Piecing the Autism Puzzles Together

When Teresa Foster describes her son, 12-year-old Hunter, one can tell she has nothing but unconditional love for him. Foster will tell anyone she encounters how she adores his hugs, how he can read, write, and play games, and even when he gets lost to the conventions and graces of a polite society, he’s content in his own world.

Hunter and his mother, Foster.

Hunter and his mother, Foster.

Hunter is autistic. Foster said some days are more difficult then others, but she said she and her family are very fortunate that her son is high-functioning autistic.

“I get it when I hear another parent rant about autism,” Foster said. “I empathize with the desire to have a healthy child. I want that too. But in my mind, I have one already. A whole, healthy, autistic child. I don’t think my son is damaged, or dysfunctional. He’s just different.”

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Hunter is one of many children who share this disorder. Janice Magness, director of the Texas Tech University Burkhart Transition Academy and interim co-director of the Burkhart Center, said she knows the statistics of this topic all too well. Magness said ever since she was introduced to the field of autism in 1990, one in 15,000 people born that year would be diagnosed with autism. Now, she said the latest from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one out of 68 people will be born with autism.

Magness said that while that statistic might sound horrifying, people need to know that autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country. She said it is growing even more than cancer and childhood cancer. Magness said this is why the month of April is so important. This month is Autism Awareness Month, and she said it is the perfect opportunity for communities and centers like the Burkhart Center to spread the word that the facts are alarming, but there is also help for families and students with the disease.

Wesley Dotson, Ph.D., assistant professor and interim co-director of the Burkhart Center, said when he started in the field, there might have been two to three people at any given school who knew what autism was.

“It’s not just something that can easily be explained to people,” Dotson said. “You can’t say, ‘Oh, you’re like Sheldon Cooper or you’re more of a Rain Man, and there’s nothing in the middle. You’re either a brilliant college professor or you’re this kind of guy that acts weird and doesn’t really have much of a life.’ Autism is a spectrum disorder. It’s something where there are a range of different outcomes.”

Dotson at his desk inside the Burkhart Center.

Dotson at his desk inside the Burkhart Center.

Like Foster mentioned, her son is high-functioning, which works against her and her husband at times. She said people look at them critically because they think he’s undisciplined or she and her husband are ineffective. Foster said in reality, her family is doing the best they can with Hunter — but there are so many forms of autism. Dotson said that is what he loves the most about Autism Awareness Month. The month gives people the chance to see autism for the spectrum it is, but to also see the potential.

At the Burkhart Center on Tech’s campus, showing autistic individuals potential is not hard. The new building next to the College of Education has over 28,000 square feet for professional consultation rooms, classrooms, clinical space, early childhood classrooms, therapy spaces, a transition academy, and they have a lab space for the researchers and scientists to get work done as well. Dotson said with the space comes the opportunity to drastically expand what they can offer the community in terms of service and in terms of research.

A play area inside of the Burkhart Center that is also an observation room for research.

A play area inside of the Burkhart Center that is also an observation room for research.

Magness said her favorite part of the Burkhart Center is how it has opened so many doors for the Lubbock community. She said the best part of getting to work with autistic students is seeing them grow. Magness said parents of autistic students usually have to deal with getting them through school, which makes them think about more day-to-day situations. With the teachers and support system of the Burkhart Center, they have more long-term goals in mind.

“We’re looking at five years down the road and where they want to be,” she said. “We’re not just setting goals for what they’re going to do next Monday, we’re looking at where they’re going to be in 2018.”

Foster noted that in her opinion, some of the greatest and most talented minds in history have been those on the autism spectrum. Foster said she thought Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Darwin, and Michelangelo were definitely worthy of recognition. She said Hunter might not be a great yet, but his small victories are just as encouraging and enlightening.

The Burkhart Center.

The Burkhart Center.

Dotson said the best part of getting to work with autistic students one-on-one is seeing these victories every day. He said he finds it exciting when his students in his social skills class crack a joke with friends or laugh with their classmates. He said even when the students put themselves out there in a group, it’s a big deal. Unfortunately, Dotson said there are also plenty of challenges. He said there is always the question about how to handle quantity services versus quality services. He said potentially, the Burkhart Center could serve twice as many people, but the quality of what the center did would drop.

“There are only a few people who do autism diagnosis in Lubbock,” he said. “A family might have to wait nine months to a year to get their first appointment to start getting an assessment for a formal diagnosis. Early childhood intervention services are chronically underfunded by the state. Families might only qualify to get four or five hours of therapy a month. The literature says they are supposed to get 24 to 25 hours a week.”IMG_0468

Dotson and Magness both agreed that something has to change. Even though there is not a cure for autism, there are ways for families and individuals can overcome these daily challenges and bring these types of issues the attention they need to make an impact. Magness said one of those ways is spreading the word this month. In the Lubbock community, the Burkhart Center is hosting its annual Autism Walk at Jones AT&T Stadium, which is taking place on April 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. Magness said there will also be three give-back nights in the area. The restaurants include Capital Pizza on April 15, BJ’s on April 22, and Joe’s Crab Shack on April 29. A certain percentage of food proceeds will benefit The Burkhart Center Center for Autism Education and Research.

Foster said autism is a different way of thinking and a different sort of writing. In her opinion, it’s not wrong — it’s eye-opening and pervasive.

“It colors every thought and experience of who the individual is,” she said. “It’s the reason my son sees magic in ordinary places. Autism is just as much of a part of him as his strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, and infectious laugh are too.”

About Lauren Estlinbaum

Entertainment Director    —    Journalism major, Class of 2014
Lauren Estlinbaum grew up in Pearland, Texas, south of Houston (go Texans). She is a journalism major with a minor in apparel design. Lauren would like to work for either a fashion or lifestyle publication post-graduation. As she likes to say, she considers fashion magazines survival guides.