EDITOR’S NOTE: With all the mis-information about autism and what causes it, I reached out to Michelle Jenck. I’ve worked with her for over a decade on Tillamook County Wellness, and I knew that she was well-informed about autism. As the mother to two children “on the spectrum”, she’s done her research and utilized effective therapies to help her kids. She now shares that knowledge at www.pqinitiative.com to help others navigate the neurodivergent experience. For Michelle and her family, the cause wasn’t important, but coming up with solutions so they could help him to live a happy life.
Andrew is one of my favorite people – and especially because he shares his writing with the Pioneer – through his movie reviews and editorials. Andrew has also shared his story about growing up with autism (links to Andrew’s story are below.) As Michelle states below, “every child is different” and she offers some hope and tips that worked for her family. This is part 1 of a two part series.
By Michelle Jenck
Let me start by saying, this is exactly as the title says, a perspective. The following is based on my individual experience as a mother, raising my unique children. Every family is different. Every child is different. Every neurodivergent child is different. I will also cut to the chase and say that, in my opinion, there is no magic bullet to eradicate autism. It most definitely has a genetic basis. That said, I believe there is a lot we can do to reduce risk of severity and alleviate symptoms.
A lot of people know our story. We have chosen to speak freely about our experiences raising a child on the autism spectrum. It has been challenging but also very rewarding journey. For families and kids experiencing these challenges, I want to offer hope and some practical tips that worked for us.
Baby Boy
When our first son was born, he cried. A lot. About everything. It became clear that he was very sensitive to sounds, light, and touch – cringing if a soft breeze blew on his face in his stroller; frantically crying when people clapped after singing the birthday song. We now refer to this as being sensory sensitive or having a sensory processing disorder. At the time, we had no idea what was happening and doctors were not giving us any helpful guidance at the time. It was painful to watch our child exist in a body that perceived the world as a scary, hostile place. We did what we could to eliminate situations that we knew would cause him distress.
I began reading everything I could to understand how my son’s brain and body were wired differently, searching for solutions. What could we do to help him?
Diagnosis
I was fortunate to have a friend with knowledge of autism, who recommended we have our son evaluated. It was scary to think he might “have something wrong” or “be labeled.” But, the life we were all living was scary too. Even though our son was high functioning in many ways, it was clear that something had to change if he was going to live a happy, independent, fulfilling life.
In 1998, two and a half years after our son was born, we had a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and no real sense of what could be done about it. Not one to throw in the towel, I doubled down on doing my own research. I had long since quit working to spend more time with our son, working on ways to help him catch up developmentally. Some of our efforts were trial and error. We watched for signs of what seemed to help (swinging!) and what didn’t (unpredictable schedules).
Therapeutic Approaches
One of the first therapies we tried was something called Listening Therapy. Our son listened to prerecorded sounds on headphones for 15 minutes, twice a day. The sensory systems of the body send information to the brain, where it is processed and leads to specific responses. The idea is that, if you send specific sensory input into the brain – in this case, through the ears, or auditory system – then the brain will rewire itself to better process information in the future.
I didn’t know or understand at the time but later came to realize that all of the successful interventions we used are based on the concept of neural plasticity – the brain’s ability to rewire itself. My one regret is not having known this sooner, as the brain’s capability for change is greatest during the first three years of life. After the age of five, it becomes much harder to change how the brain functions – but it is still possible.
Assessments with our school district’s ESD, led to speech therapy and behavior (ABA) therapies, which were helpful. However, these really treated our son’s symptoms. I wanted something that changed how his brain perceived the world, that could potentially eliminate the symptoms, or at least reduce their impacts.
What we found was HANDLE therapy, and later, vision therapy. These approaches focus on moving the body, head and/or the eyes, in very controlled and consistent ways to change the way the brain works over time. Without getting too technical, movement of the body, especially the head, impacts the vestibular system located in our inner ear. There is a connection between the vestibular system and other sensory systems that influence how the brain processes information. These systems can be strengthened – and this mostly happens through physical movement. We applied these therapies over a two-year period and saw profound improvements in our son’s behavior. It is worth noting that he was eight years old at the time. If we had done these therapies at a younger age, his progress would likely have been even greater.
(Autism – A Mother’s Perspective Series – Part 1 of 2)
Andrew Jenck’s Story: