History:
When Dianna Varady's son was diagnosed with
an autism-spectrum disorder, she couldn't find
a local support group to help her learn how
best to help her son. So she and three others
founded one: Helping Educate about Autism
Recovery (HEAR), which meets monthly at Our
Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock.
an autism-spectrum disorder, she couldn't find
a local support group to help her learn how
best to help her son. So she and three others
founded one: Helping Educate about Autism
Recovery (HEAR), which meets monthly at Our
Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock.
Dianna Varady's son was developing like most one-year-olds. He had a vocabulary of five
words and was pointing and interacting socially with others. Then at 13 to 14 months old
he started regressing.
"We thought he might have a hearing problem," Varady said. At that point, an autism
diagnosis had not entered her mind.
"When he first starting showing signs of a delay in speech development, I got on the
Internet and starting looking up speech delay in children and a million Web sites popped
up talking about autism," she said. "I was not ready to even go there."
After months of tests, a developmental pediatrician diagnosed the toddler with severe
developmental delay. Varady and her husband, Steve, then enrolled their 22-month-old
son at Francis A. Allen School for Exceptional Children in June 2005. It is located across
from Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, where the Varadys are members.
The Varadys' son is called "John" in this article because the couple requested that his real
name be withheld.
Local support
More resources
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Varady said the doctor was reluctant to diagnose autism because of John's age, but
admits another reason was probably because of her resistance.
Eventually Francis Allen therapists sat the Varadys down and told them what they feared
was true; their child had autism.
"That was what it took for me to pull my head out of the sand and start looking for anything
that might help him."
Varady said she knew little about autism and what she did know was based largely on the
autism stereotype in the movie "Rain Man."
She started researching on the Internet and eventually met other parents like herself. She
was unable to find a central Arkansas support group for parents of children with
autism-spectrum disorders. So in January she and three others founded the nonprofit
Arkansas Autistic Children's Support Group, also known as Helping Educate About Autism
Recovery (HEAR).
The group invites physicians, researchers and therapists to speak about the latest
therapies for autistic children. The free meetings are held at Holy Souls monthly.
"Every meeting is geared toward educating parents and physicians and therapists. It's an
open meeting, anybody can come," Varady said, who is also the group's president. "We
certainly don't have all the answers, but we have a lot of parents who ... have experience
and we can all learn from each other."
HEAR also advocates for state legislation, sponsors workshops and will host a Defeat
Autism Now regional conference in Little Rock in September 2007.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, autism is the
most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as
autism-spectrum disorders.
Varady said John falls into the mild to moderate range on the spectrum, which runs from
mild to disabling. He is sensitive to bright lights, loud noises and touch when it comes to
strangers. He does not eat meat, vegetables and most fruits, which requires him to take
nutritional supplements. He loves potatoes in any form, but does not touch dark-colored
foods.
As for developmental delays, Varady said he has difficulty making eye contact, was slow to
talk and has a normal-range vocabulary, but has trouble communicating.
Varady stressed that cognitively John's IQ is consistent with his peers. The problem is the
communication barrier.
"He's reading earlier than most kids and that's because of his sort of obsessive
compulsive qualities. He is fascinated with letters and numbers," she said.
John receives six hours of therapy each week, three for speech and three occupational. All
but one is provided at his school.
Last August, when John turned 3, he was moved into an integrated preschool classroom
at Francis Allen, which includes children with and without disabilities to help them learn
from each other.
Varady said she has noticed "improved eye contact and an explosion in speech and
communication," in John since he started weekly therapy.
"His stranger anxiety has subsided to a great degree," she said. "He can tolerate new
experiences, changes in schedule, better now than he did before."
"If you met him you'd probably think he's a really shy little boy," Varady said. "Lately, he
works really, really hard to try and communicate to us what his needs and his wants are."
Varady said what many don't understand is that autistic children could easily improve and
attend a mainstream school with their peers. Years ago, when little was known about the
disorder, children were institutionalized in severe cases. Much has changed since then.
A prognosis has not been given for John because, Varady said, "they just don't know." It all
depends on how he responds to therapies.
For parents who have autistic children, Varady stressed there is always hope.
"The brain is an amazing thing. Neuropathways can be built. We don't know what's
possible for our children and for adults with autism until we try," she said. "There's always
going to be a way to break those barriers."
words and was pointing and interacting socially with others. Then at 13 to 14 months old
he started regressing.
"We thought he might have a hearing problem," Varady said. At that point, an autism
diagnosis had not entered her mind.
"When he first starting showing signs of a delay in speech development, I got on the
Internet and starting looking up speech delay in children and a million Web sites popped
up talking about autism," she said. "I was not ready to even go there."
After months of tests, a developmental pediatrician diagnosed the toddler with severe
developmental delay. Varady and her husband, Steve, then enrolled their 22-month-old
son at Francis A. Allen School for Exceptional Children in June 2005. It is located across
from Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, where the Varadys are members.
The Varadys' son is called "John" in this article because the couple requested that his real
name be withheld.
Local support
More resources
Seeking coverage?
Varady said the doctor was reluctant to diagnose autism because of John's age, but
admits another reason was probably because of her resistance.
Eventually Francis Allen therapists sat the Varadys down and told them what they feared
was true; their child had autism.
"That was what it took for me to pull my head out of the sand and start looking for anything
that might help him."
Varady said she knew little about autism and what she did know was based largely on the
autism stereotype in the movie "Rain Man."
She started researching on the Internet and eventually met other parents like herself. She
was unable to find a central Arkansas support group for parents of children with
autism-spectrum disorders. So in January she and three others founded the nonprofit
Arkansas Autistic Children's Support Group, also known as Helping Educate About Autism
Recovery (HEAR).
The group invites physicians, researchers and therapists to speak about the latest
therapies for autistic children. The free meetings are held at Holy Souls monthly.
"Every meeting is geared toward educating parents and physicians and therapists. It's an
open meeting, anybody can come," Varady said, who is also the group's president. "We
certainly don't have all the answers, but we have a lot of parents who ... have experience
and we can all learn from each other."
HEAR also advocates for state legislation, sponsors workshops and will host a Defeat
Autism Now regional conference in Little Rock in September 2007.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, autism is the
most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as
autism-spectrum disorders.
Varady said John falls into the mild to moderate range on the spectrum, which runs from
mild to disabling. He is sensitive to bright lights, loud noises and touch when it comes to
strangers. He does not eat meat, vegetables and most fruits, which requires him to take
nutritional supplements. He loves potatoes in any form, but does not touch dark-colored
foods.
As for developmental delays, Varady said he has difficulty making eye contact, was slow to
talk and has a normal-range vocabulary, but has trouble communicating.
Varady stressed that cognitively John's IQ is consistent with his peers. The problem is the
communication barrier.
"He's reading earlier than most kids and that's because of his sort of obsessive
compulsive qualities. He is fascinated with letters and numbers," she said.
John receives six hours of therapy each week, three for speech and three occupational. All
but one is provided at his school.
Last August, when John turned 3, he was moved into an integrated preschool classroom
at Francis Allen, which includes children with and without disabilities to help them learn
from each other.
Varady said she has noticed "improved eye contact and an explosion in speech and
communication," in John since he started weekly therapy.
"His stranger anxiety has subsided to a great degree," she said. "He can tolerate new
experiences, changes in schedule, better now than he did before."
"If you met him you'd probably think he's a really shy little boy," Varady said. "Lately, he
works really, really hard to try and communicate to us what his needs and his wants are."
Varady said what many don't understand is that autistic children could easily improve and
attend a mainstream school with their peers. Years ago, when little was known about the
disorder, children were institutionalized in severe cases. Much has changed since then.
A prognosis has not been given for John because, Varady said, "they just don't know." It all
depends on how he responds to therapies.
For parents who have autistic children, Varady stressed there is always hope.
"The brain is an amazing thing. Neuropathways can be built. We don't know what's
possible for our children and for adults with autism until we try," she said. "There's always
going to be a way to break those barriers."
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| Dianna Varady (right) talks with HEAR co-founder April Rosson about nutrition research following a HEAR meeting at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock July 24. |
Originally published by: Arkansas Catholic
Written by: Tara Little
Written by: Tara Little
Disclaimer: ArkansasAutism.org provides general information of
interest to the autism community. The information comes from a
variety of sources and ArkansasAutism.org does not independently
ArkansasAutism.org. Nothing in this document should be construed as
medical advice. Always consult your child's doctor regarding his or her
individual needs.
interest to the autism community. The information comes from a
variety of sources and ArkansasAutism.org does not independently
ArkansasAutism.org. Nothing in this document should be construed as
medical advice. Always consult your child's doctor regarding his or her
individual needs.