Autism.
When my son, Brady, was 11 months old, he was right on schedule, just like you read in all the baby books. He built with big Legos and played basketball on the tiny hoop I set up for him. He’d even uttered words in a furniture store one day and continued to for weeks. He made good eye contact, as though he knew you.
Within weeks, however, it was all gone.
Brady’s development regressed to the point that his mother and I noticed problems within days. After enrolling him in the Help Me Grow program and starting some early speech therapy, it became apparent Brady needed significant help.
His therapist suggested having Brady screened for autism. I remember his appointment vividly. After nearly two hours of observation at Nationwide Children's Hospital’s Autism Center, three doctors came into the room to see us and no one wanted to speak. It was eerily quiet, but we already knew what Brady was facing. We had studied the warning signs of autism and knew Brady fit the description: poor eye contact, no language, poor play skills, arms flapping and hopping in place and on and on. And so it began.
The past two and half years have been at once gut-wrenching and rewarding. Brady has made slow, steady, measurable progress in that time and makes me the proudest father you could imagine. He tries so hard to learn new words, and when they cross his lips, we cheer as loud as we do when the Buckeyes score a touchdown.
His progress is the result of a remarkable team of therapists. His treatment adds up to nearly 40 hours per week of work, and Brady’s not even 5 years old.
Brady has a younger brother now, Tyler, who has also been diagnosed with autism. As a parent of autistic children, you learn a stronger version of love than you could ever know before. They’re the most important people in the world to me and I’ll work as hard as I can to give them every chance.
April is National Autism Awareness Month and, sadly, the numbers show more and more people are being directly affected by this disorder. Last year, the American Society of Pediatricians updated the rate of children diagnosed with autism to one in every 91 births, including one in every 58 boys. Doctors believe autism is caused by a medley of genetic and environmental factors, but there’s no known cause or cure.
A year and half ago, I approached the management at NBC4 and asked them to help educate people on the signs of autism and where parents could go for help. What happened next was stunning. The station jumped at the chance and The Autism Puzzle was born. It’s become a station and community project that includes quarterly television specials and an online portal.
Our next The Autism Puzzle special airs at 7 p.m. April 21 and I hope you’ll give it a look. You can also learn more about what we’re doing at the online portal, www.theautismpuzzle.org.
Join NBC4’s Army
I hope you’ll accept this invitation to join our 4’s Army team and help us raise money for Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization.
In July, we’ll come together with other media outlets in Central Ohio for a bowling tournament at the Columbus Bowling Palace, 5707 Forest Hills Blvd. In October, our 4’s Army team will participate in the annual Walk Now for Autism at The Ohio State University. We invite you to participate with us in these events. More information will be available soon.
I’m proud of the effort my friends at the station are putting forth, but I believe this effort will take all of us. Brady and Tyler and millions of other children and adults in our country need your love and support to put the pieces of this puzzling disorder together.
Watch Jerod Smalley’s sports reports on NBC 4 at 6pm and 11pm.