Community responds to autism education efforts

Members of the Parents Association for Children with Autism were amazed during their recent gathering at the sudden interest by the media, government agencies, and popular culture on the subject of autism.

From the Mantel Williams’ talk show to the popular weekly West Wing and Law and Order TV series, autism had noticeably gotten some serious airing. Sen. Mark Forbes of Guam recently introduced legislation for funds to support a residential group home for adults with autism.

PACA adviser Jaime R. Vergara, director of the Marianas Resource Center and local pastor of the Immanuel United Methodist Church revealed that he received a phone call from Radio Australia early April. A magazine broadcast that Australia’s national radio broadcasting corporation was doing on developmental disabilities in general, and autism, in particular, would include the Focus on Autism in the CNMI efforts of the association.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response to promoting awareness on autism that we started in January,” Frank D. Cabrera, PACA President said, ” that we are seriously planning on sending a couple of our members to the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children) training program at the University of North Carolina, in conjunction with the PSS program.” Ann Quick, PSS Coordinator on Special Education revealed plans to open an educational intervention program for children with autism in one of the elementary schools on island.

Mr. Cabrera added that with Gov. Tenorio’s declaration of April as Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention month, PACA decided to forego the association’s plan to declare April as Autism month as well.

Parents organized their children’s photos and school art work, and had scheduled video taping of their children in their natural environments as well as their structured learning settings. “The preparation work was OK,” Elaine Crisostomo, SpEd aide in Kagman, mother of an autistic child and prospective TEACCH trainee, disclosed, “but the emotional and psychological drain in reliving the past is excruciating. Now, we are setting our children’s lives for public display.”

The exhibit that was slated for April 28 has been re-scheduled for May 26, 2001.

Thomas Camacho, executive director of the Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council, informed PACA that the reauthorized DD Act of 2000 signed by former Pres. Bill Clinton included substantial funding for awareness programs and research on autism.

“This are competitive grants,” he added, “and we would like to work with PACA and other parents’ advocacy groups to make sure that some of these resources make it to the CNMI.”