Understanding Autism

Little Star Center is featured on the cover of the May 8, 2012 issue of the Current in Carmel newspaper!  The cover story, “Understanding Autism,” shares some things ”those in the know want the rest of us to know about the disorder.”  The article highlights experiences by a parent of a child with the disorder and a school teacher, noting that people who don’t understand autistic behavior think the parent allows “bad behavior” in the child.

The parent said people need to understand that the child doesn’t “get” the world and requires certain guidance in how to deal with situations and learn how to gain control over his/her response to frustration.  The teacher, Jane Webb, indicated that there are not a lot of books designed to help create an understanding of autism so she wrote, “My Brother is Artistic,” which is illustrated by a young man with autism, Griffin Nickels.

Little Star is identified as a resource for parents. Executive Director Mary Rosswurm said, ”A lot of people talk about people with autism as patients.  I don’t think our kids are sick. There’s nothing about them that’s not whole.”  She encouraged parents not to wait if they think something is not right as early diagnosis and intervention is critical.   Mary observed that finding the right place for children is one of the most important decisions parents make and can go a long way toward lightening their load.  “My goal at the end of the day is to be the soft place for parents to fall,” Rosswurm said.  “They have so many battles…I want this to be the easy part of their day.”