Impact, Volume 14, Number 2, July/August Page: 2
[24] p. : ill.View a full description of this periodical.
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Austin-Travis County
MHMR CenterFirst they listened to the problems of
parents with autistic children. Then they
designed a treatment program to
strengthen the all-important family bond.
By Bill Rago, Ph.D.
A handsome young child sits alone in the corner of his
room seeming to ignore his parents while spinning the
wheels of a wagon around and around.
When his parents approach him, the child acts as if they
are not there. He says nothing to them and doesn't even
look their way. He continues to spin the wheels, oblivious
to the presence of his parents.
Once he is picked up, the child doesn't relax but re-
mains rigid as if being hugged is uncomfortable, even un-
natural, to him.
Not understanding the reason for such bizarre
behavior, the parents may at first think their child is deaf.
An examination, however, may show that the reason for
such odd behavior is not deafness but autism, a severe,
potentially lifelong disability that begins at birth and is
capable of greatly disrupting the normal course of mental
development.
Autism has mystified parents and professionals since it
first was diagnosed by Leo Kanner, M.D., in 1943. Accord-
ing to experts, the essential features of autism are a lack of
responsiveness to other people, termed "autistic
aloneness," and major impairments in communication
skills, such as the absence of language or the presence of
echolalic speech, the inappropriate repetition of a word or
phrase most recently heard.
Adding to the bizarreness of autism is the tendency for
these children to avoid eye contact while appearing to
stare through a person. This phenomenon has led some to
refer to autistic individuals as "those children with
faraway eyes."
Part of the mystique of autism comes from the inability
to find its cause. While autism is relatively rare, with two
to four cases per 10,000 births, the fact that it occurs three
out of four times in males has focused the search for its
cause into biological areas.
This new direction in the search for the etiology of
autism marks a distinct break with past efforts. For ex-
ample, Dr. Kanner observed that the parents of autistic
children were intellectual, aloof and cold in interactions
with their children. It was believed, then, that the dispas-
sionate actions of these "refrigerator parents" causedI
Paul Nguyen, left,
and Chris Cannon,
on the cover, spend
weekday afternoons
/outdoors as part of
the Austin-Travis
County MHMR
Center autism
program.
children to avoid human contact, producing the symp-
toms of autism.
As research into autism grows more sophisticated, the
"refrigerator parent'' theory has given way to a number
of more appropriate theories.
Regardless of the cause, the practical reality of autism is
the need for these individuals to live within society. And
because parents are the primary care givers, the em-
phasis has been shifted from blaming them to helping
them cope with their autistic child.
The problem that autism presents to society calls for a
twofold solution. First, cooperative agreements in the best
interest of the client must be developed between state
agencies. Second, the purpose of these agreements must be
to provide strategies and services that allow people with
autism to participate in society as fully as possible.
The problem that autism presents to the family is the
thesis upon which these solutions should hinge.
An autism program at Austin-Travis County MHMR
Center (ATCMHMRC) tailors its services to meet family
need as well as client need. The program is a cooperative
effort between state agencies and is an attempt to in-
tegrate the autistic person into society.
Project director Mildred Vuris initiated the program
with a series of parent meetings aimed at identifying the
needs of families with members who have autism. Only
after these meetings was a program of services
developed.
In 1981, TDMHMR and the Texas Education Agency
funded five autism programs, which since have grown to
seven. As one of the originals, the ATCMHMRC program
is exemplary in its focus on services for the individual
within the context of family life.
he ATCMHMRC autism program is a creative blend
of services designed to foster client growth and family in-
tegrity. The summer program provides parents a much-
needed respite from the stresses of keeping their autistic
child at home for the entire summer. In many families,
parents and children are able to enjoy a normal summer
for the first time.
The three-month summer program was initiated in2 IMPACT, JULY/AUGUST 1984
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Texas. Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Impact, Volume 14, Number 2, July/August, periodical, July 1984; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1588523/m1/2/: accessed June 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.