The Etownian >> Campus Life
Autism Awareness Month offers new perspective, insight
Thursday April 15 2010
National Autism Awareness Month has been in practice since the 1970s, when the Autism Society recognized a need to educate and spread awareness about those affected by autism. Autism is a language-based developmental disorder that affects communication skills and often causes hypo– or hyper-sensitivity. The group Linking Elizabethtown Students to the Autism Community (LINK) is a club on campus dedicated to spreading awareness and reaching out to the community.
On April 8, LINK showed the movie “Mozart and the Whale,” which tells the love story of two individuals with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism.
A discussion led by special education professor Dr. Merry Staulters followed.
LINK also held a “Sensory Night” April 13 in Esbenshade. Participants took part in activities that demonstrated how people with autism interact with the world, such as making stress balls, creating gak, painting with pasta, blowing bubbles and finger painting.
The month’s final event will be a benefit to encourage further awareness and raise money for autism research to help those affected by the disorder. The benefit begins at 7 p.m. on April 28 and costs $2 to attend.
LINK holds activities throughout the year. One of them is a social skills group for adolescents with autism that helps to orient them to group situations. The club plans to organize outings each month. So far, these have included a bowling night and a trip to Hershey’s Chocolate World.
Members of LINK participate in a “buddy” program, that matches them with a child with autism. They work with their buddies one-on-one, playing games and developing social skills. The club also offers training to Etown students and community members through a program called Autism 101.
Those who have worked with people with autism know what a special experience it can be, though not without its challenges.
Junior Felicia Bonvicino, an occupational therapy major, has spent her last two summers as a counselor at a camp for children with special needs. About half of the campers in her groups have autism.
“I enjoyed working there every single day, even though some days were difficult,” Bonvicino said.
“The children were extremely intelligent and would love to focus on a topic, and they knew everything about it. I learned about all the different species of bugs, about dinosaurs and everything there is to know about Transformers.”
To Bonvicino, the challenges were worth it: “After you spend the summer with the children, you learn what upsets them, what they love, and you learn everything about them. I enjoyed watching them progress from the first day of camp to saying goodbye to them on the last day. I loved getting notes from the parents at the end of the camp and hearing about how much we impacted their child’s life.”
Dr. Judy Eriksen, an occupational therapy professor, often works with young people with autism. Sensory issues can be difficult for children with autism in busy or unstructured classes, so it is Eriksen’s job to find ways to help them.
As far as working directly with the children, she treats them no differently than any other client and uses the same occupational therapy approaches.
“Some people are just wired in a way that makes them look or act differently or struggle, and it is important for people to be accepting,” Eriksen said. “We need to embrace those differences.”
To find out more about Autism Awareness Month, log on to www.autism-society.org or contact LINK at LINK@etown.edu.
The Etownian >> Campus Life