this means they often fall
through the cracks, which delays the children getting treatment and the
family getting support.
“These are intelligent, even gifted children. They are almost always in
regular classrooms, and often do quite well academically in the
majority of their subjects. Commonly, it is only after the child has
major social, behavioral or academic difficulties that they find their
way to treatment. By then, these children are often significantly
behind or socially isolated from their peers.”
The goal is to continue to expand Project Rex and raise awareness to be
able to help more children and families affected by the disorder. In
order to raise funds for some of the programs planned, the MUSC
Autism Spectrum Foundation was started in 2009. One of the hopes is to
build an autism academy at MUSC, which will require a large
philanthropic effort, he said.
Vanessa Hill, development officer for the Department of Psychiatry
& Behavioral Sciences, said that she’s fallen in love with these
children, and will do everything she can to find ways to raise money to
support their cause. She proudly displays her T-shirt that says “MVP
for MUSC—I proudly support children on the Autism Spectrum.” She said
the MVP can stand for most valuable player or person. Proceeds from the
T-shirts sales, which are promoted during various sporting events, will
go to fund everything from research to scholarships for parents who
cannot afford counseling.
“We want to be the champions for these children. We want there to be
more awareness of what it is and how we can help them,” said Hill.
“Every child has the right to grow and develop into the kind of kid
that they can be. They can find out that they are not alone, and that
they are in this together.”
Nearly all children on the autism spectrum have ADHD or attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder and many of them take medication for it,
said Gwynette. These children also have significant social and
communication deficits, which can result in depression and anxiety.
They also may have sensory abnormalities; be picky eaters and picky
dressers because clothing textures or tags bother them; have interests
that are unusual or extreme; and have rigid thinking. Gwynette said the
rigid thinking poses a challenge in that they often lack flexibility.
Many of these children are very set in their routine and have an
extremely difficult time adapting to the way they play or making
transitions in their daily schedules.
 Project
Rex director Dr. Frampton Gwynette (kneeling) with members of the MUSC
Department and Institute of Psychiatry wearing their MVP for MUSC
T-shirts in support of children on the autism spectrum.
“The medical community has now awakened to the crisis and a huge amount
of resources are going into finding treatment options,” Gwynette said.
“While our patients and families continue to face significant
challenges, our goal at Project Rex is that these children will grow up
to do what so many other children do: play on sports teams, participate
in social activities such as school dances, graduate high school, begin
a career and have families of their own some day. These are the dreams
we intend to protect.”
Gwynette said there’s a wide range on the autism spectrum where
children may fall, which can make detection and early diagnosis
difficult. The earlier these children start with treatment, though, the
better the chance of success.
“The common thread our patients at Project Rex share is that they have
difficulty ‘fitting in.’ We have all been in that situation, but most
of us can say ‘I didn’t fit in because I was the new kid or because I
dressed differently than everyone else.’ But what if you always felt
like the new kid? And what if you could never figure out why you had
such a hard time being part of the group at school? This is where our
passion at Project Rex comes into play because we don’t want even one
child to feel that way any longer.”
That’s a relief for parents such as Robles. She said it’s her dream
that these children get the support they need. If it weren’t for
Project Rex, she wouldn’t have known about the different resources that
were available. Robles said the resources are critical because these
children often are beyond their level in so many ways, while being
significantly delayed in others. The combination makes them prone to
bullying and rejection from their peers, and being reprimanded by
teachers who think they are lazy or just need more discipline.
“I just want to see more healing. These kids get so scarred by all the rejection.”
For information about Project Rex, see http://www.projectrex.org. For ways you can help, visit http://www.muscautismspectrum.com/.
Friday, April 16, 2010
|
|
|
