Posted on April 17, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Please help our friends at Featsonv.org, a local 501c3 recover from Arson, 4-15-2013!!!

FEAT of Southern Nevada

Our friend at Feat a local 501c3 for autism seriously needs your help!!
In the early morning on April 15th, an arsonist was arrested for setting fire to Sport Social, where the FEAT office is located. No one was hurt, but our office and parts of the warehouse are destroyed from extensive fire and water damage. The FEAT office was the home of our resource center (books, brochures and service provider info) which has all been damaged. The FEAT office is closed until further notice. She is still available to meet with families at other locations (Starbucks etc..) and she is always available on the parent hotline at 368-3328 for those needing assistance.

They are in need of donations at this time to help them get back on their “FEAT”! Please click on this direct link to go to their donation page http://featsonv.org/donations You can also make a donation through their Face Book page. Please “like” FEAT of Southern Nevada, and click on the red donate now button.

Our friends at Sport Social need help also. For more Information on the arson, including pictures and video please click on this link if you are on your computer:https://www.facebook.com/sportsocial/app_415675701824636 or click on this link if you are on a mobile browser: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L8BDSBJY8CB8G

FEAT and Sport Social provide so much support to the local autism community all year long. During Autism Awareness Month we are now turning to you for your support and help. Thank you in advance for your assistance in our time of need, we appreciate your generosity.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Strobel
FEAT Executive Director
jennifer@featsonv.org
702-368-3328

Please help them in their time of need.

Sincerely,

David Berkowitz

Technewszone.com

Arts4autism

Posted on April 11, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Autism speaks: Marine dad listens, helps piece together puzzle

Story by Maj. Bradley Gordon Subscribe To This Journalist

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – My son has autism. There, I said it – not easy for a Marine and a proud father. More specifically, he has Asperger Syndrome. Some call it a disease, but it’s not. Let’s make sure that is clear up front. People can’t catch it just being around him.

He is not a freak or weirdo, at least no more so than you or I. He is a young teen, working through the difficulties of puberty with the added bonus of learning, understanding, teaching and dealing with his relatively new diagnosis.

Every parent looks at his children through rose-colored glasses. We can’t always see their imperfections because we don’t want to believe they have imperfections. It is not until we remove our glasses and allow ourselves to accept the reality that our child may be “different” in some way do we let our guard down and do one of two things – deny or fight.

I’ve chosen the latter because my son has chosen to fight against what society views as different, to make them aware, in his own way, using the means he is just now learning to understand. I, on the other hand, have more resources and tools in my life toolbox.
I want to speak to the world to be his voice, his advocate, his sword and shield. One day he will be his own sword and shield. Until then he can rely on me to make sure the world knows that even though he may be a little different on the inside, he is as perfect as you are, as perfect as your children, as perfect as any person walking this Earth.

For those who do not know or understand autism, here are some startling facts.

Autism is now being diagnosed in one out of every 88 children in America, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. More specifically, boys are diagnosed at the rate of one in every 54, a number that is 10 times greater than 40 years ago. The CDC has gone on the record as declaring autism as an epidemic.

By comparison, autism affects more children in the U.S. than diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome – combined.

Part of this new found epidemic is because of better diagnosis techniques and awareness campaigns within medical professionals and through organizations such as Autism Speaks.

I am sure there are many parents who will say “no way” and that this is just because pediatricians and parents are looking to explain away a child’s behavior. Being a parent of a child with AS, I assure you, we weren’t looking for a reason, and we fought hard not to label our son.

However, after many years of working with him and with therapists and teachers and caregivers, we allowed him to have the more intense testing and understand more of the complex make-up of our often-misunderstood oldest child.

I was deployed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when I found out my son had been officially diagnosed with AS. As a parent, I felt helpless. I don’t say hopeless because I know there is a sunny-side to all of life’s problems, you just have to get to the point you can turn the situation over and find it.

I felt helpless because I wasn’t there to hold my boy’s hand. I wasn’t there to hold my wife’s hand. I wasn’t there to be the reassurance I knew they both needed. My son needed to know that I would do anything for him, help him learn about AS, help him understand it, and help him work through everything and develop the skills to beat it.

All I could do was write an e-mail or try to talk on the phone or Skype (always a challenge when there are three boys in the house, all wanting to see me at the same time and tell me about their lives – we all know those computer cameras and screens are only so big).

I couldn’t be there to just put my hand on his shoulder, give him that little physical touch I know that helps him relax, remain calm and reassure him that it will all work out.

I felt helpless for my wife. Not only did she get this news that we probably knew deep down, just weren’t ready to accept, but she had two other boys that she needed to care for and tend to while I was half-way across the globe, nine time zones away.

Lacrosse and soccer practice, Cub Scouts, Boys Scouts, after-school friends and weekend birthday parties all still needed to be taken care of, but they couldn’t receive the attention they deserved. She and my son needed to deal with this new wrinkle in life. It was overwhelming for them both, and the stress could be felt by the younger two boys as well.

I was helpless to do anything about it. I’m a fixer and I want to fix things immediately, and by being stuck in Afghanistan, I couldn’t fix my family. I couldn’t fix the parts of my life that meant the most. There were four people in the world who needed me and needed my special ability to fix it, and the moment they needed me most, I wasn’t there – I was helpless.

What a lonely feeling it must be to receive this diagnosis, I cannot even imagine. As a young boy, to not have your father, a “tough” Marine at that, there to give you that hand on the shoulder or that smirk and silent acknowledgement that “everything is going to be alright. I’m not going to let anything hurt you.” It had to be almost devastating to my son.

What a lonely feeling it must be to be sitting with her oldest son, the one who is so much like her it causes friction at times, to be there listening to the doctor tell you, tell your son, that he is now different according to societal norms.

Wanting to be strong for her son, to have to play both mother and father and wanting to scream at the heavens “why” and cry and be vulnerable, but knowing she had to be the one to carry on and push him through it.

She had to take more time with her oldest son to learn and understand about this new diagnosis, yet balance that with the equal time for the other two very active sons whose schedule in itself is a full-time job. Add to this the loneliness that there just aren’t that many people who understand autism, let alone Asperger Syndrome.

How do you talk about it in a combat zone? Who do you talk to about it? Are there others who deal with similar issues? Does the Marine Corps even understand? Does the Marine Corps have programs in place, do they have people available, do they know what services are required and can they provide them to me in a combat zone, to my son, my wife and my other boys?

In the spectrum of epidemics and world-threatening diseases, how much do we know about autism and AS? And if the medical world is still struggling to understand it, how can I expect the Marine Corps to empathize with me and help me understand and help me help my family?

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and putting our pride aside, my wife has leaned on the entire village to help raise not one, but all three of our boys so she can focus on our oldest and help him, understand him, teach him, and develop him, for him and with him.

It takes a lot of energy, and each day I am not with my family is another day I feel more helpless and not the fixer I know I’m supposed to be.

As parents, my wife and I may have actually been part of the problem, not the solution, for many years. I think we didn’t ask all of the questions because deep down, we didn’t want the answers.
We didn’t want to allow someone else to pigeon hole our son; however, in retrospect we may have done just that. We allowed teachers, counselors and his peers to pigeon hole him and use that against him, all while we didn’t want to acknowledge it, buy into it or believe it.

I’m sure we aren’t the only parents who feel that way, so if anything, I hope other parents who read this will allow themselves to let go of their pride and be part of their child’s solution, not their problem.

My son is a complex young man, wrapped in hormones, surrounded by a judgmental society, learning to deal with the curve ball life has dealt him and only recently being able to put a name or a reason to his symptoms.

He was diagnosed less than a year ago, only after strong urging from his therapist – someone he has seen for several years, someone he trusts implicitly, and someone who has watched him grow. His therapist asked the difficult questions, and, as some of his behaviors became more prevalent, pushed us to ask more questions and seek more answers in an effort to help our son feel “normal” and be “normal.”

Once my son learned about AS, he began to understand more why he wasn’t as good at team sports and why he always wants to be the one in charge, yet doesn’t like to accept responsibility for team failure.

He knew he was a smart kid, always has been. He often didn’t really listen in class because he didn’t feel he needed to since he picked up math, science, reading and comprehension just by looking through the book. While the rest of the class was learning how to add one plus one and get two, my son was already understanding the concepts of two times two making four. In his mind, class is beneath him because he gets it. Even today, he has difficulty with doing high school homework because he knows he can ace the tests.

We struggle with getting him to understand the game of high school – that the schoolwork and homework are parts of the game and that tests are only a small portion. We constantly work to help him understand that every aspect of the game is a means to an end where he will get to move on to college where less is required, yet more is expected.

It’s a daily grind, often ending in raised voices, teenage attitude and hurt feelings. In the end the work gets done, but not without some sweat and tears.

And we haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg of his recent life. His emotions are often on a hair-trigger, a symptom of AS. A situation that most would find to be insignificant can be a major ordeal for him.

He remembers events that upset him long in the past and at the most inopportune times. It doesn’t take much and when it does, an emotional roller-coaster ensues, not just for him, but for the entire family.

Routines, black-and-white rules, fixation, having to complete a thought no matter how long-winded, detail oriented and irrelevant to the topic at hand may be, and little ability to be flexible when events or situations do not unfold the way they were originally discussed or supposed to be in his head, all make for some difficult, emotional and mentally and physically exhausting days, not just for him, but for his brothers, his teachers, his friends, his primary care providers, his mother and, from a distance, me.

My purpose in writing this isn’t to evoke sympathy for me, my son, my wife or my family or to place blame on anyone or any organization because of my son’s autism. My purpose in writing this is to help others understand and let others know that my family isn’t unique.

This epidemic has probably impacted a family near you, and it requires our society as a whole to learn and understand and have empathy for those who must fight the fight day in and day out.

In the past, because so few people knew about or understood autism, families were often dismissed.

Even today, as more and more families are faced with this new epidemic, there is still very little our services family programs know about and understand.

We need more education, better education, not only for our senior leaders and decision makers, but throughout the Corps, the other military branches, the Department of Defense and our government.

Every leader, Marine Corps or commercial enterprise, stresses the family as essential to company success and growth, however more often than not these same leaders do not have as diverse a knowledge as they would like.

This needs to change now and our organization, as a whole, is responsible for making this change both positive and substantial. More resources are required to develop programs that help families.
Even at a base as large as Camp Lejeune, the services required to help those diagnosed with AS or autism is not as significant as it should be for an epidemic and the services to help the families are even less.

Schools, as a whole, have some programs for “special needs” children; however, even our schools are not adequately equipped for this new epidemic. For an issue that affects one in every 88 children in America, we do not have the appropriate resources to combat the growing spate.

Of course, more resources requires more funding, and in the grand funding scheme, autism receives less than 0.6 percent of the National Institute of Health funding compared to the less prevalent childhood diseases that receive a preponderance of the $30.5 billion budget.

We need to do more. We must do more.

I am determined to be my son’s sword and his shield. I am his advocate and will be the advocate for even more like him. I am my son’s voice in this world of noise and I will be their voice too.
Autism speaks and it’s time the world listened.

As an Asperger’s Dad of 3 on the spectrum and an Army Veteran I can relate to these military folk and their dealings with autism and I am helping to bring their voice as well as mine to the masses to find support to help autism!!

David

Posted on April 11, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Military Doctor Cites Need for Early Intervention of Autism

Story by Lt. Jennifer Cragg Subscriptions Icon Subscribe To This Journalist

WASHINGTON – A Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences faculty member discussed Autism Awareness Month and the importance of early, proper diagnosis and treatment of children.

“Parents should feel confidence in raising questions about whether their child has autism,” Dr. Janice Hanson told “Dot Mil Docs” listeners during an, April 9, webcast on Pentagon Web Radio. “They are often the first ones to raise concerns and to raise them in a way that a pediatrician can sort out whether to be concerned, how concerned to be, and what to do about it next.”

According to Autism Speaks, a science and advocacy organization dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism, early intervention is critical to gain maximum benefit from existing therapies. While there are no effective means to prevent autism, no fully effective treatments, and no cure, current research suggests that early educational intervention for at least two years during the preschool years can result in significant improvements for many children with autism-spectrum disorders.

Hanson said children can be diagnosed with autism by age 3, but parents might notice changes in a child as young as 6 months. Three categories of characteristics describe a child with autism, she said.

“Before complete diagnosis of autism, a child would show some symptoms in … [each of] three areas: communication, social interaction, and stereotypical behavior,” Hanson explained. The three categories that go along with a diagnosis of autism include delayed speech or language; differences in social interaction, such as avoiding eye contact or misunderstanding social cues; and stereotypical behaviors such as playing with toys with a ritual behavior or rocking over and over again.

“Autism is a disorder of communication and social interaction,” the doctor said. “There is a range of disorders actually that fall within a spectrum that we call pervasive developmental disorders. The range goes from classic autism, with a fairly significant difference in communication and social interaction, to Asperger’s Syndrome, which is more mild and sometimes more difficult to diagnose.

“Also included in the spectrum is a group of children that don’t exactly fit the criteria, but have many of the characteristics,” she continued, “and they are called children with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.”

Hanson said the number of children diagnosed is hard to pin down with current data.

“That is actually a subject of debate and research as we speak,” she said. “I just read a study that summarized 43 studies in the literature from the last several decades, trying to pin down what that number might be, so what we have is a range of numbers. The greatest number would be about one child out of 150, and this would be the most broad use of the diagnostic categories, which would include children with autistic diagnoses all along that spectrum from the most severe to the most mild.”

Hanson said whether the number of diagnoses is increasing is another controversial subject.

“There has been a lot of controversy for the past 10 to 15 years about whether the incidence of autism is increasing, and if so why,” she said. “Some people think yes, it is definitely increasing. Others think we have improved our ability to identify these children and we’ve changed our criteria to include broader numbers.”

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is working toward educating and training physicians and nurses to accurately diagnosis autism early.

“We have a medical school and a graduate school of nursing that educates and trains physicians and nurse practitioners to work in the military health system, and that is where I am on the faculty,” Hanson said. “We do an intense, focused job of providing education for these students, not only about autism, how to diagnosis, and what to watch for, but also about the military environment and the special challenges for military families.

“We are trying very hard to send new doctors into our military health system with a strong awareness of when to refer, where to refer and how to get a child accurate diagnosis and effective interaction,” she added.

Posted on April 11, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Eisenhower Sailors Form Autism Support Group for Autism

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Watson

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, At Sea – Sailors aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower are joining together to form a support group for parents with children suffering from autism.

The father of two autistic children, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Chief Henry Cooper, V-1’s leading chief petty officer, said he wanted to form a group where other Sailors could share their stories and experiences dealing with autism as well as share knowledge of available resources.

“I sent out an email to the chief’s mess and crew, and I received 20 to 30 emails with from people whose children have autism,” said Cooper.

In a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, researchers found an average of one in 110 U.S. children have been diagnosed with the Autism Spectrum Disorder. That statistic breaks down to 1-in-70 boys and 1-in-315 girls – a 60 percent increase for boys and 48 percent increase for girls from previous reports.

“It hurts, because everyone wants their child to be perfect,” said Cooper. “But, it hurts less when you have someone to talk to – people who are dealing with the same situation.”

The Autism Society defines autism as a group of developmental disabilities caused by a problem within the brain. Thought processes and learning capabilities of someone with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged – this may impact their social, emotional, communication and behavioral skills.

While there are no definite causes for autism, common characteristics are: resistance to change, lack of or delay in spoken language, difficulty in expressing needs, repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language, laughing/crying for no apparent reason, preference of being alone, little or no eye contact, tantrums, spinning objects and non-responsiveness to verbal cues.

After a diagnosis, Cooper said many Sailors are overwhelmed and wondering what help is available. He hopes this support group will benefit them.

“Many young Sailors on IKE who have autistic children and are not aware of the programs and resources available to them through TRICARE,” said Cooper, who admits his wife struggled to find out as much information as she could on the disorder and what the available resources were to help their children receive the care they needed.

IKE’s Air Boss, Cmdr. Peter Matisoo also has two children with autism and he could clearly understand how when a family receives a diagnosis of autism, many don’t know where to turn and feel overwhelmed or confused.

“Early intervention and getting your child the skills to function on their own is a great step parents need to take,” said Matisoo. “Do not despair; do not get discouraged. Appreciate your child for the great talents and gifts they have.”

There are six different forms of autism, ranging from moderate to severe. Matisoo explained that with proper treatment many autistic children can function normally.

“How your child currently is, is not how they will grow up to be,” said Matisoo. “Work with them in the areas they struggle in to lift them up something closer to normal.”

Cooper said one of his sons has made great strides in improving his behavior skills through Applied Behavior Analysis therapy.

“He was not speaking, but after two months of therapy he started talking and holding conversations,” said Cooper, who hopes other will have success stories like his to share with the support group in an effort to encourage parents to continue seeking help.

Eisenhower is underway as part of a regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. Operations in the 5th Fleet AOR are focused on reassuring regional partners of the coalition’s commitment to help set conditions for security and stability. U.S. forces maintain a naval and air presence in the region that deters destabilizing activities while safeguarding the region’s vital links to the global economy.

Posted on April 11, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

News: Latest report indicates autism is on the rise

FORT HOOD, Texas –The likelihood of a school-aged American child receiving a diagnosis of autism, Asperger syndrome or a related developmental disorder is on the rise.

In 2006, the Center for Disease Control estimated one in every 110 children was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. That number has risen to 1 in 50, according to an analysis of a phone survey of parents released in March 2013 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Locally, the Fort Hood Exceptional Family Member Program is tracking 404 active duty family members (or 4.8 percent of the total identified cases Army-wide) Autism Spectrum Disorders, and ASDs are estimated to affect nearly 8,500 children of active duty service members throughout the U.S. Army, Maj. (Dr.) Ryan Moore, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center chief of pediatrics, said.

“The spike is being attributed to various causes, including increased awareness of autism spectrum disorders among clinicians and parents and more diagnoses of milder autism disorders,” Moore said.

According to the CDC, autism spectrum disorders are a group of developmental disabilities characterized by atypical development in socialization, communication, and behavior.

“The symptoms of ASDs typically are present before age 3 years and often are accompanied by abnormalities in cognitive functioning, learning, attention, and sensory processing,” the CDC website states.

Symptoms of autism can be minimal or severe, and they can vary dramatically from one child to another.

Autistic children may struggle to maintain or completely avoid eye contact, prefer to play alone, avoid cuddling or touching, have poor speech or communication abilities or not develop speech at all. They may rub surfaces repeatedly, have a heightened or lowered response to pain or display intense tantrums.

Other symptoms of autism may appear to indicate other disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tourettes, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder, which can make an accurate diagnosis difficult.

This recent study released by the CDC also points out a potential concern that many children are not being diagnosed before age seven.

Autism can be reliably diagnosed by age three and potential interventions exist that can have a significant impact on their growth and development.

The emphasis on early detection and intervention has grown significantly over the past decade. At Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, providers who see pediatric patients have adopted a standardized approach to well-child visits, Moore said.

“Adopting the guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics, clinics across the installation have instituted routine screening for autism spectrum disorders at 18-month and 24-month well-child visit,” he said. “The screening occurs at these visits because this is the age range where they symptoms of autism emerge.”

According to Moore, if the results of screening indicate a concern for autism, the primary care provider will typically refer the family to a specialist (developmental pediatrician, child psychiatrist or psychologist) who can provide more detailed evaluation and potentially definitive diagnosis.

Although a diagnosis of autism is difficult to hear, the prognosis today is much better than even a decade ago.

Early and effective intervention has changed the landscape of treatment for autism. A wide range of evidence-based treatment options exist to help parents and their affected children improve their overall outcomes.

Assistance through Tricare exists for children diagnosed with autism.

The road to accessing these available options starts with enrollment in the Exceptional Family Member Program. Once successfully enrolled in EFMP, the child can then be registered in the Extended Care Health Option. This program provides additional financial assistance for those families seeking treatments not covered under basic Tricare services.

While understanding has improved as experience with autism grows, a lot of confusion still exists over how to successfully navigate treatment options. Unfortunately, as national recognition of the disorder has grown, a wide range of treatment options have developed, many of which are not studied or validated.

Parents of a child diagnosed with autism will need to be their child’s strongest advocate and work closely with their child’s provider to find the right treatment course, Moore said.

Case management resources are also available through Tricare to assist with these processes.

“Facing an autism diagnosis can be scary, but CRDAMC doctors and support services are here to support and guide families through the process,” Moore said.

If you think your child may have autism or is showing signs of developmental delays talk to your primary care provider or contact Tricare appointment services at 254-288-8888 and request a well baby check-up.

Active duty family members who have severe physical or moderate-to-severe mental disabilities can receive specialized services through the Tricare Extended Care Health Option program. AD beneficiaries within the Southern Regional Medical Command must enroll in the ECHO program via the application process identified at: http://www.humana-military.com/library/pdf/echo-application.pdf .

Retiree beneficiaries are not eligible for enrollment into the Tricare ECHO program; a U.S. District Court order mandated that Tricare will provide ABA therapy as a medical benefit for retiree family members. Retiree beneficiaries with ASD or any other severe physical or moderate-to-severe mental disabilities can receive ABA therapy through a referral from their Tricare primary care manager.

Tricare does not cover expenses for respite care, equipment, or case managers for retiree beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries can obtain additional information regarding services for children with ASD at Humana-Military.com or by calling Customer Service at 1-866-323-7155. A resource for military families that have children with autism can find additional information at www.operationautismonline.org.

Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center

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Posted on April 11, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Joint base Lewis-Mcchord Autism Walk for Autism Support!!

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Video by Staff Sgt. Elwyn Lovelace Subscriptions Icon Subscribe To This Journalist

The Video on their autism walk–>

Posted on April 9, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

News: Autism speaks at JB Charleston US Military and Autism!!

CHARLESTON, S.C. – What many individuals consider routine or ordinary tasks can be very difficult for some. Social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication as well as repetitive behavior are just a few things individuals diagnosed with autism struggle with everyday.

Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders that affects behavioral development. Each individual with autism is unique. Many of those with autism have exceptional abilities in visual skills, music and academic skills. About 40 percent have average to above average intellectual abilities.

With April being the month of Autism Awareness, Reta Mills, Airman and Family Readiness Center Exceptional Family Member Program coordinator, is promoting a national campaign called “Light it up Blue” here at Joint Base Charleston.

The idea of the campaign is to have community members illuminate their front porches with blue lights to help bring awareness to autism throughout the month of April.

One of every 88 children in the United States has been diagnosed with autism, nearly double the number of children diagnosed since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the disorder – autism can now officially be declared an epidemic in the U.S.

“The number of families within the military having children diagnosed with autism is on the rise,” said Mills. “We have programs for these families and their children such as the EFMP.”

The EFMP program provides support to military family members who have children with special needs, not just autism. An exceptional family member is defined as a person with any physical, emotional, developmental, educational or psychological condition that meets the Department of Defense criteria.

“Autism is one of the top three reasons military families are enrolled in the EFMP program,” said Mills.

Two families that deal with autism on a daily basis here are the Hoffman’s and Sole’s.

The Hoffman’s three-year-old son Hunter, was recently diagnosed with autism.

“We noticed something was wrong with Hunter because he didn’t talk, but rather hummed and would never make eye contact,” said Tricia Hoffman, wife of Staff Sgt. Justin Hoffman, 15th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, 437th Airlift Wing. “At first we thought he was deaf, because when he was evaluated at age two, the doctor said he was behind with speech.”

The Hoffman’s took Hunter to several doctors and finally enrolled him in speech therapy.

“The speech therapist worked with Hunter for weeks with little to no progress,” said Mrs. Hoffman. “She sat down with me and told me she had all the tools to help Hunter with speech, but there was something holding him back.”

The therapist hinted to the fact that Hunter may have autism. Their son was then evaluated for autism and was diagnosed with moderate to severe classical autism.

The Sole family received the news of their six-year-old son Carl, having autism while they were at Royal Air Base Lakenheath, England, and had it reconfirmed here.

“As a baby, Carl didn’t cry and we often found him staring at something, but not really looking at anything,” said Sarah Sole, wife of Tech. Sgt. Carl Sole, 628th Security Forces Squadron flight chief. “We later found out his staring spells were focal seizures.”

The Sole family has one daughter and two sons. All three are enrolled in the base EFMP program. Their oldest child eight-year-old Xander, has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder as well as multiple learning disabilities. Carl has Autism Spectrum Disorder in addition to epilepsy, cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities as a result of periventricular leukomalacia. The Soles youngest child Phillip has speech and fine motor delays.

“The EFMP program has helped us immensely in making sure my family’s needs are met and that the base we are at can provide us with the appropriate services,” said Mrs. Sole.

Since there is currently no cure for autism, the EFMP program offers assistance for families to find programs to counteract the symptoms of the disease.

“Research has shown early detection of autism is paramount to helping the individuals cope with the symptoms of the disease,” said Mills. “The newest program is Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA therapy.”

ABA therapy uses specific techniques and interventions to help children with autism or other special needs succeed. Both the Hoffman’s and Sole’s have their child enrolled in ABA therapy.

“A therapist comes to our home six days a week for about three hours and teaches Carl words, numbers and how to put clothes on properly,” said Mrs. Sole. “He has come a long way since the start of the therapy.”

Carl recently learned his age and home address, which is a huge step, said Kayleigh Norton, ABA therapist.

While Carl receives ABA therapy at home, Hunter receives the therapy at his school.

“Hunter struggles with speaking, making eye contact and basic social skills,” said Mrs. Hoffman.

Even though Hunter struggles with simple things such as speaking or social interactions, he has abilities that are very uncommon for children his age.

“Hunter is very coordinated and can retain large amounts of information,” said Mrs. Hoffman. “He knows all the colors and not just red, green, blue or yellow. He knows colors like chartreuse.”

Chartreuse is a color halfway between yellow and green. Hunter is also able to determine what the combination of two colors will make.

Hunter is especially skilled with computers.

“He knows how to do more with a computer than I do,” Mrs. Hoffman jokingly said. “His therapist believes he has an over active intelligence and that he will be more intelligent than the average person.”

Just like any child, Carl and Hunter have interests of their own. Carl love’s cars, and Hunter is interested in sports, and especially hockey.

Even with all the programs for children with autism, a big question still weighs on the minds of parents. “What does the future hold for my child?”

“We are realistic in the fact that we know Carl is different and will be either at home or in a group home as an adult,” said Mrs. Sole. “Our hope is that he will be as self sufficient as possible and will be accepted as he grows older.”

The Sole family understands that because Carl is different they have to take their child’s milestones and break them into super baby steps to help him achieve the little goals.

“It took Carl three and a half years to learn how to jump” said Mrs. Sole. “When he figured it out I just screamed with excitement. Success is measured in small victories.”

The Hoffman’s hope for Hunter is that he can live a normal life.

“I worry that Hunter will not be understood by others, but through speaking out and telling others about Autism maybe I can help,” said Mrs. Hoffman. “I can only hope people will accept him and have a little more patience, without discriminating against him.”

The Hoffman’s often joke about having a “Hunter” apartment, knowing that as he gets older they want him to have his freedom and independence, but still have the support of the family if he needs it.

“I just want what is best for Hunter,” said Mr. Hoffman. “I want him to have a normal life and have friends and to be happy. I want him to have the things any father would want their child to have.”

The AFRC hosts monthly support group meetings the last Thursday of each month for EFMP families. The group allows parents to share their good and bad experiences in coping and managing life with an exceptional family member.

“The support group here is very proactive,” said Mrs. Sole. “Rather than just sitting around complaining about issues, we try to resolve them by bringing them to the right people’s attention.”

Families looking to join the support group or get more information about the EFMP program can contact Reta Mills at 963-4411.

Posted on April 9, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

The military lights it up blue for autism!!!

A nice video from the US DOD on Autism and Light it up BLUE!!!

Watch this video on YouTube.

Posted on April 9, 2013 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Autism is everywhere: is it a burden or a blessing Story by Lance Cpl. Joshua Grant from Camp Lejeune

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – The first few years of parenthood can be hectic and stressful for parents with newborn children. Adding a disability may initially complicate the household, but through education and awareness, developmental disorders such as autism do not have to affect a family’s way of life.

Recorded through the 1960-80’s the frequency of children with autism was around one in 5,000, but in an unknown way the number rose to one out of every 88 children born. With such a drastic rise in the occurrence of autism, diagnosing and treating autism is a top priority for many pediatricians.

For parents who are unsure if their child has autism, there are a few warning signs to look out for, stated Navy Capt. Joseph McBreen, the Educational and Developmental Intervention Service medical consultant at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune.

McBreen recently received recognition for his help in writing, ‘Life Journey through Autism: A guide for Military Families,’ a book to help military families diagnose and learn about all the resources available to them if their child has autism.

“A family should be suspicious if a child has a speech language delay, not saying mama or dada by 12 months of age,” said Mcbreen. “Other key factors include no babble by 12 months, no pretend play by 18 months of age and also gaze monitoring, watching what the parent is looking at. All of the children lacking the key factors are at a high risk for having autism.”

Autism is now ranked as the most common neurobehavioral among children and is often called an epidemic, added McBreen.

“Autism is a lifelong disorder, there is no cure for it,” said McBreen. “Often time doctors try to scam families by claiming a cure if money is sent, but families should be cautious because it’s fake.”

As a course of treatment for children with autism, parents have many options available to them nationwide.

McBreen added, individuals should call the Early Intervention Service because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act allows parents, concerned with their child’s development, to get their child evaluated for autism.

“The local authority has to do the test free of charge,” said McBreen. “The test has to include two people from different specialties, usually speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy.”

After the test is conducted, a written report with age equivalent scores is due to the family in accordance with educational law.

If stationed aboard base, the base is responsible for conducting the evaluation, stated McBreen. It’s done at the medical annex inside Berkley Manor housing area. He also said if living off base, the Children’s Developmental Services Agency conducts the test.

Families covered under Tricare are able to use Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy through tutors or supervisors. Tutors receive less training but provide more time with the child. ABA therapy is the most researched and effective therapy for children with autism, said McBreen.

Any developmental disorder can be taxing on a family, but through diagnosing, treatment and all the resources available to service members, autism does not have to be a burden for anyone.

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/103162/autism-everywhere-burden-blessing#.UWTrr5Prxim#ixzz2Q22N6kMO