Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
In an effort to increase awareness and understanding of Autism, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has decorated one of their patrol cars with symbols representing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
A puzzle has become a symbol of Autism because that’s what it is like,” said MCSO Deputy and School Resource Officer Darryl Woodruff. “All the pieces are there, it’s just a matter of putting them together.”
Dep. Woodruff knows firsthand the challenge of putting those pieces together. His son, now 20- years-old, was diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum when he was a child. “We noticed he was different when he was about 18 months old, but we didn’t get a real diagnosis until he was about seven,” said Dep. Woodruff. Dep. Woodruff went on to explain that Autism can be very different for different people. He said there is no “look” that distinguishes someone on the Autism spectrum from someone who isn’t. Autism can encompass an extremely wide range of characteristics, hence being a “spectrum” rather than one thing. Having personal experience with a child on the Autism spectrum helps him in relating to students in the school who also happen to be on the Autism spectrum.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition related to brain development that affects how people see others and socialize with them. The term ‘spectrum’ in ASD refers to the wide range of symptoms and the severity of these symptoms.” Many times, children begin to exhibit symptoms within the first year of life, although some don’t show symptoms until later in childhood. Those symptoms may be varied and some children may show some symptoms but not all. A few of those symptoms could include:
• Not responding to their name, or they may not seem to hear at times
• Not wanting to be held and a preference for playing alone
• Poor eye contact or little to no facial expressions
• Repeating words or phrases, word for word, but difficulty knowing how to use them
• Not showing emotions or feelings and being unaware of how others feel
Youngsters on the Autism spectrum often fixate on an object or show signs of “extreme OCD,” as Dep. Woodruff put it. He tells of his son having his toy cars lined up in a specific way and order. If someone moved one of the toy cars, or put them out of order, the youngster would become very agitated.
The Mayo Clinic also explains that as they get older, some children may begin to “interact more with others and show fewer disturbances in behavior. Some, usually
those with the least severe problems, eventually may lead typical or nearly typical lives.” Others, however, may continue to have difficulty with language and social skills, with teenage years bringing even more emotional and behavioral problems.
There is no “cure” for ASD, although support from specialized education and behavioral therapies can improve one’s daily life skills. It is widely believed that most cases of ASD is attributed to genetic factors. Environmental factors could play a secondary role. There has been no real link between vaccines and ASD.
April has been designated as Autism Awareness Month.