By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

Joseph Dickey, 11, of Bedford plays on the family trampoline recently. He was diagnosed with autism just before he turned 3 years old.

Autism stories • Bedford: Loud, unpredictable noises frighten boy • Bow: Teen with autism defies all odds • Goffstown: Like a switch was turned off • Hooksett: Family appreciates joys, deals with disappointments • Pelham: Autism offers boy a creative impulse

Autism awareness walk to take place May 13 AUBURN – The Autism Society of New Hampshire is sponsoring “A Walk in the Sun,” an autism awareness nature walk, on Saturday, May 13, at the Audubon Center at Lake Massabesic. Registration starts at 9am, and the walk begins at 10am. Participants may walk one mile or three. No pets, please. For directions, visit NHaudubon.org. All donations are tax deductible and stay in New Hampshire to support local families. For more information, visit NHautism.com or call 603-679-2424.

What is autism? By Darrell Halen Staff Writer Autism is a complex developmental disability that impacts a person’s brain functions and, therefore, his or her communication and social interactions. This neurological disorder typically appears in a person’s first three years. “Typically, between (the) ages of 2 and 3, you start to notice that the child is not communicating effectively or there’s uneven skill development,” said Marguerite Tompkins, a preschool services teacher for the Pelham and Windham school districts. Autism is known as a spectrum disorder. It affects each person differently and traits vary from mild to severe. According to the Autism Society of America, an autistic person may exhibit any combination of the following symptoms: aggressive behavior, self-injurious behavior, resistance to change, difficulty expressing needs, repeating words or language instead of normal language, gesturing and pointing instead of speaking, throwing tantrums, wanting to be alone, showing little eye contact, dislike of cuddling, inappropriate attachment to objects, lack of fear of dangers, overactivity and underactivity, uneven gross/fine motor skills, unresponsiveness to verbal cues, laughing, crying and showing distress for no apparent reason, unresponsiveness to teaching methods, playing oddly, spinning objects, and apparent oversensivity and undersensitivity to pain. Dr. Leo Kanner, a psychiatrist who observed children, officially identified autistic children in 1943. Before Kanner’s work, such children would have been labeled as emotionally disturbed or mentally retarded. Society’s understanding of the disorder has grown since Kanner’s contributions but there are still many unanswered questions about it. There is no single known cause of autism, according to ASA. No gene has been identified as being responsible but experts believe the disorder is due to abnormalities in brain function and structure. Differences in brain shape and structure have been found when comparing autistic children and non-autistic kids. Experts at the ASA believe children are born with autism or are born with the potential to develop it. The role of genetics is also supported by research that many autistic people come from families with a history of autism or related disabilities. A study by the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., ruled out a relationship between the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine and autism. It also ruled out a link between thimerosal and autism. Thimerosal is the ingredient in the vaccine many suspect as the cause of autism. Nevertheless, many people still believe the vaccine theory, and there is a class-action lawsuit in federal court regarding that theory. As many as 1.5 million children and adults in the United States are believed to be autistic, said the institute. The milder the symptoms, the likelihood is greater that it will take longer for the problem to be recognized, Tompkins said. There is no medical test for diagnosing autism. Professionals make a diagnosis based on a person’s behavior, communication and development levels. More children are being diagnosed with it, but Tompkins said there’s speculation as to why that is. But just because a person has autism doesn’t mean they can’t learn and be productive. Kids don’t outgrow the disorder but their symptoms will lessen as receive treatment and develop.

For some people, the loud exhaust pipes on motorcycles are an inconvenience; for Mary Dickey, the pipes could have tragic consequences.

Her 11-year-old son, Joseph, is autistic, and loud, unpredictable noises frighten him.

“He copes better today, but when he was younger, loud motorcycles would make him uncomfortable,” said Dickey. “You could tell that he wanted to get away, and we were afraid that he might just instinctually run off.”

After a rider with a new motorcycle practiced on their street, Dickey said her son would only play in the back yard for the next few weeks.

Joseph is the middle of three children. He has an older sister, Laura, 13, and a younger brother, David, 8. Neither have autism.

Joseph began talking around the time he turned 1 year old, Dickey said, but his speech began to degrade shortly thereafter.

“He was speaking in approximations by then, and knew a few words. Joseph was diagnosed in November, just before he turned 3. He just didn’t seem to understand what we were saying,” said Dickey. “When he was diagnosed, it was kind of a relief to have an answer, but we knew he would need a lot of help.”

While the severity of autism varies, it can be defined as a neuro-developmental disorder that features abnormal social interaction, communication and unusual patterns of interest or behavior.

The causes of autism – which according to the National Institute of Mental Health affects one in 1,000 American children – are still a topic of debate, and Dickey subscribes to one theory.

“I have always had a suspicion that vaccinations might have been a cause, said Dickey.

“We held off on immunizations until Joseph was 1 year old. He was recovering from an ear infection and on an antibiotic. It certainly could be a contributing factor worth looking into. Kids today have more vaccines than we did growing up.”

While Joseph’s speech isn’t as advanced as other children his age, he enjoys reading, grammar exercises and listening to most kinds of music, although he doesn’t play any instruments. His mother also said he is more reliable and obedient than most children his age.

“When he was young, we didn’t know that he knew letters and numbers,” said Dickey.

“He’s very adaptable. He wants to please his teachers and he loves to learn. Now that he’s getting older, he’s showing more enthusiasm, and he’s taking more of an interest in reaching out to his peers.”

When Joseph was 3, his parents opted for a home-education program stressing repetition and patterns.

“The picture exchange system works very well,” said Dickey.

“He learned how to hand us a card with a picture, drawing or word to get what he wanted.”

Joseph is in the fourth grade at Riddle Brook School, and Dickey said the professionals there do a good job on a personal level, but higher in the education system, the situation is more complicated.

“One of the biggest challenges is that there is a shortage of people to work with these kids as they get older, sometimes I feel as though their hands are tied,” she said. “You don’t want them to just be reliant on a system.

As parents, we want to take care of him for as long as we can.”