For an autistic person, the world is a vastly different place from what others might experience. Oftentimes it is a terrifying situation, brimming with frustration, anger and challenges. With April being Autism Awareness Month, it provides a perfect opportunity to promote understanding and acceptance throughout campus and the Milwaukee community.

Naturally, the first step of understanding begins with a basic knowledge. One of the main errors people make when they first encounter autism is trying to categorize it into a single disorder with clearly defined characteristics.

According to Amy Van Hecke, assistant professor of psychology and director of Marquette’s Autism Clinic, autism is considered a spectrum disorder, meaning there “is a range of different presentations from severe autism to the more high-functioning Asperger’s disorder.”

There are those on the higher end with incredible intellectual abilities, and there are also those who struggle to achieve literacy. In between these extremes, there are many people containing their own unique combination of skills and challenges.

To put it succinctly, the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin defines autism as “a lifelong neurological disorder that significantly affects how a person perceives the world, interacts with other people and communicates.”

While the above definition sounds a bit daunting, Van Hecke wants to remind parents as well as people diagnosed that not even lower-functioning autism should be considered a “death sentence.”

With some creativity, she explains, “There are many ways that a person with autism can lead a successful and fulfilling life. It just takes early identification and intervention so we can help the child or adult reach their full potential.”

Nancy Lembke-Windler, an early childhood instructor at Forest Park Elementary in Kenosha, Wis., agrees that early intervention is key if the diagnosed individual wishes to progress. She also recognizes integration as a crucial element for advancement. Windler learned this firsthand in 1980, when she received a teaching position at a private school that only enrolled autistic children.

“We walked around with aprons filled with treats and used time-out boxes the size of phone booths,” Windler recalls of her experience. “I remember thinking that there must be a better way.”

At this point, Windler knew she wanted to teach special needs children in an inclusion setting, meaning combining students with and without disabilities within the same classroom. This type of environment promotes growth through social learning.

The autistic students, particularly those who are severely socially and mentally underdeveloped, benefit greatly from interaction with children who do not have the disorder.

This style of teaching is what brings Windler the most satisfaction and enables her to become very close to her students.
“I remember little idiosyncrasies that each student had: dimples that could hold a nickel, a deep belly laugh, their love for dinosaurs or their need to carry a pencil wherever they go,” Windler said.

It was these characteristics that Windler picked up on and used to become a part of each student’s world — something which requires a lot of patience.

This patience also comes in handy for interpreting an autistic student’s behaviors. For instance, many autistic individuals have difficulty giving eye contact when they are spoken to. While some people might view this as disinterest or possibly even a sign of rudeness, one of Windler’s older students explained that for her, it was impossible to use two senses at the same time. She could either listen or give eye contact, not both.

Similar misunderstandings happen all the time when people who are unfamiliar with autism encounter someone with the disorder.

“People think that because I look normal, I know how to do all the little social silliness and the niceties. I don’t. I have to watch and observe and learn them,” said Katey Boller, a 39-year-old currently diagnosed with Asperger’s. These social norms and certain acts of politeness are not inherent, but rather they are like a language that has to be studied and learned. Again, depending on the severity of the disorder, others diagnosed may be very socially fluent as well.

This is the important part of Autism Awareness Month — to educate others about a commonly misunderstood condition. Nathan Pannel, a 20-year-old from Franklin, N.C., diagnosed with Asperger’s, wants to dispel any belief that autistic individuals are to be feared.

“We are not monsters,” Pannel said. “We are human like everyone else. We are just uniquely different and uniquely blessed.”

This is a similar attitude taken by Heidi Vering, coordinator of the Office of Disability Services, who believes that students with disabilities are something to be thankful for.

“Oftentimes students with learning disabilities are unbelievable athletes or beautiful musicians or artists,” Vering said. “The best part of my job is to give those an opportunity to grow in other areas to make sure their voices are being heard.”

Disability Services tries its best to accommodate most issues these students would come across. They offer note-taking services, assistive technology, extended exam times and assistance with housing accommodations.

However, Vering explains that when it comes to autism on campus, those who excel academically do not find a large amount of use for these services. Sometimes what they require is social assistance, which, at a college level, Marquette is not required to provide. Regardless, Vering said the school does the best it can to take care of its students with special needs.

“There are a lot of people in this world who have disabilities and have contributed more than you could imagine,” she said. Because of this, Vering explained that Disability Services is “always changing and always making things more accessible.”

Robert Mochel, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, also believes strongly in helping those with special needs in the Milwaukee community and on campus. For this reason, in January 2007, Mochel and a friend started the Autism Awareness Society of Marquette.

Mochel said the group has so far been very successful. In addition to setting up information tables in the Alumni Memorial Union and Lalumiere Language Hall during Autism Awareness Week, they also hold special events designed to give parents of autistic children a break from their hectic lives.

This year in late February the group worked with Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin and put together a special day dedicated to spending time with special needs students and children from the Milwaukee area. About 70 youths from 38 different families came to immerse themselves in board games, crafts, sporting activities and bowling.

“We planned on starting the bowling around 10 a.m., but when the first kid checked in at 8:30, it took less than five minutes before balls were rolling down the lane,” Mochel said, remembering the their enthusiasm.

The respite program, which Mochel also helps coordinate, is another service aimed toward relieving parents with special needs children.

“It’s basically a free babysitting service,” Mochel said.

Currently, the group has several students paired with separate families, whom they baby-sit for at least once a month and in some cases four times a month. Mochel notes that babysitting children on the lower end of the autistic spectrum can be very challenging, but the kids also have a great sense of humor.

One child in particular, Mochel recalls, is the one who had a fascination with fans.

“He used to go on the top bunk bed and put all his stuffed animals and toys on the blades of the fan, wait for you to walk in and then pull the string so that toys would fly everywhere,” Mochel said with a laugh. “It’s really hard because part of you is like, no you can’t do that, but then part of you is like, all right that’s pretty funny.”

Challenges and humor aside, Mochel said working with these children is also an extremely rewarding process.

“When a kid has a six-word vocabulary and your name is one of the words in there — that’s pretty cool,” Mochel said.

Van Hecke also recognizes working with autistic individuals as an intensely rewarding experience and is pleased to say that the Autism Clinic on campus offers evaluations and consultations for families at the school and in the community on an ability-to-pay basis, making them more accessible and affordable to the public.

In the future, Van Hecke said she would like to work with the Counseling Center on treatment plans for students on the autism spectrum as well as to begin social skills training groups for Marquette students.

In the end, we are all just pieces of a giant puzzle. Taking care of each piece is essential if we hope to remain a driven, loving and unified whole. Understanding and awareness are important steps in this process. Such is the beauty that lies within Autism Awareness Month. It offers the ideal starting point to begin the journey for acceptance, which Marquette is already beginning to travel upon.