Encourage Me: Personalized

A Child Welfare Case Worker for Franklin County Children’s Services (in central Ohio) could not ignore her strong maternal instinct loudly informing her that something wasn’t quite right with her son.

It’s always much easier to ignore a challenge’s existence when it hasn’t become a part of your daily life. Gracie could not ignore the diagnosis of autism in her child. Could she be a resource for other families that might be struggling with all that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was?

“Autism can’t define me. I define autism.”[i] This is a complex neurobehavioral condition that includes impairments in social interaction, developmental language, and communication skills.

It is combined with rigid, repetitive behaviors. ASD ranges in severity from a handicap that somewhat limits an otherwise normal life to a devastating disability that may require institutional care.

ASD children have trouble verbalizing. They have difficulty understanding what other people think and feel. This makes it very hard for them to express themselves either with words or through gestures, facial expressions, and touch. These children can be very sensitive (sometimes even pained) by sounds, touches, smells, or sights (that seem normal to others). “At the end of the day, we don’t dream our lives. We live them.”[ii]

There may be repetitive body movements (like rocking, pacing, or hand flapping). Unusual responses to people, attachments to objects, resistance to change in their routines, or aggressive or self-injurious behavior may also occur. At times they may appear to be oblivious to people, objects, or activities in their surroundings. Seizures may not occur until adolescence.[iii]

“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village.” [iv] With this in mind, The Gracie V. White Foundation for Autism was founded in 2012. This organization provides support for ages fifteen to thirty. ASD and other high functioning disabilities are accepted.

Individuals will have the opportunity to use transition services, social skills, job development, customer services, personal determination, and self advocacy. Attempts are made to serve all families in the community that request supportive services (during this process).

The Gracie V. White Foundation for Autism is Medicaid waiver-approved in Franklin, Fairfield, Delaware, and Licking counties. These ASD supportive services are offered at “The Barn” of CenterPoint Church Gahanna, 620 McCutcheon Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230, and beginning on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. For further information call 614-620-4273.

Here is further information on Gracie’s inspiration, (her son) Austin White. Austin attended a school for autistic children until middle school. (Afterwards he transitioned back into his school district.) Gracie then began to build positive relationships with the director of special education, the transition’s coordinator, the intervention specialist, and other needed individuals.

Austin graduated from Gahanna Lincoln High School in 2013. He is now attending college, and will receive his bachelor’s degree in Drafting and Design in 2017.

There is never a “cookie cutter” fit when one is developing programming for disabled individuals. It’s crucial to work with their strengths, and meet them where they are (both mentally and physically).

Gracie’s journey with Austin has been a blessing. She never would have been able to navigate through all the various systems, build relationships, do advocacy work, and continue on her journey without her faith in God. Austin has been able to become the man he should be because of her persistence in finding the appropriate services in the Columbus community.

What follows are inspiring inspirational ASD quotes (that may help you to reconsider your beliefs on a group of individuals that are valuable to the Almighty:

“For autistic individuals to succeed in this world, they need to find their strengths and the people that will help them get to their hopes and dreams. In order to do so, ability to make and keep friends is a must. Amongst those friends, there must be mentors to show them the way. A supportive environment where they can learn from their mistakes is what we as a society needs to create for them.” [v]

“I don’t want my thoughts to die with me; I want to have done something. I’m not interested in power, or piles of money. I want to leave something behind. I want to make a positive contribution – know that my life has meaning.”[vi]

“Autism makes you listen louder. It makes you pay attention on an emotional level as well as an intellectual level.”[vii]

“English is my second language. Autism is my first.” [viii]

“I believe that inside every person who is bullied there is strength and a tenacity to survive. You don’t always know that this strength exists, but if you make it through those dark times, you become aware. You become a survivor, someone whose courage and spirit is far stronger than all of the hate and cruelty of their bullies.

The one thing that I want to impart to children with autism is knowledge of their own inner strength, and the belief that one day at a time, they, too, can get through this.”[ix]

It is imperative to realize that Jesus loves, knows and cares about the welfare of every child today. Believe (and be transformed) by that truth. Read below of my scriptural basis for this belief (as is taken from The Message):

One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that He would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: “Let the children alone; don’t prevent them from coming to Me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” After laying hands on them He left. (Matthew 19:13-15)

“Whoever becomes simple and elemental, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom…But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better dropped off in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. (Matthew 18:4)

“This is a forever journey with this creative, funny, highly intelligent, aggressive, impulsive, nonsocial, behavioral, often times loving individual. The nurse said to me after six hours with him ‘He is a gift’ Indeed he is.”[x]