Caleb Ward seems like any other active 4-year-old. He's chatty and hops out of his seat without a moment's notice. He doesn't always listen when he's told to do something, especially when he'd rather be doing something else.
He's come a long way in just the few months he's been in therapy at Spectrum Center for Autism, his mother, Marie Ward, said.
Caleb was diagnosed with autism in 2007. By age 3, he was hitting his head against a wall or throwing his stomach against the arm of a chair. He would shout words over and over. He would have regular meltdowns when things didn't go as planned or expected. He was aggressive, and conversations were a struggle.
Things have changed. He still has meltdowns on occasion, but he no longer hits his head and stomach or shows aggression toward others. When he's asked a question, he answers it. He minds when he's told to do something.
"You can carry on a conversation with him," Ward said. " ... He's like a different child, and it's because of intervention. Early intervention is major with these children."
Ward has learned there is no one set of symptoms to describe children with autism. Caleb, for example, has known his ABCs since he was 2. His memory is unbelievable, and he's been giving driving directions since he was 3.
"They're all different," said Dr. Claude Ashley, a pediatrician with Southeastern Pediatric Associates in Dothan. "They all have strengths and weaknesses."
He knows from experience -- both as a doctor and a father. His son Jude, now 5, was diagnosed with autism at age 3. As the Ashleys sought help for their son, they quickly realized how difficult it can be to get services for autism. The couple took Jude to Florida for therapy. But in many cases, families have no way to travel to get services for their children.
So Ashley and his wife, Kelly, decided to create a center in Dothan to provide therapy for autistic children. The Spectrum Center for Autism opened in January on Honeysuckle Road. A fundraising gala for the center will be held April 3.
"All of them have the potential to get better, especially with early intervention and if they get help after they are diagnosed," Ashley said.
Autism is a developmental disorder. One in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The first signs typically appear in early childhood -- children with autism may be speech-delayed, they don't make eye contact, they engage in self-stimulating behaviors such as rocking or banging their heads, they must have routines, and they have problems with social interaction.
But autism is one of multiple disorders known as autism spectrum disorders, which also includes Asperger Syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. Autism spectrum disorders are so varied that children may have severe to mild symptoms.
Caleb and Jude are both considered highly-functional.
What causes these developmental disorders is not clear, and Ashley thinks the focus on causes has shortchanged children who need help.
Jude was born with congenital hypothyroidism. He has no thyroid gland. The condition has been linked to developmental disorders. Jude developed as children are supposed to. His speech was never delayed; like Caleb, he knew his ABCs. But by the time Jude was ready for pre-school, he was having trouble interacting with others.
"It was tough," Ashley said. "But in a way it was a relief because we could pursue options to get him help."
Therapy for children with autism, known as applied behavioral analysis or ABA, is designed to help them learn to cope with changes. Speech therapy is geared more to helping children with conversation skills and how to interact with people rather than pronunciation. Therapists also use behavioral therapy to help with social skills and interaction with others.
"Transitions are really difficult for kids with autism," said Laura Brumfield-Collier, an ABA therapist at Spectrum.
The Spectrum center will be developed in phases, and Ashley hopes the center can obtain nonprofit status so financial assistance can be provided for families who cannot afford therapy. Insurance, Ashley said, covers very little when it comes to such services.
The first phase, of course, is under way at the center's site on Honeysuckle Road. Depending on money, the second phase will include a new 50,000-square-foot facility with a diagnostic center, a biomedical area, a resource library, tutoring for children and counseling for families to go along with therapy services. The center's six-member board is looking for land donations for the facility. Other future phases would include a pre-school for children age 2 and older who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, an upper school for children who cannot be mainstreamed, and a vocational program to teach students career skills.
In all, it's a $5 million to $6 million undertaking.
There's no cure for autism even with therapy. Children with autism may learn to interact and carry on in society, but they may always have difficulty with abstract thought and relationships because they have trouble empathizing.
The optimum ages for therapy are between 4 and 6, Ashley said.
"Whether you call it autism or developmentally delayed, they need the services," he said. " ... The brain can re-program itself ... You just can't afford to wait."
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If you go ...
What: Gala to benefit the Spectrum Center for Autism and Related Disorders.
When: Friday, April 3, 6 p.m.
Where: Landmark Park, Stokes Activity Barn, U.S. 431 North, Dothan.
Cost: Tickets are $150 per person; Can be purchased at Kirkland's Jewelry and The Butcher Block in Dothan and Jack DeLoney Art Gallery in Ozark. Or, visit Spectrum at 1501 Honeysuckle Road, Suite 2, in Dothan.
Other: Dress is black-tie optional; Evening includes a dinner program as well as silent and live auctions. Auction items include two tickets to the Country Music Awards with travel; tickets to Bristol Motor Speedway with travel; jewelry; and catered dinners.
Info: Call Spectrum at 671-1650 To see more of The Dothan Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dothaneagle.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Dothan Eagle, Ala. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Dothan Eagle, Ala.