April is Autism Acceptance Month

According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. People with ASD will often not appear any different but may communicate, interact, behave or learn differently than a neurotypical person.

About 1 in 44 children has been identified with ASD, according to estimates from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.

While statistics point to more ASD diagnoses than before, better testing and screening procedures can be credited for the increase in cases that may not have previously been diagnosed.

There is no cure for ASD, and there is no known cause for ASD, but health professionals agree that early detection can help.
Choctaw Nation Psychiatrist Kelly S. Andrzejczyk-Beatty, D.O. said, “It’s really crucial to get them diagnosed as early as possible because early intervention is key. If we intervene earlier, they may not need as much social support or financial support down the line as an adult.”

When it comes to treatment for people diagnosed with ASD, there’s no one method. It often takes a team of people to determine the best path for each individual.

“There are so many different facets when dealing with autism, and so many different team members have to be on board to treat. It’s not just seeing a psychiatrist or a developmental pediatrician,” said Dr. Andrzejczyk-Beatty.

While catching ASD early is the best-case scenario, many people don’t get diagnosed until they are adults.

Rick Hamilton was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which falls under the umbrella of ASD, when he was 31 years old.

Hamilton is a medical records supervisor at the Choctaw Nation Health Clinic in McAlester. This job came about after working through Job for the Day in the medical records department.

“Job for the Day gave me a chance. I got in and started working, and my supervisor got to see how I worked. So, when the full-time job came up, I was able to move into the job,” said Hamilton.

While working at the clinic, Hamilton started to think that he might have autism. It was a social media post that made him start thinking about it. Then, after another post made it more evident, Hamilton went to his primary care doctor.
After his diagnosis, Hamilton says things just kind of clicked.

“It was a big deal. It just kind of explained things,” he said.

He went from wondering what was wrong with him to realizing nothing was wrong; he was just different.

Having access to the CNO clinics is one benefit of being Choctaw and living on the reservation.

“What’s nice about the Choctaw Nation is that we can refer to occupational therapy, and they’ll see anyone of any age. So, we get less pushback as far as funding since they’re able to be seen within the CNHSA,” said Dr. Andrzejczyk-Beatty. “When I was in private practice, it was a lot harder to get resources or get other providers, physicians and resources on board, whether it was funding or insurance reasons. So, I think we’re actually at an advantage since we do offer the health care system here for our patients.”

It can be more frustrating for those who don’t live on the reservation to get help.

A psychologist first recognized Terry Pollard’s autism in 1989, when he was a young man. It wasn’t until 23 years later that his autism was officially recognized during a lengthy hospital stay. Even then, Pollard says he wasn’t told about it until a different visit with his primary care doctor.

“It was like opening a book about myself. It explained why I always knew I was different and never felt, thought, learned or saw this world like neurotypical people,” said Pollard.

The world is different for people with ASD. It doesn’t look, feel or sound the same as for a neurotypical person. On top of that, each one of those senses could be different for each individual with ASD.

The fact that autism fits such a broad spectrum makes it hard to treat efficiently. This difficulty is compounded for people with ASD and leads to frustrations for many in what kinds of treatments and support are available.

“The very hospital and physicians that diagnosed me aren’t able to offer any treatment for autism and say they do not understand autism enough to specifically treat it,” said Pollard. “A great misconception is that all autistic individuals are cared for and provided for; facts show this is not the case. I personally have faced homelessness more than a few times in my 50 years.”

While it’s hard to pinpoint the prevalence of ASD among the homeless, it’s believed that the rates of autism among the homeless are much higher than the rates of autism among the general population.

“Many of us aren’t able to hold down employment and are highly sensitive to our surrounding environments such as bright lights, overbearing noisy places, background noise, crowds, and certain smells easily cause sensory overloads and shutdowns,” said Pollard.

Those with ASD want to be heard and listened to.

“It is well known among us that suffer, that the doctors and so-called professionals believe they know and understand how we feel. When in fact, they know very little because they refuse to listen when the truth is right in front of them. This ignorance has damaged and hurt us as a whole worldwide. We watch and listen as we are used for gain, thus we continue to suffer at the very hands claiming to support us,” said Pollard.

While not every experience is the same as Pollard’s, the frustration is still out there for those with ASD and those trying to help. There’s no one method of diagnosis; there’s no one treatment; there’s nothing black and white about ASD, which makes it hard for everybody.

There’s a popular quote that sums this up by Dr. Stephen Shore, an autistic professor, author and speaker, “If you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.”

Treatments and results have come a long way over the years. Dr. Andrzejczyk-Beatty says that 20 years ago, we probably didn’t expect people with moderate to severe autism to live independently.

“I feel that was probably underrated, or people thought that they weren’t going to gain those skills, or that they weren’t able to learn as much as they can,” she said.

While working to help those with ASD function in a neurotypical world, Dr. Andrzejczyk-Beatty brings up a valid point.
“Why are we trying to have them accommodate and get accustomed to what’s normal for us when it’s harder for them to do that?” she said.

In many cases, it would be easier for a neurotypical person to make accommodations to help someone with ASD. Bright office lights or light background music can be very different experiences for those with ASD.

Hamilton refuses to let his autism stop him.

“Being autistic, for me, is never an excuse. I’m never going to say I can’t do that because I’m autistic. I’m not going to use it as a crutch,” he said.

Pollard offers some advice to parents.

“If you’re a parent, about to become a parent or want to adopt a child with autism spectrum disorder. No matter the level that child’s on, they need you,;they need to feel love, compassion and above all else, they need to know that you will be there for them no matter what. They need to know they are accepted as is. They aren’t broken, so no, they don’t need to be fixed,” he said.

Pollard added, “We may not be the child you envisioned. We may never have that life you dreamed we would have, but rest assured God has a plan for our lives, if you will let Him use us.”